SpaceX

Refined kerosene and liquid oxygen have been pumped into the tanks of the Falcon 9 this morning as the launch team progresses through its checklist. The nine-engine first stage will push the rocket and spacecraft off the pad with 1.3 million pounds of force. About 2 minutes and 41 seconds into flight, with the rocket about 50 miles above Earth and moving at supersonic speeds, the first stage engines shut down and the stage falls away, leaving the single-engine second stage to push the Dragon into orbit. Nine and-a-half minutes after launch, the Dragon will fly free and open its solar array wings. It’ll reach the International Space Station on Sept. 23.

NASA designated this mission CRS-4, but it is number 1 in the hearts of scientists who are seeing their experiments fly to the station for investigations. The gear being taken up on this flight will allow the completion of 255 research projects which will focus on everything from the Earth’s winds to the way bone density is affected on a molecular level in microgravity and how drugs could affect the deterioration. There’s also a 3D printing system (pictured) to be evaluated in orbit and an experiment to examine how electroplating changes when performed in microgravity.

 

Air Force Weather Officer Mike McAleenan raised his chances of acceptable conditions at launch to 90 percent. He will go over the detailed forecast in a few minutes with the launch time.

Good morning from Florida’s East Coast where the weather has greatly improved during the last seven hours ahead of tonight’s attempt by SpaceX to launch the CRS-4 cargo mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is slated for three seconds after 1:52 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

An upper level trough that brought rain and thick clouds over the launch area Friday night and Saturday has mostly moved out of the area and forecasters predict a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions for this try. We will cover the milestones of tonight’s countdown as we detail some of the elements that make this flight important for the space station crew and the research to be performed there. You can also watch the countdown and launch on NASA TV and read more details about the mission on www.nasa.gov/spacex.

The SpaceX launch control team has been given a “go” to fuel the Falcon 9 rocket for the launch of SpaceX CRS-4 to the International Space Station. The weather forecast remains 70 percent “go” and there are no current violations of any launch weather criteria. Our continuous countdown coverage here and on NASA TV begins at 12:45 a.m. for a 1:52:03 a.m. EDT liftoff.

 

Today’s launch opportunity has been scrubbed because of poor weather. “The launch director and team have made the determination to scrub today’s launch attempt,” Mike Curie, NASA launch commentator reported. Next launch attempt is Sunday morning at 1:52 a.m. EDT. Our countdown coverage will begin at 12:45 a.m. EDT on the launch blog and on NASA TV. The forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of acceptable conditions for the Sunday attempt.

Refined kerosene and liquid oxygen have been pumped into the tanks of the Falcon 9 this morning as the launch team progresses through its checklist. The nine-engine first stage will push the rocket and spacecraft off the pad with 1.3 million pounds of force. About 2 minutes and 41 seconds into flight, with the rocket about 50 miles above Earth and moving at supersonic speeds, the first stage engines shut down and the stage falls away, leaving the single-engine second stage to push the Dragon into orbit. Nine and-a-half minutes after launch, the Dragon will fly free and open its solar array wings. It’ll reach the International Space Station two days later.

Mike Curie, NASA’s Launch Commentator, reports that a weather reconnaissance flight that had hoped to find a gap in the clouds around Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here in Florida instead found that the clouds are instead thickening. The launch team is continuing with its preparations for a 2:14 a.m. EDT liftoff, but weather remains a doubt for this morning. Official odds remain at 10 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

Two of the launch commit criteria remain no-go this morning ahead of the 2:14 a.m. EDT launch opportunity. Current conditions violate rules on disturbed weather in the area and thick clouds over the launch site. Briefing the launch team moments ago, meteorologist Mike McAleenan put the chances of acceptable conditions at only 10 percent. “We’re not looking too good,” McAleenan said. The launch window is instantaneous, so the launch team doesn’t have any room to try to wait for clearing. If the launch cannot go tonight, there is another chance Sunday morning. The forecast for Sunday morning calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

We have an hour and 14 minutes before the launch this morning of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on a cargo-delivery mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 2:14 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40 here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch window is instant since the Dragon has to be put on a precise path to catch the ISS which is moving at 17,500 mph. Weather is the primary concern and the chance of acceptable conditions has dropped to 30 percent. There are no technical concerns at this hour as the launch teams for the company and NASA track the milestones during this last phase of the countdown. The Dragon spacecraft is equipped only to carry cargo and has been loaded with 5,000 pounds of materials the crew of the space station will put to use. We’ll detail some of the experiments and other elements going up on this flight as the blog goes along. We’ll also track all the countdown highlights as they occur and tell you a few things about the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.