On Wednesday, June 29, the SES-22 satellite will be launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. Starting roughly 10 minutes before liftoff, you may watch it live on Space.com through SpaceX or directly through the company's YouTube channel. A two-hour window beginning at 5:04 p.m. EDT (2104 GMT) will be used for liftoff.
SpaceX Announced Launch in the Atlantic Ocean
The Falcon 9's first stage will return to Earth for a precise touchdown on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be positioned in the Atlantic Ocean around 8.5 minutes after launch if all goes as planned.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket that can carry passengers and payloads reliably and safely into Earth orbit and beyond. It is the first reusable rocket of the orbital-class. Reusability enables the company to relaunch the rocket's most expensive components, lowering the cost of space access. After launch, SES-22 will be placed in a geosynchronous transfer orbit by the Falcon 9's upper stage, which will take 33.5 minutes.
The telecom corporation SES, based in Luxembourg, will run SES-22. According to SES spokespeople in a statement via email, the satellite "will deliver TV and radio to millions of American homes and provide other critical data transmission services." Moreover, beginning operations for SES-22 is anticipated for early August 2022.
The launch of SES-22 will mark SpaceX's 27th launch of the year and its 161st flight of a Falcon 9 overall. Additionally, it's the first of two scheduled American soil takeoffs within eight hours. "Straight Up," a seven-satellite mission Virgin Orbit intends to launch from Mojave Air and Space Port in southeast California, will come after SES-22.
"Straight Up" is expected to take off during a window that starts at one in the morning on Thursday, June 30 EDT (0500 GMT). It will use LauncherOne, a rocket that burns at altitude after being dropped by a carrier plane.
The announcement can also surprise SpaceX's naysayers who doubted their capability to prepare for a launch this coming July. Reports in the past were filled with opinions from experts saying that Elon Musk's deadlines have always been too optimistic and assume that everyone is working non-stop as he does.
According to Greg Autry, a commercial space industry expert, Musk assumes everyone doing the job is a clone of himself or someone who is "a genius that basically never stops working." Autry said that he bets late July is technically possible but expects it to be launched by August or September.
About SpaceX
SpaceX created, produced, and launched the most cutting-edge rockets and spacecraft in the world. Elon Musk established the business in 2002 with the intention of revolutionizing space travel and ultimately bringing about interplanetary life.
A number of historical firsts have brought SpaceX to the attention of the entire globe. In 2012, its Dragon spacecraft became the first commercial spaceship to transfer goods to and from the International Space Station, making it the only private business capable of returning a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit. In 2020, they also made history by sending people there for the first time.
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