SpaceX Aims for Second Falcon Heavy Launch Attempt After Weather Delay SpaceX is preparing for a second attempt to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, following a scrubbed mission on Monday due to unfavorable weather conditions. The launch, scheduled for Wednesday, will carry the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite, the third and final satellite in the ViaSat-3 constellation, into geosynchronous transfer orbit. Liftoff is set for 10:13 a.m. EDT (1413 UTC), with the satellite’s deployment expected nearly five hours after launch. The mission marks the 12th flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket, which debuted in 2018. Two of its previous missions carried ViaSat-3 satellites, with the F2 satellite launched on an Atlas 5 rocket in November 2025. The F3 satellite, weighing six metric tons, will be deployed into an orbit optimized for electric propulsion, allowing for faster orbital adjustments. Dave Abrahamian, Viasat’s vice president of Satellite Systems, noted that the Falcon Heavy’s capabilities enable a more efficient transfer orbit compared to the Atlas 5, reducing the time required for on-orbit commissioning. The launch window, spanning 85 minutes, has improved weather prospects, with a 90% chance of favorable conditions, up from the 55% forecasted for Monday. Meteorologists remain cautious about thick clouds, which could impact visibility during the launch. The Falcon Heavy’s three boosters include a mix of reused and new components, with the side boosters—tail numbers 1072 and 1075—set to land at two separate sites: Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2) and Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40). The core stage, a new booster designated B1098, will not be recovered and will be discarded in the Atlantic Ocean. Abrahamian highlighted the significance of the ViaSat-3 constellation, emphasizing its flexibility and capacity.#spacex #kennedy_space_center #falcon_heavy #via_sat_3 #dave_abrahamian
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch from Florida: Recap of Wednesday Liftoff The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A on Wednesday, April 28, 2026, at 10:13 a.m. ET, carrying the ViaSat-3F 3 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The mission, delayed by poor weather conditions earlier in the week, marked the second Falcon Heavy launch from Florida since October 2024, when NASA’s Europa Clipper mission took flight. The launch followed a rigorous countdown timeline and was supported by favorable weather conditions, with a 90% chance of clear skies reported by the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron. The Falcon Heavy, composed of three Falcon 9 boosters, is designed to deliver heavy payloads to orbit. For this mission, the rocket’s two side boosters successfully returned to Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zones 2 and 40 approximately eight minutes after liftoff, producing twin sonic booms audible across the region. The core stage, however, was expendable and did not return to Earth. The side boosters’ recovery was a notable departure from past landings, which often involved side-by-side touchdowns. One of the side boosters had previously flown on missions including the SDA-0A, SARah-2, Transporter-11, and 18 Starlink launches, while the second had been used for the GOES-U mission in June 2024. The ViaSat-3F 3 mission is part of the ViaSat-3 satellite constellation, a network of three Ka-band satellites designed to provide high-speed broadband services. The third satellite in the series, ViaSat-3 F3, is the most powerful of the fleet, expected to add over 1 terabit per second (Tbps) of capacity to the Asia-Pacific region.#spacex #kennedy_space_center #via_sat_3f_3 #falcon_heavy #brevard_county_emergency_management
