SpaceX is preparing for a potential launch and landing double event this week in the Space Coast region. They are getting ready at Kennedy Space Center for the launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket with an EchoStar communications satellite. Simultaneously, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a Falcon 9 is scheduled to carry another batch of Starlink satellites.
Double SpaceX Launches This Week
SpaceX announced via X, formerly known as Twitter, that the Falcon Heavy's next scheduled launch is for Wednesday, July 26, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will carry the HughesJUPITER 3/EchoStar XXIV satellite from Launch Complex 39A.
EverydayAstronaut.com initially reported that the liftoff time is targeted for 11:04 p.m. EDT (0304 GMT on July 25). But an update on Monday, July 24, announced that it will be on Wednesday instead.
Aside from the Falcon Heavy sending those communication satellites to space, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is also set to launch another batch of Starlink satellites on Thursday, July 27, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Florida Today reported. So far, the weather forecast shows that it is possible to fly the rocket on launch windows between 10:00 p.m., and 1:00 a.m.
In addition to the double launches, SpaceX aims for dual Falcon Heavy booster landings at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zones 1 and 2. These attempts may result in middle-of-the-night low-frequency sonic booms, possibly waking up residents across the Space Coast. Due to the dynamic launch schedule, the timing of one or both missions could be pushed to Thursday or later.
Falcon Heavy's Seventh Mission
Space.com reported that the upcoming mission marks the seventh launch for the Falcon Heavy, once the world's most powerful operational rocket until NASA's Space Launch System took that title during the Artemis 1 mission in November.
SpaceX aims to reclaim this status with its next-generation Starship, set to become the most powerful rocket upon completion. Currently, Starship has only completed one test flight in April, ending with destruction commanded four minutes after liftoff.
The Falcon Heavy is constructed by combining three first stages from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, with the central booster topped by an upper stage and payload(s). The side boosters are designed for reusability, scheduled to return to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station approximately eight minutes after liftoff.
However, the central booster will not be recovered due to the considerable weight of the Jupiter 3 satellite, the heaviest payload ever destined for geostationary orbit, positioned about 22,200 miles (35,700 kilometers) above Earth.
Introduced in February 2018, the Falcon Heavy's inaugural test flight achieved significant attention, launching Elon Musk's red Tesla Roadster with the mannequin Starman at the wheel into orbit.
Since then, the Falcon Heavy has undergone a total of six launches, including two in 2023. The relatively low launch frequency is largely attributed to delays in the development of the satellites intended for the powerful rocket.
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