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  1. News
  2. Spaceflight

Amazing photos from SpaceX's Falcon Heavy USSF-44 mission

By Mike Wall
last updated 2 November 2022

Relive the highlights of the fourth-ever Falcon Heavy flight.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launches the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Nov. 1, 2022.
(Image credit: SpaceX via Twitter)

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket currently flying, launched a handful of classified payloads for the U.S. Space Force on Nov. 1, 2022. It was the first Falcon Heavy mission since June 2019.

The mission, called USSF-44, lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two of the Falcon Heavy's three core boosters returned for successful touchdowns at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station; the rocket's central booster ditched into the sea rather than attempt its own landing, because the demanding mission used up most of its propellant.

See photos of the launch and booster landings, as well as some of the prep work leading up to the liftoff, in this gallery.

Related: Why SpaceX hadn't flown a Falcon Heavy rocket since 2019

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
(Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket rides a pillar of flame into the Florida sky on the USSF-44 mission on Nov. 1, 2022.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the classified USSF-44 payload for the U.S. Space Force launches into space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Nov. 1, 2022.
(Image credit: SpaceX)

A close-up view of the Falcon Heavy in flight on the USSF-44 mission. The powerful launcher's first stage consists of three strapped-together Falcon 9 rockets.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
(Image credit: Space Launch Delta 45 via Twitter)

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy climbs into the sky on the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Nov. 1, 2022.

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
(Image credit: Space Launch Delta 45 via Twitter)

The Falcon Heavy carried classified payloads to geostationary orbit on the USSF-44 mission on Nov. 1, 2022.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
This screengrab shows the two side Falcon Heavy first-stage boosters coming down for landings at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station about 8 minutes after liftoff on Nov. 1, 2022.
(Image credit: SpaceX)

This screengrab shows the two side Falcon Heavy first-stage boosters coming down for landings at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station about 8.5 minutes after liftoff on Nov. 1, 2022. The Heavy's central booster did not attempt a landing, instead ditching into the Atlantic Ocean.

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
(Image credit: Space Launch Delta 45 via Twitter)

One of the Falcon Heavy's two side boosters comes down for a landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during the USSF-44 mission on Nov. 1, 2022.

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
(Image credit: SpaceX via Twitter)

The two side boosters of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy touch down at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Nov. 1, 2022.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
(Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket stands at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A on Oct. 31, 2022, a day before lifting off on the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
SpaceX rolls its Falcon Heavy rocket out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of a planned Nov. 1 liftoff.
(Image credit: SpaceX via Twitter)

SpaceX rolls its Falcon Heavy rocket out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 31, 2022, ahead of its Nov. 1 liftoff.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
SpaceX performs a static fire test with its Falcon Heavy rocket at Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 27, 2022.
(Image credit: SpaceX via Twitter)

SpaceX performs a static fire test with its Falcon Heavy rocket at Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 27, 2022. The successful static fire, conducted without the USSF-44 payloads on the rocket, paved the way for liftoff on Nov. 1.

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
SpaceX posted this photo on Twitter on Oct. 23, 2022. It shows the three boosters that make up the first stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket that will fly the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force. That mission could launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as Oct. 31.
(Image credit: SpaceX via Twitter)

This photo, which SpaceX posted on Twitter on Oct. 23, 2022, shows the 27 first-stage Merlin engines of the Falcon Heavy rocket that flew the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Nov. 1.

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Page 12 of 12
Mike Wall
Mike Wall
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Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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