The Falcon Heavy engine test firing at launch pad 39A as seen from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site. The engines fired at 12:30pm EST (1730 GMT) on 24 January 2018.
Relativity Space says it has secured $140 million in new funding from venture capital firms and private investors, enough to carry the company’s 3D-printed small satellite launcher through its first orbital flight from Cape Canaveral in early 2021.
The second Falcon Heavy fires its first stage engines as part of a routine pre-flight test for the upcoming launch of the Arabsat 6A communications satellite.
After making landfall in South Florida, Hurricane Irma moved north over the state before losing strength and being downgraded to a tropical storm. NASA safety officials report the Kennedy Space Center lost electricity and water pressure during the storm, but a team of emergency personnel at the spaceport is safe.