SpaceX launched its eighth Falcon 9 rocket on a Nationwide Safety House Launch (NSSL) mission on Wednesday night. The launch, named United States House Power 124 (USSF-124) lifted off from Cape Canaveral House Power Station at the beginning of a four-hour launch window that opens at 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 UTC).
If the remainder of the schedule holds, this was the primary of as much as three launches for SpaceX deliberate inside a nine-hour time period. It’s additionally hoping to launch one other batch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg House Power Base and Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander in a single day.
Onboard the Falcon 9 rocket had been a batch of six satellites: two for the U.S. Division of Protection’s Missile Protection Company (MDA) and 4 for the U.S. House Forces’ House Improvement Company (SDA). The MDA’s satellites are a part of its Hypersonic and Ballistic Monitoring House Sensor (HBTSS) program.
“This launch represents a pivotal time for MDA as we enter a brand new section of missile warning, monitoring and protection,” mentioned Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director of MDA, in a press release. “These HBTSS satellites are an important step ahead in our efforts to remain forward of our adversaries.”
Again in 2021, L3Harris Applied sciences obtained a so-called Different Transaction Settlement award from the MDA price as much as $121.6 million for an on-orbit demonstration “of a space-based prototype sensor designed to trace hypersonic and ballistic threats.” That was along with a $20 million contract awarded in 2019 to every of L3Harris, Raytheon Applied sciences, Northrop Grumman and Lidos to develop HBTSS payload ideas.
Equally, Northrop Grumman obtained a $153 million award for its portion of the HBTSS program work.
“In terms of nationwide security, there’s no room for error,” mentioned Sarah Willoughby, vp, OPIR and geospatial programs, Northrop Grumman, in a 2021 assertion following completion of a overview marketing campaign. “This essential design overview places Northrop Grumman on observe to ship an important part of our missile protection structure to maintain the U.S. and its allies protected in opposition to hypersonic threats.”
These two satellites shall be launched alongside 4 SDA Tranche 0 (T0) Monitoring Layer satellites, which had been constructed by L3Harris. The company describes them as the ultimate 4 that make up the check constellation for its Proliferated Warfighter House Structure (PWSA).
They may add to the 23 T0 satellites that SpaceX launched in 2023 on two Falcon 9 flights. These satellites function in what the SDA calls the Transport and Monitoring layers.
“Launching our Monitoring satellites into the identical orbit with the MDA HBTSS satellites is a win for each companies,” mentioned Derek Tournear, director of SDA, in a press release. “We’ll be capable of have a look at check targets from the identical orbit on the similar time, in order that we are able to see how the 2 sensors work collectively. In Tranche 1, SDA will fly each sensor varieties as an operational system – medium-field-of-view demonstrating fireplace management, primarily based on HBTSS design, and wide-field-of-view doing warning and monitoring, primarily based on T0 monitoring design.”
Throughout a name with media this week, a senior SDA official acknowledged that the satellites could be launched right into a near-equatorial orbit. As soon as the satellites are on orbit, they may endure a number of weeks of checkouts and preliminary testing, which shall be adopted by about two years of full testing.
Try the Tranche 0 truth sheet on SDA’s web site for more information on what SDA has on orbit now and what’s deliberate for our third Tranche 0 #PWSA launch. Hyperlink right here: https://t.co/CJpRqYi6oB
#SemperThirdLaunch #SemperCitius #pLEO #Defense #Industry #Space #USSF pic.twitter.com/nbPLRLwKY6— House Improvement Company (@SemperCitiusSDA) February 12, 2024
The launch Wednesday night marked the eleventh NSSL mission for the Falcon household of rockets, in accordance with the U.S. House Power’s House Programs Command (SSC). It’s additionally the second launch as a part of the NSSL Section 2 contract awards.
Over the Course of 5 order years, SpaceX was issued a complete of twenty-two missions price a mixed $2.5 billion. USSF-124 is a part of order yr three alongside USSF-62 and SDA-T1A, that are collectively price $309.7 million.
The primary mission launched underneath the NSSL Section 2 contract for SpaceX was the U.S.-67 mission, which launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket in January 2023. That was a $178.8 million mission as a part of order yr 1.
“We’re thrilled to have our crew assembled right here on the House Coast, able to launch the U.S.-124 satellites,” mentioned Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel chief for SSC’s Launch Execution Delta. “With every nationwide safety launch, we proceed to strengthen America’s capabilities and its deterrence within the face of rising threats whereas including stability to a really dynamic world. It’s what we do within the House Power, and we take that cost critically.”
A busy night time for SpaceX
SpaceX hopes to make the launch of USSF-124 the primary of three between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
This East Coast launch marked the 167th launch for SpaceX from House Launch Complicated 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral House Power Station. The booster supporting this mission, B1078, made its seventh launch, having beforehand supported the launch of NASA’s Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER and 4 Starlink flights.
Following stage separation, the B1078 touched down at Touchdown Zone 2 on the Cape about 8 minutes after liftoff.
The forty fifth Climate Squadron forecast a greater than 95 p.c probability of favorable climate circumstances at liftoff. It famous that each upper-level wind shear and photo voltaic exercise had been doable watch objects although.
Following this mission, SpaceX turns its eyes to Vandenberg House Power Base, the place it hopes to launch one other Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 7-14 mission. Lastly, consideration will come again to the Cape for an additional try at launching Intuitive Machines Moon-bound robotic lander named Odysseus early Thursday morning.
