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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch from the Cape for the first time in three years as it carries multiple satellites for the US Space Force.
While SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from the Cape are going up almost every week, the heavy-lift SpaceX rocket has not launched since 2019. And that’s about to change thanks to the construction of private space stations as the International Space Station is due to be retired in 2030.
“I fully expect this is going to pick up sometime soon. Especially, for example, the ISS is going to be decommissioned in the next few years. There are commercial space stations designed,” Julie Brisset of UCF’s Florida Space Institute.
The US Space Force, SpaceX’s client on this mission, announced a Falcon Heavy will launch by the end of the month.
It’s the most powerful rocket operating with five million pounds of thrust. Essentially, the Heavy is three Falcon 9 rockets lined up next to each other. Two will land back on Earth, while the third will continue placing the satellites into their orbits.
The Falcon Heavy, and other large rockets in development, are designed to help build the infrastructure for deep space exploration.
“You can design things all you want–space stations, lunar bases. If you don’t have the capacity to launch all the required materials and components, you will never make it to competition,” Brisset said.
There are two more Falcon Heavy launches on this year’s schedule, including another one for the Space Force.
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