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SpaceX completed what might be its penultimate launch of the year from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier today. The mission marked its 95th launch for the year, and it was for the United States Space Force's (USSF) USSF-52 mission to space. The USSF-52 is a rare mission in SpaceX's manifest, as it is a national security space launch that sent a robotic spacecraft to space. The launch itself was a typical SpaceX launch in which the Falcon Heavy's side boosters separated on time and landed back on land.
SpaceX Successfully Lands Two Rocket Boosters After Successful Falcon Heavy Launch
Today's launch came after a multiple-week delay after SpaceX had initially planned to launch USSF-52 on December 10th. This was the second flight of the X37-B spaceship placed on a SpaceX rocket, with the previous launch having taken place on the Falcon 9 in 2017. This mission saw the vehicle spend a whopping 780 days in orbit. Today's launch was the third time that the Falcon Heavy launched a national security mission, and it marked the rocket's ninth overall launch since its first launch in 2018 and the fifth time that it has launched this year.
The XB 57-B is a testbed that tests out new technologies in orbit. The one launched today by SpaceX will fly in new orbits according to the Space Force, allowing it to test experimental technologies. An orbit is a crucial aspect of the space plane's flight, with previous statements by officials suggesting that it can leverage thin layers of the Earth's atmosphere to fly undetected for certain time periods and secretly conduct tests.
The USSF-52 mission will also feature radiation materials from NASA to test their durability in space. Radiation is a key area of space research for the space agency, particularly as it looks beyond the Van Allen belt to establish bases on the Moon. The plane will also test space domain awareness technologies.
With the Falcon Heavy launch out of the way, SpaceX will potentially launch its final mission of the year from the Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida an hour before midnight today according to details shared in its live stream. This will be a batch of 23 Starlink satellites, and if the mission is successful, then it will see SpaceX close 2023 by having launched 23 rockets. When coupled with two Starship launches, the tally leaves SpaceX just two launches shy of becoming the first company in human history to launch 100 rockets in a calendar year.
The Falcon Heavy's two side boosters landed on land roughly eight and a half minutes after liftoff. Their landings marked the 257th and 258th landings of orbital class rockets, with the Falcon Heavy remaining the world's only heavy-lift rocket that is capable of reusing its first-stage boosters. As is the case with several Falcon Heavy launches, today's mission also did not see the center stage return for a landing.
Instead, SpaceX chose to discard the rocket as the performance requirements for the USSF-52 mission likely meant that the rocket did not have sufficient fuel to return to Earth. Yet, even though SpaceX will soon be done launching operational missions for 2023, it is still moving full speed ahead with developing the Starship rocket in Boca Chica, Texas. Whispers from local media suggest that there might be a static fire of the booster or the ship soon, as local authorities have sent notices to residents informing them of testing activities.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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