Connect with us
Falcon Heavy STP-2. Falcon Heavy STP-2.

News

SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy launch on track to carry multiple military satellites

According to the spacecraft contractor, SpaceX's next Falcon Heavy launch will carry a surprise secondary payload for the US military. (SpaceX)

Published

on

According to one of the US Space Force 44 (USSF-44) mission’s satellite providers, SpaceX’s next Falcon Heavy launch remains on track for late 2020 and will apparently be carrying more than one military satellite to orbit.

Successfully launched just 73 days apart in April and June 2019, SpaceX already has two twice-flown Falcon Heavy side boosters in storage somewhere in Cape Canaveral, Florida, raising the possibility that one or several of the rocket’s next launches could reuse those some boosters. However, NASASpaceflight.com has already confirmed that all three Falcon Heavy Flight 4 boosters will be new, likely representing 25-30%+ of all of SpaceX’s 2020 booster production output.

That also means that publicly-visible Falcon Heavy Flight 4 launch preparations will start much sooner than later as SpaceX works to ship its new boosters from its Hawthorne, California factory to McGregor, Texas for routine acceptance testing and finally to launch facilities in Florida.

Built by a Boeing subsidiary, the TETRA-1 spacecraft’s purpose is entirely unclear aside from a focus on testing “prototype missions in and around geostationary orbit (GEO).” (Millenium Space)

Based on SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy Block 5 launch, completed on April 11th, 2019, the next rocket’s three new boosters should begin arriving in Florida by mid-2020 – perhaps just a month or two from now. Prior to Arabsat 6A’s commercial Falcon Heavy launch debut, the first of the rocket’s boosters completed acceptance testing in McGregor, Texas and arrived at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) around mid-December 2018 – a bit less than four months before liftoff.

Per NASASpaceflight’s confirmation that all-new boosters are assigned to USSF-44, it’s also true that the mission will mark the second time SpaceX has completed serial production and delivery of a complete Falcon Heavy rocket. With that first-time pathfinder run already behind SpaceX thanks to its April 2019 Arabsat 6A launch, it’s likely that manufacturing and acceptance testing will be much more streamlined, while also reducing the amount of time it will take the rocket to go from Florida arrival to lift-off.

Falcon Heavy booster B1052, B1053, and B1055 took about two months to arrive in Florida and another two months to roll out to the launch pad. (Pauline Acalin)

USSF-44 is on track to become SpaceX’s first operational Falcon Heavy launch for the US government some 15-18 months after the company successfully completed STP-2 – a certification test flight for the US Air Force – in June 2019. While some work reportedly remains before SpaceX’s super heavy-lift rocket can be considered fully certified for high-value US military launches, Millenium Space’s April 21st update states that Falcon Heavy’s USSF-44 mission is still on track to “launch in late 2020”.

Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 payload stack is pictured here in June 2019 moments before encapsulation. (SpaceX)

Given that SpaceX is likely in the midst of Falcon Heavy Flight 4 booster production and could begin delivering hardware to Florida just 2-3 months from now, Millenium Space’s comment strongly implies that launch preparations are proceeding smoothly. If SpaceX still needs to complete one or several certification milestones, both it and the US military clearly have a firm plan and are confident that Falcon Heavy can be certified by Q4 2020.

SpaceX also appears to be supporting the US military’s relatively frequent addition of small secondary satellites – often prototypes meant to test new technologies or strategies – on large launches. Whether SpaceX will add secondary dispensers to the rocket’s upper stage or the ~3.7 metric ton (~8200 lb) USSF-44 satellite deploys them itself remains to be seen, but the mission will carry at least one other passenger (TETRA-1). If past US military launches are anything to go by, at least one or two other smaller satellites may also hitch a ride on Falcon Heavy later this year.

Advertisement

Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla FSD upcoming Australia release seemingly teased bv media

The videos showed FSD navigating lane changes, slowing for traffic, and handling curves without driver input.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla AI/X

New videos from Australia have fueled speculations that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) will be rolling out in the country soon. 

The videos, which were shared widely on social media, showed Teslas navigating lane changes, slowing for traffic, and handling curves without driver input, but still with active supervision.

New FSD footage

One video, posted by lifestyle outlet Man of Many and narrated by journalist Ben McKimm, highlighted how quickly the system responded to real-world conditions. McKimm seemed quite impressed with FSD’s performance, stating that the vehicle performs maneuvers much like a human driver. 

