SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket launches mission to explore NASA’s Psyche asteroid
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched NASA’s Psaki spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The big engines are finally here, and everyone on the Space Coast will be able to enjoy them very soon.
Not one, but three of the Falcon 9 first stages that make up Falcon Heavy are scheduled to launch simultaneously into the Florida sky this week to launch a weather satellite into orbit.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen this scene in Florida. Two Falcon 9s are supporting the main rocket tasked with carrying the second stage and payload into space. The last time a Falcon Heavy took to the Florida skies was in late December from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, carrying a top-secret Space Force spacecraft known as X-37B. The only other similar launch since was the final launch of the triple-core ULA Delta IV Heavy from Cape Canaveral in April, carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload.
Why is Falcon Heavy needed for this launch?
Bigger payloads require more power. NOAA and NASA are preparing to launch the GOES-U weather satellite on Tuesday, June 25, and they needed a bigger rocket. The satellite is about the size of a small school bus, so it would require one of the heaviest rockets available. Enter Falcon Heavy.
When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? SpaceX, NASA, and ULA scheduled rocket launches in Florida
SpaceX Space Coast Rockets: Falcon Heavy vs Falcon 9
Simply put, Falcon Heavy is three first stages of Falcon 9 rockets that together provide three times the lift. The middle Falcon 9 holds the rocket’s second stage and a full load of payload, which is covered in a fairing to protect it on the way to space (in this case, a NOAA satellite).
By comparison, the Falcon 9s that launch Starlink missions are single rockets: Just one of these single rockets will be 229.6 feet tall and 12 feet in diameter, including the second stage.
The monster Falcon Heavy, powered by three Falcon 9 rockets, is the same height, but much wider, measuring 39.9 feet across, roughly the width of three cars parked bumper-to-bumper.
According to SpaceX, Falcon Heavy has conducted nine launches, 17 booster landings and 14 booster reflights to date.
The Falcon Heavy’s first successful launch was in February 2018, when it took to the skies carrying a red Tesla Roadster and a mannequin called “Starman” wearing a SpaceX spacesuit.
Falcon Heavy Thrust: How powerful is this rocket?
Powered by three Falcon 9 rockets, each with nine Merlin engines, the Falcon Heavy Vehicle will have the power of 27 Merlin engines at launch, with each of those 27 engines producing 190,000 pounds of thrust, for a total of more than 5 million pounds of thrust, according to SpaceX.
SpaceX says Falcon Heavy can lift the equivalent of a 737 jetliner into orbit, along with fuel, cargo and passengers.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Booster Landing
SpaceX will recover the two auxiliary Falcon 9 boosters. If it follows the same procedures as previous flights, the two boosters will land at the Cape Canaveral landing site and emit a dual sonic boom. If SpaceX follows the same procedures as past Falcon Heavy flights, the core Falcon 9 will disassemble at sea after the mission is complete.
Landing all three boosters has proven to be a difficult task: The core booster landed on an unmanned ship in the Atlantic Ocean in 2019, but SpaceX failed to return it to port.
Get ready for the Falcon Heavy sonic boom
Two sonic booms will be heard on the Space Coast as the two auxiliary boosters land at SpaceX Landing Sites 1 and 2 on the Cape Canaveral coast. As the boosters fall to Earth, they will travel faster than the speed of sound, which breaks the sound barrier and creates a noise comparable to a loud thunderclap.
This may seem puzzling, since the sonic boom occurs when the booster lands. Physics easily explains this situation because light travels faster than sound. You will see the returning booster before you hear the sonic boom.
It’ll be a shocking sight, especially for those who’ve never seen it before: The booster appears to land gently before a loud, earth-shaking bang can be heard.
When is the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch?
On Tuesday, Space Coast weather permitting, Falcon Heavy will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center to deliver the NOAA/NASA GOES-U satellite into orbit.
GOES-U is NOAA’s newest weather satellite and promises continued tracking of hurricanes. Weather observation satellites such as the GOES series are important to areas where these extreme weather events occur, such as Florida.
GOES-U will provide valuable surveillance by observing hurricane formation from above. “We know about hurricanes because of the GOES satellites, which are located over the equator, about 22,000 miles above the Earth, and they’re constantly watching,” NOAA program scientist Dan Lindsay told Florida Today.
Be sure to follow the FLORIDA TODAY space team to stay up to date on the latest from the Space Coast.
Brooke Edwards is Florida Today’s space reporter. She can be reached at bedward@floridatoday.com or for X: Brook of Stars.