SpaceX Completes Testing, Weather Could Be A Factor
SpaceX says it is ready for the first launch attempt of a
Falcon 9 heavy-lift rocket, and has announced a launch window
opening a 1100 EDT Friday.
The primary schedule driver for the first Falcon 9 test launch
has been certification of the flight termination system (FTS). The
FTS ensures that Air Force Range safety officials can command the
destruction of the vehicle should it stray from its designated
flight path. The successful liftoff of the recent GPS satellite
launch last Thursday freed up the necessary range resources for
SpaceX to process its final documentation, and they say they are
now looking good for final approval of the FTS by this Friday, June
4th, just in time for the first launch attempt.
End to end testing of the Falcon 9 was completed Tuesday as
required by the Air Force Range and everything was nominal. The
final system connections for the FTS were made late Tuesday, with
the vehicle rolled out on Wednesday
SpaceX says the Launch Window opens at 1100EDT, 1500 UTC, and
lasts for 4 hours. The company has also reserved a second launch
day at Cape Canaveral, FL on Saturday 5 June, with the same hours.
As always, weather will play a significant role in the overall
launch schedule. The weather experts at the Cape
are predicting a 40% chance of "no go" conditions for both
days of the window, citing the potential for cumulus clouds and
anvil clouds from thunderstorms.
If the weather cooperates, SpaceX plans to provide a live
webcast of the launch events, presently scheduled to begin 20
minutes prior to the opening of the launch window.
SpaceX says it's important to note that, since this is a test
launch, the primary goal is to collect as much data as possible,
with success being measured as a percentage of how many flight
milestones are completed in this first attempt. They maintain that
it will be a great day if orbital velocity is reached, but still a
good day if the first stage functions correctly, even if the second
stage malfunctions. It will be a bad day if something happens on
the launch pad itself and no flight data is collected.
As SpaceX has said all along, one launch does not make or break
the company, nor commercial spaceflight as an industry. The Atlas
rocket only succeeded on its 13th flight, and today it is the most
reliable vehicle in the American fleet, with a record better than
Shuttle.
SpaceX says that, regardless of the outcome, this first launch
attempt represents a key milestone for both SpaceX and the
commercial spaceflight industry.