Space News by Sandra Erwin — November 1, 2022
USSF-44 was SpaceX’s 50th launch of 2022.
WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon Heavy lifted off Nov. 1 at 9:41 a.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, carrying the U.S. Space Force USSF-44 mission to geostationary Earth orbit.
This was the vehicle’s first national security space launch mission, its fourth flight since 2018 and the first in more than three years.
The Falcon Heavy is made up of three Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, with 27 engines powering the first stage and one engine in the second stage.
USSF-44 — originally scheduled to launch in 2020 and delayed multiple times — was a direct-to-geostationary orbit launch carrying two Space Force satellites and an unspecific number of small rideshare payloads.
More:
https://spacenews.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-launches-first-u-s-national-security-mission/
