Elon Musk shares new photos of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket

Elon Musk's SpaceX is closer than ever to launching a brand new rocket.

The private spaceflight company is finally just about ready to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket on its first test flight in January. And now Musk is finally giving the waiting public a glimpse of what that rocket looks like in all its glory.

SEE ALSO: SpaceX's 20th successful rocket landing was just as amazing as its 1st

Musk shared the new photos showing off the heavy-lift rocket on Twitter Wednesday.

Tweet may have been deleted

The Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's next big rocket, capable of bringing payloads and even people deep into the solar system.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The rocket looks effectively like three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, and it's been in development for quite a long time.

SpaceX's insistence that it would launch the rocket and subsequent delays over the years have been something of a joke in the spaceflight community for a while now.

Tweet may have been deleted

But it finally looks like space nerds will get the launch we've long been waiting for.

The Falcon Heavy is expected to launch in January carrying a Tesla Roadster as its payload (yep, really), and it's sure to be a special launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Musk has attempted to manage expectations by saying that there's a non-zero chance that the Falcon Heavy could explode during its maiden flight.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Here's how Virgin's space program is different than SpaceX

---