Weather 40% Favorable for Tuesday PACE Mission Launch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft encapsulated atop is raised to a vertical position at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. PACE is NASA’s newest earth-observing satellite that will help increase our understanding of Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and climate by delivering hyperspectral observations of microscopic marine organisms called phytoplankton as well new data on clouds and aerosols. Liftoff of the PACE mission is set for no earlier than 1:33 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft encapsulated atop is raised to a vertical position at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Liftoff of the PACE mission is set for no earlier than 1:33 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo credit: SpaceX

Launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch of NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission at 1:33 a.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 6, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.  

Lingering showers and storms from the weekend will continue across the area today and into the overnight hours with accompanying winds expected to increase. The primary weather concerns at launch are cumulus clouds, thick cloud layers, and liftoff winds.  

The next available launch date is Wednesday, Feb. 7. Launch weather officers forecast a 60% chance of favorable conditions for this launch opportunity, with the cumulus cloud rule and liftoff winds as the primary weather concerns.

To learn more about the PACE mission, visit: 

https://pace.oceansciences.org/mission.htm 

Continue checking the PACE blog for additional mission updates, or join the conversation on social media by following these accounts: 

X: @NASA@NASA_LSP@NASAKennedy@NASAGoddard
Facebook: NASANASA’s Launch Services ProgramNASA’s Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Instagram: @NASA@NASAKennedy, @NASAGoddard