Will Invest 90L’s rainy, cloud-generating impacts disrupt SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch for the second day in a row?
Stay tuned. Welcome to the FLORIDA TODAY space team’s live coverage of tonight’s Starlink 10-2 mission from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX has already postponed the launch twice. New target time: 8:14 PM EDT, or 3½ hours later than originally planned. Backup options will only be available until 8:30 p.m., if needed.
SpaceX pulled out of its first launch attempt on Wednesday as heavy clouds and showers blanketed the Cape. Today, the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron only set the chance of fair weather throughout the launch window at 25%, warning of anvil clouds, cumulus clouds and surface electric fields.
No sonic booms are expected in Central Florida. After the Falcon 9 soars into the sky along a northeast trajectory, it will deploy an array of Starlink Internet satellites that are packed inside a fairing atop the 230-foot rocket. The first stage booster will aim to land aboard SpaceX’s drone ship at sea 8½ minutes after liftoff.
When the SpaceX live stream hosted on X (formerly Twitter) becomes available about five minutes before launch, it will be posted below the countdown clock.
SpaceX postpones the launch for the second time
Update 17:24: SpaceX is now targeting an 8:14 p.m. launch.
Radar shows storms west of the Cape
Update 4:46 p.m.: The National Weather Service Special Weather Statement has been extended until 5:15 p.m., and the affected area is now expanding north to Cape Canaveral.
This NWS radar loop shows this slow moving area of ​​nasty stormy weather.
Bad weather at launch near the cape
Update 16:17: Gloomy weather reports continue to pour in from National Weather Service forecasters at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport station.
This time it was for the Merritt Island-Rockledge-Cocoa-Port St. area. John, west of the spaceport, a special weather statement was issued warning of winds of 40 mph until 4:45 p.m.
Preparations for SpaceX launch underway in Brevard
Update 3:56 p.m.: Brevard County emergency management officials have activated the agency’s launch operations support team ahead of SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 launch.
Bad starting weather on the Cape continues
Update 3:34 p.m.: The National Weather Service has extended its special weather statement to 4:15 p.m.—providing a key indicator of why SpaceX pushed back its original target launch time of 4:46 p.m.
Wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible from Christmas and eastern Orange County to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Titusville and points north of Mims.
SpaceX will postpone the launch by 1.5 hours
Update 3:21 p.m.: SpaceX just announced a new target launch time of 6:10 p.m
SpaceX launch: All eyes on the weather
Update 3:15 p.m.: After yesterday’s postponement, many spectators will be keeping an eye on the weather reports at the start this afternoon.
A National Weather Service special weather statement remains in effect until 3:30 p.m. for a large swath of territory stretching from the Christmas area east to KSC, Titusville and points north.
Meteorologists warn of wind gusts of up to 40 km/h.
For the latest news and launch schedules from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is the Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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