Monday, March 23, 2009

Live at Cape Canaveral: Delta Weather 80% "Go"






LIVE IMAGES: Refresh this page for updates and the latest still images from the Air Force Weather Channel and live video feeds at Launch Complex 17A.

A Delta II rocket and a military navigation satellite are being readied for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station early Tuesday and the weather appears as if it will cooperate.

The 12-story United Launch Alliance rocket and its payload -- Navstar Global Positioning System spacecraft II-R20 -- are slated to blast off from Launch Complex 17A at 4:34 a.m. Tuesday. The launch window will extend through 4:39 a.m.

Air Force meteorologists say a high pressure system in the southwest U.S. is dominating local weather and despite overnight rain, there's an 80 percent chance that conditions will be acceptable for launch. The main concern is the possibility that showers might sweep into the area during the launch window.

Check out the details in the Official Launch Forecast from the Air Force 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron, which provides forecasting services for all launches from Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.

The Air Force is asking mariners to steer clear of launch hazard area off the coast of Cape Canaveral between 2:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. Click here for a map of the Launch Hazard Area.

The terminal countdown for the launch will begin about 1:34 a.m. We'll have live updates throughout and you can also watch live video coverage of the final countdown and launch right here in The Flame Trench beginning about 20 minutes prior to liftoff.

You can follow along with the terminal countdown by checking out the bar chart in this United Launch Alliance Delta-GPS II-R20 Mission Booklet See pages 14 and 15.

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