The U.S. Space Force USSF-67 mission to geostationary Earth orbit was launched on Jan. 15 at 5:56 p.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
The Space Force's first national security mission in 2023 was USSF-67. It was also Falcon Heavy's fifth flight since its debut in 2018 and the Space Force's second national security space launch after USSF-44 on November 1.Both side boosters separated about two and a half minutes after liftoff. Just over four minutes after liftoff, the second stage separated from the core stage.
About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the side boosters returned to SpaceX's Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. SpaceX's 163rd and 164th successful booster recoveries were marked by these landings. In preparation for future national security space missions, they will be upgraded.
Because the performance requirements of the mission did not allow for sufficient fuel to return the stage to Earth, the expendable center core was jettisoned into the Atlantic Ocean and was unable to be recovered.
At the request of the U.S. government, SpaceX halted the live webcast following the booster landings and withheld views of the second stage or the payload.
The Space Systems Command confirmed the mission's success approximately six hours after liftoff. Maj. said, "We had another great launch today on a Falcon Heavy." In a press release, General Stephen Purdy, program executive officer for assured access to space, stated.
The Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM (CBAS)-2 communications satellite, which was used to transmit data from previous satellites, was the primary payload. The Long Duration Propulsive ESPA, or LDPE-3A, the second spacecraft from Northrop Grumman, is a bus carrying five small military payloads, two of which are smallsats from the U.S. Space Systems Command. A prototype space domain awareness sensor is called Catcher. The other is a prototype wide-area sensor known as WASSAT that can track other spacecraft and debris in geosynchronous orbit.
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office, a Space Force organization that mostly works on classified projects, developed the other three smallsat payloads. According to Matt Fetrow, a spokesperson for the Space RCO, two of the payloads are operational prototypes for space situational awareness missions, and the third is a data encryption payload to protect data transmissions from space to the ground.
Fetrow stated, "Back in 2019, Space RCO began working with SSC to identify launch opportunities for these payloads." He described the LDPE bus as "a great solution." Finding a great ride like this is extremely difficult."
The first stage of the Falcon Heavy is made up of three Falcon 9 rockets that are strapped together. The first stage is powered by 27 engines, while the second stage only has one engine. In August 2020, SpaceX was awarded a $316 million contract to launch USSF-67.
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