Space Force: Weather looks good for SpaceX's next launch from Cape Canaveral
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Weather conditions should be excellent for the Space Coast's next launch, this time a communications satellite flying atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, currently set for late Friday.
A front set to bring cooler temperatures to the area should also lead to favorable conditions for liftoff between 11:26 p.m. Friday and 1:22 a.m. EDT Saturday, the Space Force said in its most recent forecast. Conditions are expected to be 90% "go" for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40.
"Drier, cooler air along with higher winds filtering in from the north in the wake of the front should tamper any significant shower coverage this weekend and result in favorable launch conditions for both the primary and backup launch opportunities," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Thursday. "Any cumulus clouds that do develop will be relatively low-topped and pose little threat for cumulus cloud rule violations."
Upper-level winds and at-sea conditions for a drone ship booster recovery, meanwhile, were both classified as "low risk."
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Packed in Falcon 9's payload fairing will be Hotbird 13F, a communications satellite owned by French operator Eutelsat. The large spacecraft built by Airbus will deliver 1,000 TV channels to more than 160 million customers in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Hotbird 13F will mark the Space Coast's 45th launch of 2022, leaving last year's record of 31 even farther in the rearview mirror. At least 10 more launches are on the books through the end of the year.
Another batch of SpaceX Starlink satellites is set to take flight sometime between Oct. 15 and 25, but the most notable launch of the month is expected on the 28th. That's when a three-core Falcon Heavy rocket is slated to boost the Space Force's USSF-44 mission from Kennedy Space Center; it will include double booster landings at the Cape's two landing zones.
On top of the Hotbird launch, NASA and SpaceX managers on Friday are set to decide whether or not four astronauts on the International Space Station will return for splashdown in one of several zones around Florida. If weather looks good, Crew-4’s Samantha Cristoforetti, Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, and Jessica Watkins will depart the ISS at 11:35 a.m. EDT Friday and target splashdown in their Crew Dragon capsule several hours later. Crew-4 launched from KSC in late April.
For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
Launch Friday, Oct. 14
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
Mission: Hotbird 13F communications satellite for Eutelsat
Launch Time: Between 11:26 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and 1:22 a.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 15
Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Trajectory: East
Landing: Drone ship
Weather: 90% "go"
Visit floridatoday.com/space for live video and real-time updates starting at 10:30 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 14.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Space Force: Weather good for SpaceX's next launch from Cape Canaveral
