SpaceX launched the largest rocket in its inventory earlier today as the Falcon Heavy successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Today's launch came after the rocket aborted its first launch attempt on Friday, as its internal computers canceled the launch less than a minute before liftoff. The Falcon Heavy launched three satellites today. Its primary payload was a ViaSat 3 satellite, the first of three satellites designed to fly in geostationary orbit. The mission marked SpaceX's 227th overall launch and 28th launch of the year. It was also another mission that saw the firm target higher orbits, with the destination of the Falcon Heavy marking a rare occasion that SpaceX did not land any of the rocket's three boosters.
SpaceX Conducts First Fully Expendable Falcon Heavy Launch
Today's mission marked a series of firsts for SpaceX. For starters, it was the first time all three of the Falcon Heavy's boosters were expendable, meaning SpaceX did not attempt to recover them after liftoff. Previously, two of the rocket's six launches so far have used an expendable booster - with both missions being for the Space Force. The decision to fly in an expendable configuration results from higher target orbits for the satellites on board, with today's ViaSat 3 satellite destined for a geostationary orbit.
Apart from the ViaSat 3, two other satellites were also onboard the Falcon Heavy, with one of these being a spacecraft for the San Francisco based startup Astranis. The payload of the Falcon Heavy, ViaSat's satellite, will enable the Astranis satellite to reach its destination earlier than it would have had it launched on board the Falcon 9.
The launch also provided spectacular visuals from liftoff until after stage separation. These showed all 27 engines on the Falcon Heavy's three first booster firing in unison.
As SpaceX did on a previous mission for the Space Force, today's Falcon Heavy second stage also featured a gray band paint to keep its fuel warm. This is crucial for a mission to geostationary orbit since the longer distance and the cold temperature of space risk the rocket's kerosene fuel freezing up, which can destroy its Merlin vacuum engine.
The second would need this fuel warming, as the rocket has flown to a stunning 25,600 kilometers at the time of writing - one of SpaceX's highest missions to date. Such missions require its engine to fire up multiple times during the journey to maintain the speed and altitude for the target orbit.
The launch also marked the first time SpaceX reused its fairings for the 100th time and the first time when the fairings will be recovered nearly two thousand kilometers downrange from the launch pad.
The Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's most complex rocket, using 27 engines in its first stage, making it the only rocket in the world. 2023 has been an excellent year for the rocket, with two launches so far and potentially three more remaining. It has proven to be a useful alternative to the United Launch Alliance's Delta rocket lineup, which is not accepting any new orders. Since these rockets cannot be reused, the company must also build a new rocket for each mission.
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