Good morning from Florida, and welcome to our continuous coverage of the countdown, launch and flight of the Orion spacecraft on its first flight test. We are 2 hours and 5 minutes from the launch of Orion on a Delta IV Heavy rocket, the largest rocket in America’s current inventory.
There are no technical problems reported or being worked at this time and the weather forecast still calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions when our launch window opens at 7:05 a.m. EST. Between now and then, we will let you know as the Orion launch and mission control teams pass key milestones. We’ll also give you some context for what this mission means to Orion’s development and to the nation’s ambitions to send astronauts on deep space exploration missions in the future, including eventual flights to Mars.
Stick with us throughout the mission, too, because we’ll be here through Orion’s Pacific Ocean splashdown about 4.5 hours after launch.
Good luck guys hope all goes well today!
watching from Saudi Arabia, near the Iraq border. Wish I was home in Indialantic, FL! Best wishes and safe flying!
We’ll be watching from Yuma, AZ
Very exciting
Watching NASA tv while awaiting the launch. Sherman Oaks, CA. 1:52 PST.
Go boldly where no man has gone before, Go Orion go!!!
God bless America. Launches and splashdowns are always proud moments.
“Lets light this Candle!”
All the very best to the teams who made this possible.
Staying at Jetty Park for the holidays to be with family. We’re from Kansas City area and this launch is just icing on the cake.