SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Heaviest Ever Satellite To Orbit: Jupiter 3 Mission
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Heaviest Ever Satellite To Orbit: Jupiter 3 Mission
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Falcon Heavy lifted off at 0304 UTC on July 29, from Launch Complex 39A(LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, carrying Jupiter 3, the largest commercial communications satellite ever built, according to its operator, Hughes Network Systems.
SpaceX's Heavy consists of three first stages of the reusable Falcon 9 rocket, strapped together; with the central booster topped by an upper stage and the payload. The two side boosters landed next door to KSC, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, about 7.5 minutes after liftoff. The central booster, which didn't have enough fuel left over to make the return trip, ditched into the ocean.
The launch was originally attempted on July 26, but was scrubbed with 65 seconds left on the countdown clock "due to a violation of abort criteria," according to SpaceX.
Jupiter 3 will be operating in geostationary orbit (GEO), which lies about 35,700 km above Earth. It weighs 9.2 metric tons, making it heavier than any payload ever launched toward GEO. When fully deployed, the satellite features a wingspan similar to that of a commercial airliner, according to Hughes.
The satellite which was built by Maxar Technologies, will service customers in the United States and Latin America.
According to SpaceX, Saturday's mission was the third launch and landing of these particular Falcon Heavy side boosters, which previously supported USSF-44 and USSF-67 missions.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched for the first time in February 2018, sending Elon Musk's red Tesla Roadster to orbit, in a widely hailed photogenic test flight.
WATCH Saturday's launch of Jupiter 3 Mission atop SpaceX's Falcon Heavy
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