Due to the windy and overcast Cape forecast, SpaceX postpones its Starlink launch attempt until Tuesday night
Navigational warnings indicate that SpaceX is delaying its
Falcon 9 rocket launch attempt by about 24 hours in order to target a Tuesday
night window at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station due to the cloudy and windy
Monday forecast.
Only 30% of favourable circumstances were predicted by the Space Force's 45th
Weather Squadron for the first part of Monday's now-canceled launch window. But
during Tuesday's backup window, which begins at 6:15 p.m. and ends at 8:40 p.m.
EDT, those chances will soar to more than 95%, according to a Federal Aviation
Administration operations plan alert.
On this Starlink 6-53 mission, the Falcon 9 will launch a
number of internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.
There won't be any sonic booms in Central Florida. Eight and a half minutes
after liftoff, the rocket's first-stage booster will aim to land on a drone
ship at sea after soaring high on a southeasterly course.
Cape Canaveral: Is this the day for the launch? Schedule of
upcoming SpaceX, ULA, and NASA rocket launches in Florida.
The main weather hazards for Monday, according to the 45th Weather Squadron's
forecast, are liftoff winds and cumulus clouds. Models indicated that a passing
front would produce "a lingering low level cloud deck that may be just
deep enough to pose launch weather concerns."
"The main weather threat has shifted towards the
northerly wind surge driven by the gradient around the departing low,"
according to the forecast.
In light of this, the National Weather Service forecasted that during the launch
window on Monday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, northerly winds could
reach 30 mph.
On Tuesday, high pressure will decrease throughout the southeast and centre
just offshore of Northeast Florida, while the area of low pressure will advance
farther into the Atlantic. The squadron's forecast stated that while some
clouds may arise due to lighter onshore flow, their height will be restricted
by dry conditions above.
"No significant launch weather concerns are expected
for the backup window Tuesday evening," according to the forecast.
Regarding this Starlink mission, which also shows up on navigational alerts
from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, SpaceX has not yet released a
statement to the public.