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Title: SpaceX gears up for Falcon Heavy's first flight since 2019 with a static fire test Post by: HCK on October 29, 2022, 04:05:05 pm SpaceX gears up for Falcon Heavy's first flight since 2019 with a static fire test
<p>SpaceX is on track to launch the Falcon Heavy for the first time in three years after it successfully put the heavy-lift launch vehicle through a static fire test. The private space corporation has announced (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1585799012673724416) the test's successful completion on Twitter, along with a photo of the rocket as it breathes out fire and smoke while perched at NASA Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A. During a static fire test, a rocket's engines are ignited to check their performance while remaining on the ground. </p><p>The company conducted this particular test in preparation for USSF-44, the classified mission SpaceX is flying for the US Space Force. USSF-44 will have two payloads, both satellites, that will be deployed into geostationary orbit. It was originally scheduled for liftoff on October 31st, but SpaceX is currently targeting a November 1st launch. The company hasn't revealed a launch time within the day yet, but according to Space (https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-static-fire-ussf-44-mission?utm_campaign=socialflow) and Next Spaceflight (https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/1151), it will happen around 9:40AM ET.</p><span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="bc93669a8be344f0b51dd3ae5d4e54f1"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Static fire of Falcon Heavy complete; targeting Tuesday, November 1 for launch of the USSF-44 mission from Launch Complex 39A in Florida</p>— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 28, 2022 (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1585799012673724416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)</div><p>SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket first took flight (https://www.engadget.com/2018-02-08-spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-in-person.html) in 2018, carrying a cherry red Tesla Roadster owned by company chief Elon Musk with a dummy dubbed "Starman" in the driver's seat. The last time it flew was in June 2019, and SpaceX described it (https://www.engadget.com/2019-06-24-stp-2-falcon-heavy-spacex.html) at the time as one of the "most challenging" launches in its history — landing the center core proved too tricky that it missed the drone ship waiting for it by a few feet. Since then, it has been certified (https://www.engadget.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-approval-top-secret-satellites-202745650.html) to carry the Space Force's secret spy satellites to orbit, and the first of those missions could occur in a few days' time. </p> Source: SpaceX gears up for Falcon Heavy's first flight since 2019 with a static fire test (https://www.engadget.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-static-fire-test-space-force-mission-065827642.html?src=rss) |