For the first time after three years, SpaceX is launching Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, November 1.
This is the fourth time that the said rocket will be launched in space. It's first flight in 2019 sent a Tesla toward planet Mars. It went into two more missions in 2019.
This year's mission was originally planned for 2020. However, it was delayed multiple times due to undisclosed payload issues.
How to Watch Falcon Heavy Launch on Tuesday
According to Digital Trends, the Falcon heavy is scheduled to take off at 9:40 AM ET (6:40 AM PT) on Tuesday. The rocket will be launched on Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center.
You can watch the livestream of the mission through the YouTube channel of SpaceX.
Two classified satellites for the U.S. Space Force will be deployed to space by the crewless mission.
The mission will try to bring two U.S. Space Force spacecraft to geosynchronous orbit.
One of the payloads is the TETRA-1. It's a microsatellite which was developed by Boeing subsidiary Millennium Space Systems. TETRA-1 is described as a spacecraft that the company created for "various prototype missions."
There is no available information about the other spacecraft since it is classified. According to CNET, the mission is described by the Space Force as a classified one.
Equipped with 27 Merlin engines that can generate more than five million pounds of thrust upon launch, the Falcon Heavy rocket is considered as the most powerful rocket in operation at present.
Falcon Heavy has a trio of Falcon 9 boosters, which are the exact boosters that SpaceX now launch at least once a week. Attached on the central booster are the Falcon 9 second stage and the payload fairing.
Falcon Heavy's 2022 mission will be the first time that all three boosters will be launched, as well as the upper stage and fairing.
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Falcon Heavy Completes Static Fire Test on Thursday
Dubbed as USSF 44, the latest SpaceX mission is expected to push through on the morning after Halloween.
The mission was initially scheduled to happen on the morning of Halloween. However, it was moved back by a day after the rocket's test firing.
The rocket had its static fire test on Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Thursday evening, October 27.
Static fire is a common prelaunch trial. It involves briefly igniting the rocket's first-stage engines while the vehicle stays anchored to the ground.
The completion of the static fire test prepares the Falcon Heavy for the upcoming launch of the USSF-44 mission.
"This launch culminates years of effort by a dedicated team comprised of mission-focused people from across the U.S. Space Force and SpaceX," Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force's program executive officer, as cited by Space.com.
Purdy also recognized the importance of the Falcon Heavy in Space Force's overall lift capability. Likewise, he said that they are looking forward to the launch of the rocket.
