A new super-powerful Falcon Heavy launch vehicle has lifted off from Cape Canaveral on its first test flight, and the launch of the rocket was broadcast by SpaceX, the Voice of America reported on Tuesday, February 6.

According to the report, the Falcon Heavy rose from the same launch pad used by NASA nearly 50 years ago to send men to the moon. With liftoff, the Heavy became the most powerful rocket in use today, doubling the liftoff punch of its closest competitor.

The company was preparing for the launch of the rocket for seven years.

The rocket stands 70 m tall, its core has a diameter of 3.66 m, and when fully assembled with its side boosters is 12.2 m wide and weighs 1,420 tonnes.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk's personal car – a cherry red Roadster – was fired into space on board the Falcon Heavy. Last month, Musk wrote on Twitter that he really liked the idea of sending a car to an endless journey through space, where millions of years later it could be discovered by representatives of an alien civilization.