update: SpaceX now aims to launch its first Falcon Heavy rocket in 2023 Sunday, January 15, 5:56 PM ET (2256 GMT).
SpaceX’s mighty Falcon Heavy rocket will return to action on Sunday (January 15th) and you can watch the launch live.
Ah falcon heavy will launch at 5:56 PM (2255 GMT) on Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, one day later than previously announced. us space force Called USSF-67.
Watch live here at Space.com. space x, or directly via the company. I will be hosting her webcast for the company when the time comes.
Related: Why SpaceX hasn’t flown a Falcon Heavy rocket since 2019
Sunday’s launch will be Falcon Heavy’s fifth overall.burly rocket February 2018 debut In a memorable test flight that sent the founder and CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk‘s Tesla Roadster orbits the sun, with a mannequin Starman in a space suit sitting in the driver’s seat.
Falcon Heavy was launched again in April 2019 and June 2019, each time launching an operational satellite. But the rocket last year she didn’t take off until November. USSF-44 mission Space Force. Space industry analysts said his 40-month gap was largely due to delays in the readiness of customer payloads.
Like USSF-44, USSF-67 is a classified mission. However, I know a little bit about the next flight.
The primary payload is a military communications satellite called Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM 2, which Falcon Heavy will send into geostationary orbit about 22,200 miles (35,700 kilometers) above the Earth. Also on Saturday, the rideshare spacecraft will have a payload adapter capable of holding up to six small satellites called the Long Duration Propulsive ESPA (LDPE)-3A. According to EverydayAstronaut.com (opens in new tab).
LDPE-3A carries five Space Force payloads on USSF-67. Among them are “two operational prototypes to enhance situational awareness and an operational prototype crypto/interface encryption payload to provide secure space-to-ground communications capabilities,” Space Force officials said. said in an emailed statement on Friday (January 13).
Falcon Heavy consists of three modified SpaceX falcon 9 The first stage of being tied together. Above the central booster is the upper stage that carries the payload.
The Falcon Heavy first stage is reusable like the Falcon 9. They also flew on USSF-44, according to Space Force officials. The USSF-67 core booster has never flown before.
If all goes according to plan, the two side boosters will return to Earth shortly after launch on Saturday and land vertically at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station next to KSC. The central booster does not return and instead sinks into the Atlantic Ocean.
USSF-67 is part of a busy week for SpaceX.The company also plans to launch its 51 star link Internet satellite heading into low earth orbit on Falcon 9 in Ja. 19The mission can also be seen on Space.com.
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