All articles tagged with #falcon heavy
BlackSky’s Gen-3 satellite captured SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy liftoff from Kennedy Space Center on April 29, 2026, including a pad shot and ascent, as it carried the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit. BlackSky notes its 35 cm ground resolution enables viewing launch-related details from orbit, and this marks Falcon Heavy’s first flight in 18 months.
SpaceX launched the 6-ton ViaSat-3 F3 satellite on a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center. After a multi-burn ascent, the satellite deployed into a geosynchronous transfer orbit as the two side boosters returned for landing and the center core was not recovered. The third and final ViaSat-3 vessel will take about two months to raise to its final position at 155.58°E, delivering more than 1 Tbps of capacity for the Asia-Pacific region using flexible phased-array beams.
SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy from Florida to deploy the ViaSat-3F3 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit; the two side boosters returned to Cape Canaveral for landing (with sonic booms), while the core stage was expended. The article also provides a detailed countdown timeline and booster-by-booster history.
SpaceX will attempt a second Falcon Heavy launch from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday to deploy ViaSat-3 F3 into geostationary transfer orbit after Monday’s weather scrub. The 5.1 million pounds of thrust will power a three-booster stack (two side boosters reused, core discarded) within an 85-minute window, targeting over 1 Tbps of capacity for Asia-Pacific airline customers. On-orbit commissioning is expected to take weeks to months before the satellite enters service.
SpaceX is set to launch ViaSat-3 Flight 3, the final satellite in the ViaSat-3 constellation, aboard a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center. The three-core booster will place a six-ton satellite into a geosynchronous-transfer orbit; two side boosters (LZ-2 and LZ-40) will land, while the center core B1098 is expended in the Atlantic. After deployment, ViaSat-3 F3 will take weeks to reach its operating position near 158.55° East and deliver more than 1 Tbps of APAC-focused capacity using phased-array beams. Liftoff is scheduled for 10:21 a.m. EDT within an 85-minute window, with a 70% chance of favorable weather.
SpaceX will attempt a rare Florida doubleheader: a Falcon Heavy launch from Kennedy Space Center to deploy ViaSat-F3 into geosynchronous transfer orbit no earlier than 10:21 a.m. ET (with a liftoff window to 11:46 a.m.), followed by a ULA Atlas V mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to deploy 29 Amazon Leo satellites no earlier than 8:52 p.m. ET; Falcon Heavy’s side boosters are expected to land at LC-2 and LC-40. Florida Today will provide live updates starting 90 minutes before liftoff.
SpaceX plans to launch its Falcon Heavy for the first time in 18 months on April 27 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite to geostationary orbit to provide high‑throughput broadband across the Asia‑Pacific region. The two side boosters are expected to land back at Cape Canaveral, while the central booster will not be recovered; the upper stage will deploy ViaSat-3 F3 to GEO about five hours after liftoff. Coverage will be available live from SpaceX and Space.com, continuing Falcon Heavy’s return to flight after its last mission in October 2024.
SpaceX will launch its heavy-lift Falcon Heavy for the first time in about 18 months from Cape Canaveral on April 27, delivering the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite to geostationary transfer orbit; the two side boosters are expected to land back at Cape Canaveral about eight minutes after liftoff, while the central core will not be recovered, with live coverage starting around 10:21 a.m. ET.
SpaceX has secured its first Mars mission by launching Europe’s Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars in late 2028 aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The rover is part of ESA’s ExoMars program, which faced delays after NASA’s initial involvement waned and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted partnerships; NASA later rejoined in 2024 to provide propulsion components and a mass spectrometer for life-detection, solidifying a path to the planned 2028 liftoff within Mars launch windows that occur roughly every 26 months.
NASA has awarded SpaceX's Falcon Heavy the launch contract for Europe’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, finalizing a decades‑long ExoMars saga with a late‑2028 liftoff and 2030 Mars arrival, and a mission to drill up to two meters into the Martian crust to hunt for organic molecules.
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy moon mission with Astrobotic's Griffin lander has been delayed to no earlier than July 2026, due to ongoing payload integration and testing, marking a setback for NASA's lunar exploration efforts under the CLPS program.
NASA has contracted SpaceX to launch the Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan using a Falcon Heavy rocket in 2028, with an expected arrival in 2034. Dragonfly, an octocopter, will explore Titan's surface, particularly the Selk impact structure, to study its chemistry and potential prebiotic conditions. The mission aims to enhance understanding of Titan's organic-rich environment, leveraging its dense atmosphere and weak gravity for powered flight. The launch contract is valued at $256 million.
NASA has selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan in July 2028. The $3.35 billion mission aims to explore Titan's potential to support life, focusing on its hydrocarbon lakes and organic compounds. Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered rotorcraft, will operate for 2.5 years on Titan, investigating its habitability and prebiotic chemistry. The mission has faced delays and cost increases but remains on track for its 2028 launch.
NOAA's GOES-U weather satellite is set to launch on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. This fourth satellite in the GOES-R series will feature advanced instruments for improved weather forecasting and space weather monitoring, including a new compact coronagraph for better solar observations. The satellite will undergo final preparations and testing before its launch, and once operational, it will enhance weather monitoring capabilities across the Western Hemisphere.
NASA's initial Gateway elements, the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Module (HALO), are preparing for systems installations as the agency reviews progress to set a new launch date. Originally scheduled for September 2025, the launch has been delayed, with a conservative estimate now set for December 2027. The Gateway will serve as a lunar space station for Artemis missions, with the PPE and HALO launching together on a Falcon Heavy rocket.