SpaceX’s test schedule for its new rocket has been repeatedly delayed, and now it’s postponed at the hands of lawmakers.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket is still waiting.
The first test firing of SpaceX’s massive rocket has been slipping for weeks for undisclosed reasons. The Falcon Heavy’s static test fire at Kennedy Space Center has been delayed yet again, but this time we know why: the ongoing shutdown of the US government.
“Due to the shutdown removing key members of the civilian workforce, the 45th Space Wing will not be able to support commercial static fires taking place on KSC,” reads a statement from the Patrick Air Force Base division that oversees launch operations at KSC.
If Falcon Heavy eventually passes its static fire test and successfully launches, it will become the most powerful rocket in operation since the Saturn V took Apollo astronauts to the moon.
“We remain hopeful that the Congress will quickly resolve their differences and put our partners in the Air Force and NASA back to doing their important work as soon as possible,” SpaceX told CNET in an email. “This shutdown impacts SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy demonstration…. It also impacts critical missions for our customers, including important international allies scheduled to launch shortly from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base, as well as upcoming missions this spring to resupply the International Space Station.”
How soon the static test fire could happen remains uncertain. Negotiations on Capitol Hill to fund and reopen the government are ongoing as of Monday. The last time the federal government shut down was 2013, when it remained closed for nearly two weeks.
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