ORLANDO, Fla. – With humans on board a rocket the weather becomes extremely important not only at the launch pad.
The SpaceX Crew-7 launch is targeted for Friday at 3:49 a.m.
Relatively calm weather conditions are needed along the majority of the flight path in the event of an emergency launch abort and recovery of the crew, which could be as far north as Ireland.
Currently, the weather at Kennedy Space Center looks extremely favorable. There is an 85% chance for good weather conditions as designated by the 45th weather squadron. Winds are expected to be light at the launch pad.
Drifting cumulus clouds will be monitored for a potential weather violation early Friday morning, but the chance for a weather violation is slim at this time.
Even with the busy tropics, downrange weather looks mainly favorable. There will be a small corridor of wave heights on the order of 6-9 feet off the coast of Newfoundland.
Otherwise, the downrange weather looks to cooperate.
If needed, backup launch opportunities are available Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26-27. Weather appears to be extremely favorable for both of those opportunities.
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