NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME FOR SPACEX STP-2 MISSION
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is starting to become a frequent flyer of Florida’s skies. The rocket’s third flight checked off several boxes of “firsts” for the massive launch vehicle.
Lifting off at 2:30 a.m. EDT (06:30 GMT) June 25, 2019, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, this was the first night launch of the 230-foot-tall (70-meter-tall) Falcon Heavy rocket.
“It’s an exciting partnership with NASA, NOAA and SpaceX to provide space access for important military and civil experiments while demonstrating the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle capabilities for future operational National Security Space missions,”
“The STP-2 mission exemplifies our SMC 2.0 transformation—we’re pursuing innovative new ways to deliver space capabilities for the Air Force and the Defense Department.” - Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson, SMC commander and Air Force program executive officer for Space.
The purpose for the night time fireworks display was the delivery of a wide range of payloads hefted aloft on behalf of the United States Air Force as part of Space Test Program 2 (STP-2).
STP-2 was a BIG DEAL in a number of ways. It marked the first time hardware for the Defense Department flew atop a Falcon Heavy. It was also the first time the rocket launched multiple payloads into different orbits.
At the mission’s conclusion, Falcon Heavy’s STP-2 flight completed 20 deployments, placing 24 separate spacecraft in three different orbits. Not bad for a night’s work.
https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/night-time-is-the-right-time-for-spacex-stp-2-mission/