Some sights are out of this world. SpaceX invited a few photographers to capture the Falcon Heavy rocket’s launch this week – its first in three years.
Photographers set up remote cameras next to Landing Zone 2, near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, to catch a glimpse of the world’s most powerful (for now) rocket as it blasted off this world in a spectacular display
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/gcLtIWizoF
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 1, 2022
The Falcon has landed
On Tuesday, as the Falcon Heavy rocket took to the sky, two side boosters separated from the heavy rocket and descended back to earth. The first booster landed back on the ground 8 minutes and 15 seconds after launch and five seconds later, the second also landed. SpaceX will refurbish the boosters and reuse them for the military’s next Falcon Heavy mission, USSF-67, which is expected to happen in January 2023.
Falcon Heavy launches USSF-44 to orbit, and its two side boosters return to Earth – SpaceX’s 50th mission of 2022 pic.twitter.com/t0ZXCTGFrM
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 1, 2022
Falcon Heavy’s side boosters have landed – marking the 150th and 151st recovery of orbital class rockets pic.twitter.com/vK4ZdfDQtX
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 1, 2022
Tuesday’s launch, Mission USSF-44, was Falcon Heavy’s first launch in three years.
The Falcon Heavy rocket is one of two operated by the US aerospace company. It is mainly used to carry heavy goods into earth orbit. This time, it carried the US Space Force’s heavy cargo, including the Tetra 1 satellite.
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Falcon 9 is the other rocket operated by SpaceX. This is mainly used to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
Watch Falcon Heavy launch the USSF-44 mission to orbit → https://t.co/EDwAlAYGuI https://t.co/UjaaUgi1c9
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 1, 2022
And then there’s Starship, SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket. That has yet to have a successful orbital test but it’s coming soon. When (if) it does take off, it’ll use the company’s Raptor engines.