Another video, which featured reporter Danielle Collin, featured a Tesla operating on public roads using its FSD (Supervised) system. Similar to McKimm, Collin seemed very impressed with the capabilities of FSD, as the vehicle was reacting to things like stop signs on its own. 

No regulatory barriers

This isn’t the first time the software has been seen on Australian roads. Earlier this year, Tesla released a clip of a Model 3 driving through Melbourne’s central business district with no visible driver input. A second video later surfaced from Sydney, reinforcing expectations that Australia could be among the first right-hand-drive markets to receive access.

Advertisement

According to Tesla’s Australian website, FSD (Supervised) uses 360-degree camera visibility to manage blind spots, execute lane changes, and maintain awareness of surrounding vehicles, cyclists, and motorcycles. While Tesla notes that constant human oversight is still required for now, FSD is designed to handle city intersections, multi-lane highways, and traffic signals.

In an earlier statement to news.com.au, Tesla country director Thom Drew previously confirmed there were “no blockers in Australia” for a supervised release of FSD, similar to North America. “It’s something our business is working on releasing,” Drew said, though he did not provide a timeline.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Careers website is hinting at preparations for a monster Q3 and Q4

Tesla has gone live with several dozen openings for Delivery Vehicle Prep specialists on its Careers website.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla seems to be preparing for a monster Q3 and Q4 2025. This was, at least, hinted at by some job openings that have been observed by industry watchers in Tesla’s Careers website.

Job listing trends

As observed by avid Tesla watchers on social media, the electric vehicle maker has gone live with several dozen openings for Delivery Vehicle Prep specialists on its Careers website. In North America alone, about 69 job openings for the position have been listed by the company. 

The role of a Delivery Vehicle Prep specialist is notable, as they help with vehicle preparation, vehicle inspections, effective lot management, and active collaboration with your team to enhance pre-delivery processes. Considering that the position ensures that cars are handed over to customers in the best way possible, it seems futile for Tesla to ramp up its hiring for the post if it is not expecting large volumes of deliveries in the coming months.

Increasing demand

Tesla’s vehicle sales in the first and second quarters of the year have been quite throttled due to a variety of factors, from the changeover to the Model Y in the Fremont Factory, Gigafactory Shanghai, Gigafactory Berlin, and Gigafactory Texas, to the rise of anti-Tesla sentiment due to CEO Elon Musk’s political activities earlier this year. These factors are no longer affecting Tesla this Q3, and the company tends to deliver a notable amount of its vehicles in the fourth quarter. 

With this in mind, it would appear that Tesla is indeed preparing for a massive uptick in its vehicle deliveries for the remaining months of the year. The company, after all, would likely be quite busy, especially with the upcoming introduction of the new Model 3 Performance and the rollout of Tesla China’s recently unveiled Model Y L. Expectations are also high that Tesla is preparing to roll out more affordable variants of its vehicles later this year.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck officially launches in Korea

New orders for the Cybertruck will start on September 5, 2025. 

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Cybertruck/X

The Tesla Cybertruck is being launched in South Korea. The arrival of the all-electric pickup truck in the country was announced by the electric vehicle maker in a blog post and on social media.

Tesla Cybertruck launch

As per Tesla Korea, those who have reserved the Cybertruck could log into their Tesla account to confirm their order. Customers could confirm their orders from August 29, 2025 to September 4, 2025. New orders for the Cybertruck will start on September 5, 2025. 

Tesla Korea noted that if existing reservation holders do not confirm their orders within August 29 to September 5, their existing reservation date will not be recognized. A downpayment of the Cybertruck in South Korea would be 20 million won. ($14,300).

Potential demand

As noted in a report from the Chosun Biz, the Cybertruck has recorded a high pre-order rate in South Korea since the vehicle was initially unveiled in late 2019. Two variants of the Cybertruck will be made available in South Korea, the Cybertruck AWD and the Cyberbeast. The vehicles will be sold at 145 million won ($104,000) and 160 million won ($114,500), respectively.

The Cybertruck is arguably Tesla’s most advanced vehicle today, thanks to its use of systems like steer-by-wire, which allows even large vehicles like the all-electric pickup truck to be capable of being driven without much issue, even in tight spaces. The vehicle is also built with stainless steel, making it one of the toughest pickup trucks in the market.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending