Space Force: Weather mostly OK for SpaceX Starlink launch from Florida

Emre Kelly, Florida Today
·2 min read

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Update: SpaceX has delayed this mission to 7:04 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, to allow for better weather conditions during liftoff and booster recovery. Visit floridatoday.com/space at 6 p.m. Tuesday for live updates and video.

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Weather should be mostly favorable for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Monday, Space Force forecasters said, though conditions downrange in the Atlantic Ocean could be problematic.

When it comes to the area around pad 39A for the 7:26 p.m. liftoff time with Starlink internet satellites, conditions should be 70% "go" with low-level winds cited as the main concern. But not factored into the "percent go" are "moderate risk" chances for strong upper-level winds after liftoff and at-sea conditions that could disrupt SpaceX's chances at recovering the booster on a drone ship.

"Clouds will diminish through the day Monday at the spaceport, leaving gusty winds as the primary launch weather threat," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Sunday.

Teams will have a two-hour window to fly. In the event of a delay to a similar timeframe Tuesday, conditions improve to greater than 90% "go."

"On Tuesday, high pressure will settle overhead making for a chilly morning, but excellent launch weather conditions," forecasters said.

More: Sonic booms shake Space Coast as SpaceX lands booster at Cape Canaveral

If successful, SpaceX will have completed its 35th launch to date for Starlink, a space-based internet service provider quickly approaching 2,000 satellites in size. SpaceX eventually hopes to have tens of thousands flying in low-Earth orbit, which will have to constantly be replaced as hardware is upgraded and the upper atmosphere drags on the satellites, slowly pulling them down.

Monday's launch marks the third in as many weeks into the new year. Four more are tentatively scheduled through the end of the month, though keeping up with that rapid of a cadence will require sticking to a tight schedule – a task historically interrupted by weather, technical issues, or a mix of both.

Spectators should note that this mission includes a southern trajectory, so Falcon 9 will not launch from pad 39A and fly along its more common northeastern flightpath.

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 Monday, Jan. 17

  • Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9

  • Mission: 35th batch of Starlink internet satellites

  • Launch Time: 7:26 p.m. ET

  • Launch Window: Two hours

  • Launch Pad: 39A at Kennedy Space Center

  • Trajectory: South

  • Landing: Drone ship

  • Weather: 70% "go"

Visit floridatoday.com/space at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17, for real-time updates and video.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Space Force: Weather mostly OK for SpaceX Starlink launch from Florida