SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket “Jupiter 3” (EchoStar Jupiter 3) communications satellite launch, in flight 3.5 hours after the successful separation of the star and arrow. The launch was SpaceX’s 51st of the year and the 250th successful launch of a Falcon series rocket.
▲ Source SpaceX’s official tweet
The launch was also the seventh for the Falcon Heavy rocket, which consists of SpaceX’s three first-stage boosters, with the upper stage and payload on top of the center booster, all of which are reusable. To date, Falcon Heavy has had six successful launches, including two in 2023.
At 9.2 tonnes, the Jupiter 3 communications satellite is the largest commercial communications satellite ever launched. Built by Maxar Technologies, a US-based space technology company, the satellite will join Hughes Network Systems’ network of satellites already in orbit to provide broadband internet services to North and South America.
