Weather so-so for ULA Atlas V launch of NOAA satellite
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Weather around Cape Canaveral Space Force Station should be mostly “go” for the launch of an Atlas V rocket next week, though conditions are likely to be on the verge of iffy for the mission to launch a weather satellite.
Space Force forecasters on Saturday said the nearly 200-foot United Launch Alliance rocket should see 60% “go” conditions for its 4:38 p.m. EST Tuesday liftoff from Launch Complex 41. Teams will have two hours to launch the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s newest weather satellite labeled GOES-T.
A dry cold front is expected to move through the Space Coast Monday, degrading the forecast into Tuesday’s launch window thanks to two troughs, or areas of low atmospheric pressure.
“Both of these will increase rain chances behind the front Monday afternoon through Tuesday, bringing scattered mostly light to moderate rain showers with breezy winds,” Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Saturday.
Spectators near the Cape should see temperatures of about 68 degrees. Set to a powerful configuration with four solid rocket boosters, the rocket will leave a solid “smoke trail” in its wake as it flies toward the east.
Packed inside Atlas V’s payload fairing, or spacecraft protecting nose cone, is the latest NOAA satellite to join the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite constellation some 22,300 miles above Earth. Labeled T, the GOES-T satellite will help improve weather forecasting and climate change research and is being launched in partnership with NASA.
All GOES satellites, of which there will be four total, are built by Lockheed Martin near Denver, Colorado, and moved to the Space Coast via Air Force transports. The technological improvements built into the satellites have been widely praised by forecasters and researchers looking to better understand weather patterns and climate change.
In the event of a delay to Wednesday due to weather or technical issues, the forecast improves slightly to 70% “go.” This will mark the ninth Florida launch of the year.
For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly at [email protected] or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
Launch Tuesday, March 1
- Rocket: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
- Configuration: 541 (five-meter fairing, four solid rocket boosters)
- Mission: NOAA’s GOES-T weather satellite
- Launch Time: 4:38 p.m. EST
- Launch Window: Two hours
- Launch Complex: 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Trajectory: East
Visit floridatoday.com/space at 3 p.m. EST Tuesday, March 1, for live updates and video.
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