Strong winds Tuesday could pose a challenge for the planned launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on a NASA demonstration flight. Launch of the rocket and the first operational Dragon spacecraft could come between 9 a.m. and 12:22 p.m.
A surge of wind blowing in with a cold front presents a 60 percent chance of weather violating launch criteria, according to Air Force meteorologists, with sustained winds around 20 knots and gusting to 25 knots.
Conditions at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station should improve Wednesday and Thursday, with a 90 percent chance of favorable weather. The launch window is the same each day.
Read the official forecast here.
The Falcon 9 successfully completed a test firing of it nine first-stage engines on Saturday at Launch Complex 40. The 157-foot rocket was returned to a vertical position Sunday evening.
NASA plans to host a news conference at Kennedy Space Center at 1:30 p.m. today to discuss the first demonstration flight under a program preparing commercial vehicles to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. Watch it live here by clicking the NASA TV box at right.
Participants are expected to include:
-- Phil McAlister, acting director, Commercial Space Flight Development, NASA Headquarters
-- Alan Lindenmoyer, manager, Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, NASA's Johnson Space Center
-- Gwynne Shotwell, president, SpaceX, Hawthorne, Calif.
-- Mike McAleenan, Falcon 9 Launch Weather Officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
The first of three SpaceX demonstrations plans to test Dragon systems in orbit for several hours before recovering the capsule after re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the southern California coast.
IMAGE: A Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage engines fired briefly during a static fire test on Saturday at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: SpaceX.
10 comments:
For the rightwingers here, "THIS" is a system to resupply the space station, and funny thing, cost the taxpayers very little. Only posting that for the Chicken Littles lamenting on the loss of the Orion/Constellation program, that "would leave us with nothing to resupply the ISS". Funny the things you learn when you turn off Fox.
The biggest thing that with this company is they seem to have a problem with disclosing any issues they have. I watched the live video of the test fire on Sat and they clearly said ABORT as soon as it fired, but later in the paper everything was claimed a success. Also the video that was posted later had all the audio removed......hmmmmmmm.
There are going to be issues especially with a new system but why try to hide any problems that could potentially be harmful.
They're under no obligation to disclose any issues so long as they are meeting their contractual obligations. Be grateful u got a webcast, as it is not a requirement. NASA TV will handle the launch broadcast. SpaceX focuses in direct technical labor. Their overhead staff (including PAO) consists of only a handful of people.
Sems to me , after do some home work , that Elon Musk is a very unusual person " the best of the best " and the team of Space X is also the very best of the best .. So they need ALL our support ... I don't have ANY doubt that are going to bring lots and lots of GOOD JOBS to the area . I wish my very best to Space X .
11:10 - Apparently, you need to follow the advice of the first poster in the thread and change your news source. Spacex divulged that the issue was a slightly elevated pressure in the combustion chamber of engine #6. This elevated pressure was well within acceptable limits but due to the fact that this is a test flight they are using very tight tolerances in their abort algorithm. Adjustments were made and the follow up test was successful.
scrubbed...try again on the 8th
FAIL
FAIL how? Seems like they are doing fine to me. QC did a great job catching that possible cracked weld during closeout photo review.
How many hours before this site notes that the launch was postponed until Thursday at the earliest?
That's why u r better off getting space news from nasaspaceflight.com. They always have the news first with accurate technical details.
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