SpaceX to launch world's most powerful rocket by January end

SpaceX to launch world's most powerful rocket by January end 

The world's most powerful rocket - the Falcon Heavy - is scheduled for launch by January end, according to SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

SpaceX is all set for a test fire next week, but the date of the full launch is yet to be finalized.

The rocket had suffered multiple delays, and a successful launch would be another jewel in Musk's crown.

The Falcon Heavy is as powerful as 18 Boeing 747s 

The 230-foot-tall Falcon Heavy, according to Musk, is the "most powerful rocket in the world by a factor of two".

The Falcon Heavy is capable of carrying a payload of 54 tonnes and can generate 2,500 tons of thrust, roughly equivalent to 18 Boeing 747s flying at full throttle.

SpaceX has a brilliant success rate in launches 

The launches will be from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

The test fire of the Falcon Heavy will have a payload comprising the all-electric Tesla Roadster which will be playing rockstar David Bowie's song, Space Oddity, said Musk.

SpaceX will attempt to land and recover all three of the rocket's first-stage cores. So far, the company has only attempted single core recoveries.