SpaceX completed its penultimate launch of the year at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier today. The mission marks the company's 95th launch of the year on the U.S. Space Force (USSF) USSF-52 space mission. The USSF-52 is a rare mission on SpaceX's mission list, as it is a *** related space launch that sends an X37-B spacecraft into space. The launch itself was a typical launch from SpaceX, with the side boosters of the Falcon Heavy rocket separating on time and landing on land.
The Falcon Heavy spacecraft is in a vertical position at NASA's 39a launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Earlier this year at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. **NASA Aubrey Geminiani.
Today's launch was delayed by several weeks after SpaceX initially planned to launch the USSF-52 on Dec. 10. This is the second flight of the X37-B spacecraft aboard a SpaceX rocket, with the last launch being on the Falcon 9 in 2017. During this mission, the spacecraft was in orbit for 780 days. Today's launch is"Falcon Heavy"The rocket is on its third mission, the ninth total launch of the rocket since its first launch in 2018, and the fifth launch this year.
The XB 57-B is a test bed for testing new technologies in orbit. According to the Space Force, the rocket launched today by SpaceX will fly in a new orbit, allowing it to test experimental techniques. Orbit is a key link in the flight of the spaceplane, and previous official statements have indicated that it can use the thin layers of the Earth's atmosphere to fly undetected for a certain period of time and secretly conduct tests.
The USSF-52 mission will also feature NASA's radioactive materials to test its durability in space. Radiation is a key area of NASA's space research, especially as it looks beyond the Van Allen radiation belt to establish a base on the moon. The aircraft will also test space domain awareness technology.
The Falcon Heavy rocket roared into the air during the USSF-52 mission. **spacex spacex
with"Falcon Heavy"According to details shared by SpaceX in its live stream, SpaceX will likely launch its last mission of the year from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida an hour before midnight today. It will be 23 pieces"Starlink"(Starlink) satellites, if successful, SpaceX will end 2023 with the launch of 23 rockets. Plus twice"Starship"SpaceX is just two days away from becoming the first company in human history to launch 100 rockets in a calendar year.
Falcon Heavy"The two side boosters landed about eight and a half minutes after liftoff. Their landing marked the 257th and 258th landings of an orbital-class rocket, and the Falcon Heavy remains the only heavy rocket in the world capable of reusing a first-stage booster. As in the case of several Falcon Heavy rocket launches, today's mission did not see the return landing of the core stage.
Conversely, SpaceX chose to abandon the rocket because the performance requirements of the USSF-52 mission could mean that the rocket would not have enough fuel to return to Earth. However, although SpaceX will soon complete its launch mission in 2023, it is still working on a Starship rocket at full speed in Boca Chica, Texas. According to local grapevine, the booster or craft may soon undergo a static ignition test, as the local ** has already sent out a notice to residents informing them that the test campaign is about to begin.