It has been a little over a year since the Falcon Heavy made its maiden voyage in February 2018. Last month, SpaceX was targeting April 7 for the launch of the Arabsat 6A communications satellite, but the launch date was pushed back two days.
The static fire test is essentially a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) – with a quick test burn of the 27 Merlin 1D first stage engines added on to the end. Along with the Falcon Heavy, the Falcon 9 also performs its own static fire. SpaceX has confirmed the launch will be from Complex 39A at 6:36 p.m. EDT (2236 GMT) on Tuesday, according to NASA.
The rocket being launched on Tuesday will be the first Block 5 Falcon Heavy – basically, three new Block 5 Falcon 9 boosters strapped together, giving it a total of 27 Merlin engines. The two side boosters are B1052 and B1053, while the center core is B1055. The 230-foot (70-meter) tall rocket is designed to carry nearly 141,000 pounds (64 metric tons) into orbit.
NASA also notes that there is a difference between the startup of the Falcon Heavy as opposed to the Falcon 9 rocket. With the Falcon 9. all the Merlin engines ignite at once. This cannot be done with the Falcon Heavy because igniting all 27 engines at the same time would create extreme loads on the rocket and launch platform.
So be sure to pay attention when the ignition sequence takes place because they are staggered. Only two engines are ignited at one time, each pair a fraction of a second apart, until all 27 engines are firing.
If all goes according to plan, the two side cores will perform Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) landings at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The center core booster – because it is going to be going much faster when it separates, will land 967 kilometers (601 miles) downrange on the SpaceX drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You.
The mission is called Arabsat 6A. It is a large communications satellite – weighing in at 13,200-lb. (6,000 kilograms) that was built for Saudi Arabian corporation Arabsat. Built by Lockheed Martin, the satellite is described by Lockheed vice president Lisa Callahan as one of “the most advanced commercial communications satellites we’ve ever built.”
The Arasat 6A will be placed into geostationary orbit providing television, Internet, telephone and secure communications, to customers in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Its Western beam will also reach the Eastern seaboard of the US and South America.
