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Space Force forecasters anticipate solidly favorable weather for SpaceX’s next launch on Tuesday, a mission slated to boost yet another batch of Starlink internet satellites.
Conditions at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, forecasters said, should be 80% “go” for a Falcon 9 rocket’s launch window that runs from 8:56 a.m. to 10:57 a.m. EST. Some clouds, however, could linger around Launch Complex 40 into Tuesday.
“A sea breeze collision Monday evening through early Tuesday morning will cause east-moving showers over Central Florida, and these showers have a potential to linger into the launch window,” Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Sunday. “The primary weather concern for Tuesday’s launch attempt is the cumulus cloud rule.”
Conditions downrange in the Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, might pose a “moderate” risk to a SpaceX drone ship slated to host the rocket’s landing. It should return to Port Canaveral before the end of the week.
Tuesday’s launch will mark the 41st mission for Starlink, SpaceX’s network of low-Earth orbit satellites that beam internet connectivity down to the ground. To date, the company has launched more than 2,000 of the satellites and deployed terminals to remote users, disaster areas, and even Ukrainian officials fighting the Russian invasion.
It will also be the 11th launch of the year for the Space Coast, which keeps the cadence in line with flying once a week or more.
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 8
- Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
- Mission: 41st dedicated Starlink launch
- Launch Window: 8:56 a.m. to 10:57 a.m. EST
- Launch Complex: 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Trajectory: Southeast
- Landing: Drone ship
- Weather: 80% “go”
Visit floridatoday.com/space at 7:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, March 8, for real-time updates and live video.
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