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Just two weeks after the first commercial mission of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, the company is preparing for a new flight of the powerful launcher.
SpaceX recently completed a static firing test with a heavy core phase at its Texas facility in order to lay the groundwork for a launch in June that will send 23 satellites into orbit.
"Falcon Heavy's central propeller did a static firing test at our rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, in anticipation of his next mission." Http://spacex.com/stp-2, "SpaceX representatives written via Twitter Friday, April 26.
Related: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy: latest news, images and video
The Falcon Heavy combines the first three modified stages of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. A second single-engine stage and the payload come at the head of the central servomotor.
The first three steps are reusable and are designed to return to Earth for one-time landings shortly after launch. During Heavy's previous heavyweight mission, an April 11 launch on the Arabsat-6A communications satellite, the three boosters all marked their hit – the two side boosters on the mainland and the central core on a ship at sea. The kernel did not land safely, however, and the rough seas tipped it.)
The upcoming mission, the first heavy robbery of the US Department of Defense, is called Space Test Program-2 (STP-2). Its launch is scheduled on June 22 from the historic Pad 39A NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to Spaceflight Now.
If all goes as planned, the rocket will provide nearly two dozen spacecraft in various orbits.
"The STP-2 mission will be one of the most challenging launches in SpaceX history with four engine burns in the upper stage, three separate deployment orbits, a final propulsion passivation maneuver and a total duration of mission of more than six hours, "wrote the representative of SpaceX a description of the mission.
"In addition, the US Air Force plans to reuse the side thrusters of the launch of the Arabsat-6A Falcon Heavy, which was recovered after returning from the landing site, making it the first Falcon Heavy aircraft reused to date, "they added.
The 23 satellites that will come into service on June 22 are a diversified lot that will be operated by various customers, not just military organizations.
For example, NASA's Green Propellant Infusion mission will test a new type of fuel that can improve the safety and efficiency of spacecraft propulsion. And a device called Prox-1, which was built by students at the Georgia Institute of Technology, will demonstrate the ability of small satellites to perform close-encounter operations, according to the SpaceX mission description site.
Prox-1 will also deploy LightSail 2, a small cube built by the Planetary Society, a non-profit organization, to help advance solar navigation technology.
STP-2 will be the third mission of the Falcon Heavy group. The rocket took flight for the first time in February 2018, as part of a demonstration mission that sent the red Tesla Roadster from SpaceX founder and CEO, Elon Musk, into orbit around the sun.
Mike Wall's book on the search for extraterrestrial life, "Over there"(Grand Central Publishing, 2018, illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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