SoylentNews

martyb [soylentnews.org] writes:

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is currently the world's largest operational rocket. It has a center core comprised of a modified Falcon-9 rocket with an additional Falcon-9 core on either side. The four-hour flight window of its third-ever flight is scheduled for the night of Tuesday June 24 into the morning of Wednesday, June 25. According to SpaceX [spacex.com]:

The Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission, managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), is targeting launch on June 24, 2019, with the launch window opening at 11:30 p.m. ET. Lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this mission will deliver 24 satellites to space on the DoD's first ever SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. The STP-2 mission will be among the most challenging launches in SpaceX history with four separate upper-stage engine burns, three separate deployment orbits, a final propulsive passivation maneuver and a total mission duration of over six hours. In addition, the U.S. Air Force plans to reuse side boosters from the Arabsat-6A Falcon Heavy launch, recovered after a return to launch site landing, making it the first reused Falcon Heavy ever.

According to Spaceflight Now's Launch Schedule [spaceflightnow.com]:

Launch window: 0330-0730 GMT[*] on 25th (11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. EDT on 24th/25th)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program-2 mission with a cluster of military and scientific research satellites. The heavy-lift rocket is formed of three Falcon 9 rocket cores strapped together with 27 Merlin 1D engines firing at liftoff.

[*] GMT: "Greenwich Mean Time" (link [time.is]) See also: UTC: "Coordinated Universal Time" (link [time.is])

Spaceflight Now also reports Falcon Heavy to Flex Muscles on Demanding Demo Launch for U.S. Air Force [spaceflightnow.com]:

On its third flight Monday night, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket will fly to three different orbits with two dozen spacecraft on a mission set to last more than six hours, prompting SpaceX founder Elon Musk to declare it the company’s “most difficult launch ever.”

The triple-core rocket, made by combining three Falcon 9 boosters on a single launcher, is set for liftoff from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a four-hour launch window opening at 11:30 p.m. EDT Monday (0330 GMT Tuesday).

There is a 70 percent chance of favorable weather during the overnight launch window, which officials selected to satisfy the payloads’ thermal requirements on their ride into orbit.

It will be the first night launch by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful rocket currently in service. The rocket’s 27 Merlin main engines will drive the rocket off the ground with 5.1 million pounds of thrust, nearly twice the thrust of any other operational launch vehicle.

What’s more, the rocket’s two side boosters will come back to Cape Canaveral minutes after liftoff. The fiery night launch and landings, coupled with the roar from the Falcon Heavy’s 27 main engines and crackling sonic booms upon return of the boosters, will be a can’t-miss spectacle for space enthusiasts and local residents, weather permitting.

SpaceX completed a pre-launch engine test-firing Wednesday night at pad 39A, then returned the rocket to its hangar Friday to receive its 24 satellite payloads. The research and weather observation satellites come from the U.S. Air Force, NASA, NOAA, universities, international partners and non-profit organizations.

The Air Force is overseeing the launch through the Defense Department’s Space Test Program, a unit that arranges rides to space for the military’s experimental satellites.

The launch is typically live-streamed on YouTube. We will update this story when a link is made available.

Original Submission