Author: Sarah Loff

SpaceX and the U.S. Department of Defense will launch the Space Test Program-2 mission made up of two dozen satellites from government and research institutions. NASA payloads onboard include a small satellite, twin CubeSats and several instruments.

Subject matter experts will discuss the NASA technology demonstrations and science missions during a prelaunch technology TV show from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, starting at noon EDT. Watch the briefing online or on NASA’s livestreaming channels.

Participants include:

• Todd Ely, principal investigator for the Deep Space Atomic Clock, JPL
• Jill Seubert, deputy principal investigator for the Deep Space Atomic Clock, JPL
• Christopher McLean, principal investigator for the Green Propellant Infusion Mission, Ball Aerospace
• Joe Cassady, executive director of space, Aerojet Rocketdyne
• Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters (to discuss the Space Environment Testbeds)
• Rick Doe, payload program manager for the Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment, SRI International

The launch window for the Falcon Heavy opens at 11:30 p.m. Monday, June 24, from historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. The launch will also air on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

For more information about the NASA missions launching on the Falcon Heavy, visit: www.nasa.gov/spacex

Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing predict a 70% chance of favorable weather Monday, June 24, for launch of the Department of Defense Space Test Program-2 mission on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

The launch window opens at 11:30 p.m. EDT tomorrow. Lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the three-booster rocket will take NASA payloads and a total of 24 satellites from government and research institutions to space.

Forecast Details
An upper-level ridge over the Southeast U.S. will keep the shower and thunderstorm activity over Central Florida below seasonal norms. The surface ridge axis is south of the Space Coast however, which will keep the isolated afternoon convection along the Space Coast. This southwesterly flow will also bring high temperatures in the 90s over the Spaceport. The primary weather concerns for a launch attempt overnight Monday are lingering anvil and thick layer clouds from the isolated afternoon convection.

On Tuesday, the upper-level ridge will begin moving east, allowing a storm system to drop into Florida. Thus, the coverage of showers & storms will increase, while the launch weather concerns remain the same.

Delay probability of violating launch weather constraints: 40%

Primary concern(s):  Anvil Cloud Rule, Thick Cloud Layer Rule

Prelaunch Technology Show: Today, June 23
A prelaunch NASA technology show is scheduled for Sunday, June 23 at noon from Kennedy. NASA will stream the briefing live at https://www.nasa.gov/live.

Launch Coverage: Monday, June 24
Live NASA Television coverage of the Falcon Heavy launch will begin 30 minutes before liftoff.

NASA missions and other highlights on this mission include:

• Multiple NASA technologies, including a small satellite to test the performance of non-toxic “green” spacecraft fuel and an advanced atomic clock to improve how spacecraft navigate
• Six National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather research satellites, each equipped with a radio occultation (GPS) instrument developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Twin NASA CubeSats that will work in tandem with the NOAA satellites to measure distortion of radio signals traveling through the upper atmosphere
• An Air Force Research Laboratory spacecraft equipped with NASA instruments to measure how space weather and radiation impact spacecraft electronics
• StangSat, a CubeSat developed by Florida high school students under the mentorship of Kennedy engineers

For additional information about the NASA technologies aboard the launch, visit: www.nasa.gov/spacex

Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing predict a 70% chance of favorable weather for liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket Monday, June 24, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch window opens at 11:30 p.m. EDT.

The Falcon Heavy will launch two dozen satellites to space for the U.S. Department of Defense Space Test Program-2 mission.

Aboard are two NASA technology demonstrations to improve how spacecraft propel and navigate, as well as two NASA science missions to help us better understand the nature of space and how it impacts technology on spacecraft and the ground.

Forecast Details
An upper-level ridge remains over the Southeast U.S., reducing the coverage of the shower and thunderstorm activity over Central Florida. The surface ridge axis will remain south of the Space Coast however, keeping the east coast sea breeze pinned close to shore with only isolated afternoon showers. This southwesterly flow will also bring high temperatures in the 90s over the Spaceport. This pattern will begin to change Sunday into Monday, as a storm system digs into the Gulf Coast States, destabilizing the atmosphere and increasing shower and thunderstorm activity across Central Florida. The primary weather concerns for a launch attempt overnight Monday into early Tuesday morning are lingering anvil and thick layer clouds from afternoon convection.

On Tuesday, the upper-level ridge will continue moving east, allowing the storm system to drop into Northern Florida. Consequently, the coverage and intensity of showers and storms are expected to increase.

Prelaunch Technology Show: June 23
A prelaunch NASA technology show is scheduled for Sunday, June 23 at noon from Kennedy. NASA will stream the briefing live at https://www.nasa.gov/live.

Launch Coverage: June 24
Live NASA Television coverage of the Falcon Heavy launch will begin 30 minutes before liftoff.

While each has a unique set of objectives, the NASA missions on this launch have a common goal: improve future spacecraft design and performance, no matter the destination. For additional information about the NASA technologies aboard the launch, visit: www.nasa.gov/spacex

 

SpaceX and the Department of Defense are targeting no earlier than Monday, June 24 at 11:30 p.m. EDT to launch the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission. A Falcon Heavy rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with about two dozen satellites aboard, including four NASA missions. The NASA technology demonstrations and science missions will help improve future spacecraft design and performance.

Learn more about the exciting NASA space tech launching on the Falcon Heavy later this month:

• Deep Space Atomic Clock – a navigation payload hosted on General Atomics Orbital Test Bed satellite
• Green Propellant Infusion Mission – a small satellite that will demonstrate a non-toxic fuel and propulsion system
• Space Environment Testbeds – instruments hosted on the Air Force Research Lab’s Demonstration and Science Experiments spacecraftto study how to protect satellites in space
• Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment – twin CubeSats to study disruptions of signals that pass-through Earth’s upper atmosphere