Interesting. Newton's law states that ‘physical’ interactions propagate at infinite speed. As such two bodies of mass encountering one another for the first time should instantaneously affect one another. If Heim, or any of the others who have theorized gravitational waves, are correct in their theory that gravitational waves travel at a finite speed, this should be testable. There should be a measurable delay in the onset of the effects of bodies of mass initially encountering one another.
With all the witchcraft going on in the quantum world, sub-dimension, particle entanglement, I wouldnt be surprised that the propagation is instantaneous.
I’ve always understood that the force of gravity being based on distance between masses is always in effect between all bodies and it is merely the magnitude that changes as they get closer/farther apart. It’s always there but at negligible amounts.
Two bodies placed in a vacuum with not other forces would eventually collapse together.