DocM Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 Falcon Heavy will be flexing its muscles a bit; three direct to geostationary satellites at once. No GTO (geostationary transfer orbit), straight to 35,785 km (22,236 miles). USSF-44: a US spysat Aurora 4A: a commercial commsat TETRA-1: a tech demo microsat built by Boeing's Millennium Space Systems [read: Boeing Phantom Works] for USSF's Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Enterprise Consortium Date: October 9, 2021 Time: TBA Pad: LC-39A Recovery: 2 boosters on Just Read the Instructions and A Shortfall of Gravitas Orbit: direct insertion to geosynchronous orbit Bring yer popcorn Aurora 4A https://www.anchoragepress.com/news/new-telecom-satellite-for-alaska-on-schedule-for-launch-next-summer-will-provide-broadband-high/article_3c355424-0dad-11eb-8f93-0feaade192f0.html TETRA-1 https://www.satellitetoday.com/government-military/2020/04/24/u-s-space-forces-tetra-1-satellite-is-ready-for-launch/ bguy_1986 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthdci Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 really looking forward to this one. Will it be the regular fairing or using the new extended one? Any changes to the 'second' stage to get it straight to geostationary? bguy_1986 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598679023 Share on other sites More sharing options...
bguy_1986 Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 I also want to make sure I read/understood this right because I'm an idiot...haha. Center core isn't being recovered? DocM 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598679079 Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthdci Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 On 25/09/2021 at 01:58, bguy_1986 said: I also want to make sure I read/understood this right because I'm an idiot...haha. Center core isn't being recovered? No it’s to be expended. This is going to be a really high power launch, that’s why there will be two recovery ships out at sea for the side boosters, there means there won’t be one for the main stage and it will be going too fast to slow down. Anyone know how much this launch is costing compared to a fully recovered FH? I presume we won’t see any centre stages land now to be honest. bguy_1986 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598679113 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 25, 2021 Author Share Posted September 25, 2021 On 25/09/2021 at 03:14, anthdci said: > Anyone know how much this launch is costing compared to a fully recovered FH? I presume we won’t see any centre stages land now to be honest. A fully expended new Falcon Heavy is about $150m + launch services like fuelling the payload, storage, etc. An expended center core w/recovered boosters FH launch is about $90m + launch services, and can deliver about 90% of the full expended performance (57.4t to LEO vs 63.8t). This launch having a Space Force primary payload, they likely asked for extra margins hence the expense of the center core. "Lower energy" launches, like tossing a car into the asteroid belt 😂, with lower margins could see the boosters land at LZ-1/2 and the center core on a droneship. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598679184 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted September 25, 2021 Author Share Posted September 25, 2021 On 24/09/2021 at 15:20, anthdci said: really looking forward to this one. Will it be the regular fairing or using the new extended one? Any changes to the 'second' stage to get it straight to geostationary? Most likely a standard fairing. The extended fairing will be for the really big DoD spy birds, launching 2 Lunar Gateway modules at once, etc. and those will need the LC-39A mobile vertical integration tower, which hasn't been built yet. They're preparing the pad & infrastructure, and building the segments off-site. anthdci 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598679185 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted October 4, 2021 Author Share Posted October 4, 2021 Postponed into early 2022 - the payload isn't ready. Skiver 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598681386 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted October 16, 2022 Author Share Posted October 16, 2022 Falcon Heavy USSF-44 date Friday October 28, 2022 Get your popcorn ready!! aphanic and bguy_1986 1 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598769275 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted October 22, 2022 Author Share Posted October 22, 2022 Prepping LC-39A for Falcon Heavy USSF-44 Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598770954 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 (edited) Falcon Heavy is on the transporter in the hanger. Over 5 million lbf {22.82 mega-Newtons} of thrust waiting to be unleashed, equal to 18 747s at full throttle. Edited October 24, 2022 by DocM aphanic and bguy_1986 2 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598771166 Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthdci Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 is this friday or monday? Nasa space flight schedule says it's the 31st. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598771556 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted October 25, 2022 Global Moderator Share Posted October 25, 2022 According to SpaceFlightNow... Quote Oct. 31Falcon Heavy • USSF 44 Launch time: 1344 GMT (9:44 a.m. EDT) Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF 44 mission for the U.S. Space Force. The mission is expected to deploy two spacecraft payloads directly into geosynchronous orbit, one of which is the military’s TETRA 1 microsatellite. The Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land at Landing Zone 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and the core stage will be expended. Delayed from late 2020, 2nd quarter of 2021, July 2021, and October 2021 by payload issues. Delayed from early 2022 and June 2022. Delayed from Oct. 28. [Oct. 21] https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ anthdci and DocM 2 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598771569 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted November 1, 2022 Author Share Posted November 1, 2022 The parade never ends; FH rolling out the pad door, 2 F9s rolling in the back door. bguy_1986 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598773199 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted November 1, 2022 Author Share Posted November 1, 2022 (edited) Falcon Heavy USSF-44 live stream & patch Date: Nov 1 Time: 0941 Eastern Edited November 1, 2022 by DocM bguy_1986 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598773208 Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthdci Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 well we are going to see pretty much nothing of this. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598773310 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 They make this look so easy. Loved the sonic booms before the landing! anthdci and bguy_1986 2 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598773311 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted November 1, 2022 Author Share Posted November 1, 2022 (edited) Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598773316 Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatingFatMan Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 So, why has it been 3 years since they flew the Heavy? I thought they wanted several launches of this per year? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598774527 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted November 6, 2022 Author Share Posted November 6, 2022 (edited) On 05/11/2022 at 15:48, FloatingFatMan said: So, why has it been 3 years since they flew the Heavy? I thought they wanted several launches of this per year? Many of the early scheduled payloads for FH are US military and NRO spy satellites, and those have been delayed because of payload problems or changes. NASA payloads were also delayed. One launch is the PPE-HALO sections for the Lunar Gateway mini-space station in a high lunar orbit. PPE is the Power and Propulsion Element and HALO the Habitation and Logistics Outpost. They were designed to be launched as separate parts, but Falcon Heavy has so much performance they decided to launch them together as a single unit. This too required changes, and they decided to add a few bells and whistles while they were at it. SteveL 1 Share Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1411594-falcon-heavy-ussf-44-spysat-2-others/#findComment-598774596 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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