Good evening from Florida! We are making the third launch attempt today for the DSCOVR spacecraft, an observatory that will serve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Launch time this evening is 6:03 p.m. EST and the launch window is instantaneous. All conditions are go right now and the weather forecast calls for a 90 …
At T-2 hours, 46 minutes, SpaceX Falcon 9 fueling operations are under way at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. There are no technical issues and there is a 90 percent chance for favorable weather at the planned liftoff time of 6:03:32 p.m. EST. Upper level winds remain "Green." …
Managers overseeing launch preparations of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and NOAA's DSCOVR have given a "go" for propellant loading. The operation is scheduled to take place at T-3 hours, about 3:03 p.m. EST. Liquid oxygen and RP-1, a rocket-grade kerosene, will be fed into separate tanks aboard each of the Falcon's two stages. Weather …
Tuesday's launch attempt of NOAA's DSCOVR spacecraft aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was scrubbed because upper level winds were outside of limits established to ensure safe flight through the atmosphere. Today, data from the first weather balloon are characterized as "dramatically improved" and upper level winds currently are "Green." As on Tuesday, managers and …
NOAA's DSCOVR is slated to launch today at 6:03:32 p.m. EST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It is an instantaneous launch window. Our continuous countdown coverage will begin at 5 p.m. on NASA Television and here on the NASA Blog. There is …
The launch teams are resetting for another launch attempt tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 6:03 p.m. EST. The weather forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions. We will update the countdown status as events warrant here on the blog and our continuous coverage will begin at 5 p.m. along with that of …
The launch team called off today's launch attempt after upper-level winds continued to be outside acceptable levels.
The launch teams are expecting to begin analyzing the final weather balloon soon as upper-level winds remain red this evening. The data from the next-to-last balloon revealed conditions that are still outside the allowed limits.
It takes a team to launch effective spacecraft and DSCOVR is an example of that. NOAA has worked with NASA to get the spacecraft ready for launch and the U.S. Air Force is providing the SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch DSCOVR. Once in place, DSCOVR will serve NOAA and the nation as an observatory of …
Liquid oxygen at minus-297 degrees F is being pumped into the SpaceX Falcon 9 at this hour as the countdown continues toward a 6:05 p.m. EST liftoff. A portion of the propellant boils off during the countdown and is vented producing the cloud beside the rocket in this image. A trickle of liquid oxygen will …