It’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch (and landing) day!
Teams at Kennedy Space Center in Florida are on track to launch a triple-core Falcon Heavy rocket overnight Wednesday, July 26, sending the JUPITER 3 satellite built by Maxar Technologies for Hughes Network Systems to geostationary orbit. Follow FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team live launch coverage beginning 90 minutes before liftoff.
Here’s everything you need to know:
- The launch window extends from 11:04 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 26, to 12:43 a.m. EDT Thursday, July 27.
- Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center will host.
- Forecasters with the U.S. Space Force predict an 85% chance of “go” conditions throughout the launch window.
- The payload is the JUPITER 3 satellite for Hughes Network Systems. It’s the largest satellite ever built by Maxar Technologies. With the solar arrays fully deployed, it approaches the size of the wingspan of a commercial airliner and weighs roughly nine tons. It will join a fleet of EchoStar satellites in geostationary orbit to enhance the delivery of HughesNet internet connectivity to customers across North and South America.
Where to watch:SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch; who will likely hear sonic booms
Rocket launch schedule:Upcoming Florida launches and landings
- The 230-foot, triple-core Falcon Heavy rocket will follow a trajectory to the east-northeast away from Kennedy Space Center over the Atlantic Ocean.
- After stage separation, the twin side boosters will somersault for a double landing attempt at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zones 1 and 2.
- As the boosters return back to the Space Coast for landings, near simultaneous double sonic booms are expected to be heard throughout the Space Coast and surrounding areas depending on cloud cover and wind direction.
- Extra performance is required for this mission which makes the center core booster expendable. SpaceX will not attempt to recover it.
- Follow FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team live launch coverage beginning 90 minutes before liftoff.
For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Jamie Groh at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.
