{"id":22065,"date":"2023-01-18T01:37:08","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T17:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-first-falcon-heavy-of-2023-with-an-absolute-stunning-view\/"},"modified":"2023-01-18T01:37:08","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T17:37:08","slug":"spacex-launches-first-falcon-heavy-of-2023-with-an-absolute-stunning-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-first-falcon-heavy-of-2023-with-an-absolute-stunning-view\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches first Falcon Heavy of 2023 with an absolute stunning view"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Successful launch of SpaceX USSF-67<\/h2>\n

Raised vertical Saturday, SpaceX\u2019s second Falcon Heavy since 2019 had a clean countdown Sunday afternoon with beautiful weather. SpaceX\u2019s Falcon Heavy consists of a standard Falcon 9 rocket with two additional Falcon 9 boosters strapped onto the side. This allows the rocket to launch much heavier payloads to orbits around Earth and beyond. After launch, the two side boosters return to LZ-1 and LZ-2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. For USSF-67, the center core was expended, similarly to USSF-44, which launched last November.<\/p>\n

The payload for USSF-67 is a group of classified satellites for the Space Force, one of many missions awarded to SpaceX during the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 contract in 2020. In that contract, SpaceX was awarded 40% of the launches, with ULA getting the remaining 60%. Each task order the Space Force issues to SpaceX will cost $316 million, $21 million less than ULA.<\/p>\n

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SpaceX USSF-67 Falcon Heavy in flight. Image: Jared Sanders \/ Space Explored<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the livestream stopped after the two side boosters\u2019 successful touchdown, we know that the payloads were sent directly into a geostationary orbit. The first payload is believed to be CBAS 2 (Continuous Broadcasting Augmenting SATCOM), a communications satellite designed to expand military comms and transmit military data continuously (pretty hard to guess that by its name, huh?). CBAS 1 was launched in 2018 with the AFSPC 11 mission on an Atlas V rocket. <\/p>\n

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