At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is set to launch NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) spacecraft. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST) from Space Launch Complex 2. The satellite is the first in NOAA’s series of four, next-generation operational environmental satellites representing major advancements in observations used for severe weather prediction and environmental monitoring.
Countdown clocks are temporarily paused for a planned hold at T-15 minutes. The Delta II rocket is loaded with its propellants – cryogenic liquid oxygen and a rocket-grade kerosene called RP-1 – and the vehicle’s second- and first-stage engines have completed steering tests.
Coming up in the next few minutes, the countdown will resume and the 30th Weather Squadron’s Capt. Ross Malugani, today’s launch weather officer, will give the launch team an update. Weather conditions are expected to be favorable, and weather balloon data is trending favorably, indicating winds within limits.