Rats! Harrison Ford will not fly into Space Coast to watch SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch
Space Florida says 'Star Wars' superstar will not land his plane here.
Jennifer Sangalang- SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch window is 1:30 to 4 p.m. Feb. 6
- In addition to "Star Wars," Harrison Ford is known for the "Indiana Jones" film series
- On Feb. 5, Ryan Gosling filmed scenes for "First Man" at Kennedy Space Center
- Harrison Ford is a longtime pilot
Sorry, "Star Wars" fans: Harrison Ford will not fly into the Space Coast on Tuesday for the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch.
This comes a day after FLORIDA TODAY reported the actor would be among the VIP guests to watch the inaugural launch of the world's most powerful rocket. According to Space Florida, the "Star Wars" superstar will not land his plane at its Shuttle Landing Facility, which Ford apparently had planned to do.
What to expect:SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch from Kennedy Space Center
Photos:Remote camera setup for SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch
More:10 great places to watch SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch
Space Florida controls the SLF.
Media reports over the weekend and chatter on Reddit suggested Ford would visit the Space Coast to watch the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch on Jan. 30 (it launched a day later), and that he would attend a VIP viewing of the Falcon Heavy launch on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
The launch window runs from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday at pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The 230-foot-tall, three-core rocket will carry Musk's personal 2008 Tesla Roadster, an all-electric sports car, to be hurtled into deep space to test the rocket's capabilities. About 100,000 people are expected to visit the Space Coast for the highly anticipated Falcon Heavy launch.
More:SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reveals pictures of red Tesla bound for Mars
More:Elon Musk says Falcon Heavy rocket will launch a Tesla from KSC
More:Ryan Gosling to film 'First Man' scenes at Kennedy Space Center
The 75-year-old actor best known as Han Solo in the "Star Wars" film series was the pilot of the Millennium Falcon. In a nod to "Star Wars," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the Falcon rockets are named after the iconic ship.
There was no reason given for Ford's canceled trip.
FLORIDA TODAY space reporter Emre Kelly contributed to this report.
Sangalang is a digital producer at FLORIDA TODAY.
Contact Sangalang at 321-242-3630
or jsangalang@floridatoday.com.
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Details about the Falcon Heavy launch
The Falcon Heavy rocket is set to launch from KSC, with the window from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at pad 39A. Falcon Heavy will become the most powerful rocket in the world when it launches with 5.1 million pounds of thrust generated by 27 Merlin engines. The rocket's two side cores will return to touch down at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Landing Zone 1, while the center core will land on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship stationed off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. Those in the area can expect to hear multiple sonic booms to indicate their return.
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Tune in to FLORIDA TODAY's coverage of the launch with our space team, James Dean, Emre Kelly and Craig Bailey, at noon for countdown chat and updates, including streaming of SpaceX's launch broadcasting starting 15 minutes before liftoff.
