For its third flight this year, Falcon Heavy conducted the record-breaking launch of EchoStar 24. Also known as Jupiter 3, this payload will be the heaviest satellite launched to a geostationary transfer orbit, massing 9.2 tonnes. As such, Falcon Heavy needed to expend its center core to gain additional performance, like what has been done on several recent missions.
Falcon Heavy was scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A at 11:04 PM EDT on July 26 (03:04 UTC on July 27). However, an abort was called with less than a minute remaining in the countdown. Another attempt on Friday occurred without issue.
Although the core will be expended, the two side boosters will perform return-to-launch site landings at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2.