First passengers on SpaceX rocket must be brave: Musk

Washington

ELON Musk tamped down expectations about Space Exploration Technologies Corp's new rocket designed to carry private citizens into space, saying whoever chooses to be among the first passengers will need to be "brave".

The SpaceX Falcon Heavy, a rocket with two extra boosters attached and a total of 27 engines that must fire simultaneously, will have enormous stresses and has been difficult to test on the ground, Mr Musk said on Wednesday in Washington.

He jokingly urged attendees of a conference on the International Space Station (ISS) to watch the first attempted launch. "It's guaranteed to be exciting," he said.

When asked whether the risks would make potential customers pause before signing up for a …