Air Force certifies Falcon Heavy, orders satellite launch for 2020

Enlarge / The Falcon Heavy rocket took off at 3:45pm ET Tuesday, February 6, 2018, with all 27 engines firing. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann for Ars Technica)

When SpaceX debuted the Falcon Heavy rocket in February, one of the biggest questions concerned who, exactly, would use the large booster and its 27 engines. Now we have an answer: the US Air Force, which on Thursday announced that it had selected the Falcon Heavy to launch its Air Force Space Command-52 satellite.

The military launch is presently scheduled to occur in September 2020 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Air Force will pay $130 million for the mission, which is higher than the standard rate for a Falcon Heavy launch due to the military's mission assurance requirements.

SpaceX has several other missions set for the Falcon Heavy before then, but this represents a big step for the company, as it means the Air Force has certified the rocket after just a single test flight. The Air Force Space Command-52 satellite flight is believed to be the first time that the Falcon Heavy rocket has competed head to head with a United Launch Alliance rocket for a military mission, and obviously it came out on top.

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