BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – If you’re like us, then you’re probably anxiously waiting for the weekend as SpaceX prepares to launch their second spacecraft with astronauts on board into orbit -- that is if the weather agrees.
The ever-changing path of Tropical Storm Eta had been providing a “forecasting challenge” for Space Force weather officers as they try to determine what conditions will be like for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday.
Some Floridians woke up Thursday to what sounded like a monsoon outside their window as Eta dumped barrels of rain on the Sunshine State.
[RELATED: These 14 weather conditions would prevent SpaceX from launching the Falcon 9, Crew Dragon]
NASA and SpaceX are closely watching the weather. Space Force Weather officials are predicting a 70% chance of favorable conditions for the launch window, an improvement from 60% over the last 24 hours. The primary concerns will be rain and cloud cover.
“Teams will continue monitoring weather conditions for liftoff and along the flight path,” SpaceX said in a tweet.
Ahead of Saturday’s launch, SpaceX performed a static test fire of their Falcon 9 rocket giving viewers a preview of what’s to come next.
SpaceX, NASA moving ahead with #Crew1 launch plans for Saturday. Latest models show Eta could be across the state by late Thursday but this may make trouble for emergency abort landing conditions at sea. https://t.co/J7SEaWvyWl https://t.co/5umGfqhhZ5
— Emilee Speck (@EMSpeck) November 11, 2020
The static fire is one of the last critical tests ahead of launch. It ensures all vehicle systems are working properly ahead of the countdown.
NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japanese Space Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi completed a dress rehearsal on Thursday, taking all the steps they will on launch day.
Countdown Dress Rehearsal ➡️ Complete!
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) November 12, 2020
Today, @Astro_illini, @AstroVicGlover, Shannon Walker and @Astro_Soichi participated in a countdown dress rehearsal of launch day events. On Nov. 14, they'll fly to the @Space_Station for a six-month science mission: https://t.co/WqniVRWsa0 pic.twitter.com/WbslNAZ5ak
[Launch day: A timeline leading up to SpaceX’s Dragon launch with astronauts]
This has been a big week for SpaceX and one for the history books.
On Tuesday, NASA officially gave the Crew Dragon spacecraft human flight certification.
BREAKING: @NASA and @SpaceX have completed certification of #CrewDragon! I’m extremely proud to say we are returning regular human spaceflight launches to American soil on an American rocket and spacecraft. More: https://t.co/VGPPAtSll3 #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/jUZx0BBPwb
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) November 10, 2020
Mark your calendars, Crew-1 launch is scheduled for Nov. 14 at 7:49 p.m. from Kennedy Space Center.
News 6 and ClickOrlando.com will have complete coverage of Saturday’s launch. Be sure to check back in here for all your space-themed stories and breaking space news alerts.
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