Falcon Heavy Launches from Florida on USSF-44 Space Force Mission
Falcon Heavy returned to space Tuesday morning with a successful launch and the recovery of two of the three boosters back at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission, USSF-44, is the first for Falcon Heavy in three years. The rocket, which is the most powerful currently operational launch system, last flew in June of 2019 on a rideshare mission carrying payloads from multiple mission partners including NOAA, NASA, DoD research laboratories, and university research projects. STP-2 provided a unique space access opportunity for DoD and inter-agency science and technology missions that directly enhanced the space capabilities of the U.S. and its allies and partners.
Tuesday's launch carried a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force. While the main payload was a large, unconfirmed satellite, the manifest also included a micro-satellite named TETRA-1. TETRA-1 is the first in a series of prototype GEO satellites being launched by the US military to test systems procedures for future satellites.
Falcon Heavy Lifted-Off on Schedule
Falcon Heavy lifted off from the Florida Coast on time at 9:41 am. Video of the launch sequence ended following separation of the second stage of the rocket at the request of the Space Force, when SpaceX switched to live coverage of the recovery of both external boosters back at Kennedy Space Center. The double touchdown marked the 150th and 151st successful recovery of boosters by the company. The central core booster was "expendable" according to the company and fell into the ocean after separation. SpaceX also planned to attempt to recover the fairings that protected the payload during launch.
The interval between launches for Falcon Heavy has been due to delays in payloads scheduled to fly on the rocket. SpaceX reports a backlog of several missions that are planned for Falcon Heavy. USSF-44 was the 149th launch for SpaceX, and the 50th for 2022, putting the company on a launch cadence of more than one launch per week for the year.
(Images from SpaceX Launch YouTube video)