Enlarge / SpaceX added a new core to its fleet with the Demo-2 mission in late May. (credit: NASA)
On Tuesday, SpaceX will attempt to launch a 3.7-ton Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the US Air Force. This GPS III launch is scheduled to occur on a Falcon 9 rocket between 3:55pm ET and 4:10pm ET (19:56-20:10 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The launch marks the first time that SpaceX will seek to recover a booster used to launch a satellite for the US military. Although this launch was originally contracted to fly on an expendable booster, Space News reports that the US Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center agreed to revise some mission requirements so SpaceX could fly back the booster. In return, the company took “several million dollars” off the price of the launch, which was originally awarded to SpaceX in 2017 for $96.5 million.
SpaceX needs this first stage back to help balance out a busy second half of the year.
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