Stormy weather puts damper on SpaceX’s 1st astronaut launch

Cape Canaveral (US), May 26

Stormy climate is threatening to delay SpaceX’s first astronaut launch.

A SpaceX rocket is scheduled to blast off Wednesday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center, carrying a Dragon capsule with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station. It would be the first time astronauts launch from Florida in 9 years and a primary for a non-public firm.

The supervisor of NASA’s industrial crew program, Kathy Lueders, mentioned every thing was progressing nicely — no less than on the bottom.

“Now the only thing we need to do is figure out how to control the weather,” she mentioned Monday night as rain continued to drench the realm. “We’re continuing to be vigilant and careful and make sure we do this right.”

Forecasters put the percentages of acceptable launch climate at 40%. But that does not embody the situations all the way in which up the US and Canadian coasts and throughout the ocean to Ireland — an advanced mixture of measurements distinctive to the Dragon crew capsule.

The Dragon’s emergency escape system can kick in, if vital, all the way in which to orbit. If that occurs, the capsule will want comparatively calm wind and seas wherein to splash down.

SpaceX may have no less than two restoration ships deployed off Florida, and NASA may have two army cargo planes able to take off. Additional planes will probably be stationed in New York and England to help with a possible water rescue, in response to Lueders.

Hans Koenigsmann, a vp for SpaceX, mentioned the launch management crew will incorporate international climate patterns and fashions to find out whether or not it is protected to launch.

“If the climate gods are working with us,” he mentioned, lift-off will happen at 4:33 pm SpaceX has a split-second launch window.

The excellent news is that the tropical climate headed towards Cape Canaveral needs to be gone in a pair days, with situations additionally enhancing up the Eastern Seaboard later within the week.

If SpaceX does not launch Wednesday, its subsequent try can be Saturday. — AP