Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Canaveral Launch Today and other space news

First, the news: SpaceX has released video of their first stage booster soft-landing in the Atlantic Ocean after boosting a communications satellite to orbit on July 14. The landing was an almost complete success - an amazing achievement. Next trials will attempt to land the first stage back on land, for reuse. See the landing HERE

Now, for the launch: United Launch Alliance will boost two satellites for the Air Force from Cape Canaveral this evening aboard a Delta IV rocket. It should be a spectacular near-sunset launch at 7:03 pm EDT. Watch it via webcast HERE

Saw the soft landing video on Yahoo yesterday.

Will be watching the launch this evening.(6:03 CDT)

Space X is impressive.

Postponed one day. Tamale!

Three hours to launch time. New T-0 is 6:59 pm EDT. Webcast starts 20 minutes prior. Weather is much improved over yesterday.

Webcast is up. No issues being worked. A lady launch commentator, too!

One for Rocky!

Scrubbed for weather, darn it. They are looking at another 24-hour turnaround. Window for tomorrow night's T-0 should be about the same.

Now two hours from planned liftoff. Again.

Thunderstorms predicted. Again.

I'll be watching. Again.

Webcast is up. Again.

Weather is crappy. Again. (SHEESH!)

The window lasts 65 minutes, from 6:55 pm EDT until 8:00 pm. If they can get a short shot of good weather in that timeframe, they'll go.

But it doesn't look good.

Aw, shucks.

And.....scrubbed. AGAIN!

Having worked there and done that, planning a launch in July is a low-percentage bet.

They say they'll try again tomorrow, which is astonishing. I've NEVER seen five consecutive launch attempts without a break for on-pad fuel replenishment, vehicle maintenance, or just plain crew fatigue. The Air Force must REALLY want these birds up soonest.

Looks like it's going to be Weather Gods-4, Rocket Scientists-0.

Thunderstorms in the area once again (Hey, it's Florida in July, eh?). Should there be a break allowing launch, the window tonight is 6:51 pm EDT until 7:56.

Hell Rocky, why didn't they set up shop somewhere else? Vandenberg maybe?

Because if you are going to launch to the east, falling rocket stages might kinda upset folks. V'Berg is used for polar orbit launches (to the south) only. The Cape is used for all other launches (to the east) including to geosync orbit, like this one.

New target launch date is Monday 6:45 pm EDT. (After four consecutive attempts, the launch team must be exhausted.)

They are fueling the rocket for try number five. Weather is better, with a 60% chance of maybe. Tomorrow's weather is expected to be much worse, so if they don't succeed today, they may push this one back a week or more. There's another launch set for Friday, so they can't try this one again before then.

Tonight's attempt will be from 6:43 - 7:48 pm EDT. Webcast up at 6:23. HERE

Maybe... MAYBE...

Weather is still no-go, but it is clearing.

Clear to launch! Tune in now.

YES! Another beeeYYOOOOOtiful liftoff.