Great Weather, Outstanding Visibility Predicted for SpaceX Launch

Ready…. Image credit S. Money

Launch day at Cape Canaveral dawned much the same way it is supposed end, with near perfect weather on tap for liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory, DSCOVR spacecraft.

Air Force meteorologists call for a greater than 90 percent chance of favorable conditions for the launch, which must take place at precisely 6:10:12 PM EST. If the launch is delayed for any reason, the forecast for the next available opportunity, which is on Monday, falls to 70%.

If liftoff occurs today, the conditions may also be ideal to capture images of the Falcon 9 first stage as it performs a 180 flip and re-entry burn following stage separation. The actual landing attempt, which will occur 9.5 minutes after launch, will take place well over the horizon, as it targets the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship “Just Read the Instructions” 370 miles away.

In a sign of the changes being driven by SpaceX, yesterday’s pre-launch press briefing included not only the traditional launch forecast, but the marine landing conditions as well. They too are excellent, with seas running a ridiculously low 2-4 feet. While the ASDS can maintain stability even in fairly rough seas, an accommodating Atlantic Ocean will make matters much more tolerable for the support vessels which will be waiting outside an exclusion zone which has been widened since the last attempt due to the more dynamic entry.