Tag: Falcon Heavy
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Launch roundup: Falcon Heavy launches largest GEO satellite, Rocket Lab’s Electron to complete 40th flight
The week of July 24 through July 30 will end the month with at least four more launches, focused mostly on increasing the number of Earth-imaging satellites sent to space. Firstly, China launched Yaogn satellites atop the Chang Zheng 2D; SpaceX also launched a Starlink mission and Falcon Heavy launched the largest-ever geostationary (GEO) satellite into…
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Viasat seeks replacement for Ariane 6 for launch of third ViaSat 3 satellite
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated May 1 with schedule for launch of ViaSat 3 APAC. A full-scale test model of an Ariane 6 rocket stands on its launch pad in French Guiana last year. Credit:ESA-Manuel Pedoussaut On the eve of launching its first ViaSat 3 internet satellite on a SpaceX rocket, Viasat says it has moved the launch…
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ViaSat-3 Americas launches on expendable Falcon Heavy
Falcon Heavy’s second launch 2023 set sail on Sunday, with liftoff with the ViaSat-3 Americas satellite as the main payload, plus the much smaller Arcturus and G-Space 1 rideshare satellites. Liftoff was scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, at 8:26 PM EDT (00:26 UTC on Monday) at the start of a 57-minute window. However, SpaceX has…
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SpaceX SLC-6 takeover to mark a new chapter for a famous pad
One of the most iconic launch sites in the world, Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6), will be leased by SpaceX. Confirmation came after Col. Rob Long, Space Launch Delta 30 (SLD 30) commander, signed a statement supporting SpaceX’s lease to launch Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions from the launch site.…
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Falcon Heavy rocket rolls back to launch pad after engine swap
EDITOR’S NOTE: Launch delayed until Thursday. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket for the ViaSat 3 Americas mission inside the hangar at Launch Complex 39A. The three Falcon Heavy boosters will be powered by 27 kerosene-fueled Merlin engines. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX rolled a Falcon Heavy rocket back to its launch pad in Florida Tuesday night for liftoff Thursday…
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Falcon Heavy test-fired at Kennedy Space Center
EDITOR’S NOTE: The launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket with the ViaSat 3 Americas mission has been delayed to no earlier than April 24. The test-firing of 27 engines on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket Thursday sent a plume of exhaust out of the flame trench at Launch Complex 39A. Credit: Spaceflight Now SpaceX test-fired 27 main…
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Preparations underway for SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy launch
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket for the ViaSat 3 Americas mission inside the hangar at Launch Complex 39A. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy mission, set for April 18 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will launch a powerhouse bus-sized broadband satellite for Viasat into a high-altitude circular geostationary orbit, a demanding flight profile that…
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches USSF-67 from 39A
The latest Falcon Heavy mission launched Sunday, Jan. 15, at 5:56 PM EST (22:56 UTC) and was later declared a success by the US Space Force. The flight, designated USSF–67 (United States Space Force 67), carried two payloads for the Space Force directly into geostationary orbit (GEO) from LC-39A. The Mission See Also USSF-67 Updates…
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy lofts USSF-44 on first flight in three years
The world’s most powerful operational rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, took to the Florida skies for the first time in over three years on Nov. 1 for the USSF-44 mission, a US Space Force contracted flight with a classified payload and at least one rideshare satellite. Liftoff occurred right on time at 9:41 AM EDT (13:41…
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Europa Clipper’s main body complete, teams continue work toward 2024 launch
In early June, the main body of NASA’s upcoming Europa Clipper spacecraft completed construction and was shipped to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California soon after. The arrival of Europa Clipper’s main body marks a major milestone in the construction of the spacecraft and shows that the spacecraft and its teams are on…