Mostly fair weather conditions in store for SpaceX's middle-of-the-night Falcon 9 launch

This image of the Intelsat 40e satellite shows all reflectors deployed, and the hosted NASA payload "TEMPO" is seen in the foreground as the spacecraft … Show more

MAXAR/INTELSAT

Weather should be solid Friday for SpaceX's next Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Liftoff from Launch Complex 40 is set to happen between 12:29 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. EDT Friday, April 7. Falcon 9 will follow an easterly trajectory to boost Intelsat 40e, a commercial communications satellite, to orbit. Hitching a ride as a hosted payload is NASA's Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution instrument, or TEMPO, which should help improve air quality forecasts.

How does the weather look?

Forecasters with the Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 on Wednesday predicted a 90% chance of acceptable liftoff conditions, noting only a slight possibility of winds and clouds as primary concerns.

A strong system, Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Wednesday, "will be making its way across much of the Eastern U.S. This system’s cold front will stall across the Deep South and not make it to the Space Coast. This will leave the spaceport in an onshore flow pattern with moderated temperatures and isolated coastal showers."

Weather offshore for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster recovery attempt on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean was listed as "low risk."

What's on board?

The Intelsat 40e satellite for Luxembourg-based satellite operator Intelsat "will provide Intelsat customers across North and Central America with flexible, high-throughput coast-to-coast coverage," Maxar, the company that built the satellite, said in a statement.

Once operational in geostationary orbit, it will enhance connectivity services for commercial and private planes, vehicles, and mobile devices. That orbit sits 22,236 miles above Earth.

Maxar was also commissioned by NASA to find a home for the TEMPO payload aimed at environmental monitoring across North America. According to Maxar, the NASA payload "will detect pollutants across North America, with the resulting data used to enhance air quality forecasts."

Launch Friday, April 7

Company / Agency: SpaceX for Intelsat
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 12:29 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.
Trajectory: East
Weather: 85% "go"
Landing: Drone ship

Quelle: FLORIDA TODAY

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Everything you need to know before SpaceX's late-night Falcon 9 launch

SpaceX launch teams are gearing up for another mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Set for liftoff from Launch Complex 40 between 12:29 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. EDT Friday, April 7, a Falcon 9 will boost the Intelsat 40e communications satellite for the Luxembourg-based satellite operator. Also hitching a ride as a hosted payload is NASA's Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution instrument, or TEMPO. This will be the 18th launch from the Space Coast this year.

Look for FLORIDA TODAY's live launch coverage to begin 90 minutes before liftoff at https://www.floridatoday.com/space/.

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Here are 10 things you need to know before liftoff:

Company / Agency: SpaceX for Intelsat
Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
Launch location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 12:29 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 7
Trajectory: This launch will fly an easterly trajectory away from the Florida coast
Payload: Inside the Falcon 9's payload fairing is the Maxar-built Intelsat 40e communications satellite for Luxembourg-based satellite operator Intelsat. It features a hosted payload for NASA, the Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution instrument (TEMPO), which will detect pollutants across North America to help enhance air quality forecasts.
Weather: Space Force forecasters predict a 90% chance of "go" conditions.
Primary weather concerns: At the launch site, the main concern is a slight chance of lingering clouds and winds. Conditions downrange in the Atlantic Ocean, where the first-stage booster is expected to land on a drone ship shortly after liftoff, were listed as "low risk."
Booster Landing: The booster will land on SpaceX's A Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. No local sonic booms this time.
Launch statistics:
- The 18th launch from Florida this year.
- SpaceX's 23rd mission of 2023.
- The fourth flight and landing attempt for this Falcon 9 first-stage booster.