The launch, currently scheduled for Tuesday, November 1, from the Kennedy Space Center, is the first launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy in three years. The launch was originally scheduled for the morning of Monday, October 31, but has been rescheduled, with the rocket lifted upright on platform 39A Wednesday night, and after a static test launch, the world’s most powerful rocket will then be removed from the platform. It can load two classified satellites belonging to the US Space Force. Basically, the Falcon Heavy is three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together. And in a stunning spectacle of simultaneous landings, two boosters will return to Earth. The third booster will put the satellites into a distant orbit. In all, 28 Merlin engines will be launched. This will be the Falcon Heavy’s first launch since 2019. “The main reason the Falcon Heavy has basically been on the sidelines for three years is because the payloads it was supposed to fly on weren’t ready,” Eric Berger of Ars Technica said. These big payloads are from NASA and the Department of Defense. Berger has also written a book on Elon Musk and SpaceX. “I think symbolically speaking, it’s a really important rocket for SpaceX,” he said. Because it shows, first of all, that a private company can build the largest and most powerful rocket. I mean, think about that. Prior to that, they were fully government funded projects. “The Falcon Heavy is the only missile that can hit all the orbits the Department of Defense wants to reach.
The launch, currently scheduled for Tuesday, November 1, from the Kennedy Space Center, is the first launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy in three years.
The launch was originally scheduled for the morning of Monday, October 31, but has been rescheduled.
The missile was lifted perpendicular to platform 39A on Wednesday night.
After a static test launch, the world’s most powerful rocket will then be ejected from the platform so that two classified US Space Force satellites can be loaded.
Basically, the Falcon Heavy is three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together. And in a stunning spectacle of simultaneous landings, two boosters will return to Earth.
The third booster will put the satellites into a distant orbit. In all, 28 Merlin engines will be launched. The Falcon Heavy launch will be the first since 2019.
“The main reason the Falcon Heavy has essentially been sitting on the sidelines for three years is because the payloads it was supposed to fly on weren’t ready,” said Eric Berger of Ars Technica.
These big payloads are from NASA and the Department of Defense.
Berger has also written a book on Elon Musk and SpaceX.
“I think symbolically speaking, it’s a really important rocket for SpaceX,” he said. Because it shows, first of all, that a private company can build the largest and most powerful rocket. I mean, think about that. Before that, the projects were fully funded by the government.”
The Falcon Heavy is the only missile that can hit all the orbits the Department of Defense wants to reach.
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