SpaceX launches world’s heaviest commercial communications satellite into orbit

2023-07-29 09:05:42

SpaceX announced on Twitter the launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket into orbit with EchoStar’s Jupiter 3 telecommunications satellite. It is the heaviest communications satellite in the world (9.2 tons).

The rocket was launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad LC-39A at Cape Canaveral, Florida at 6:04 a.m. ET. After launch, two Falcon Heavy side boosters will have to land at LZ-1 and LZ-2.

Jupiter 3 is priced at $445 million. It is designed for high-speed Internet connection: its maximum throughput will be 500 gigabits per second, covering the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.

Erdni Kagaltynov