Launch

LAUNCH SCHEDULE FOR CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA
UPDATED JANUARY 10, 2022
CONTACT: CLIFFLETHBRIDGE@SPACELINE.ORG

THIS LAUNCH SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

ENTRIES FORMAT:

LAUNCH DATE/TARGET
LAUNCH VEHICLE
LAUNCH TIME
LAUNCH SITE
PAYLOAD/MISSION

ENTRIES:

JANUARY 13, 2022
FALCON 9
10:25 A.M. EST
LAUNCH PAD 40
TRANSPORTER-3

From Florida Today News:

SpaceX is set to host its next Space Coast launch Thursday and residents should be prepared for what comes after: sonic booms generated by the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage as it lands at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Just under 10 minutes after its 10:25 a.m. liftoff from Launch Complex 40, the 162-foot booster will generate window-rattling sonic booms as it travels faster than the speed of sound en route to Landing Zone 1. It will then fire at least one of its Merlin main engines during the landing burn to slow down over the pad and touch down near the eastern tip of Cape.

The window for Thursday’s attempt runs 29 minutes until 10:54 a.m. ET.

Sonic booms from Falcon landings have been heard as far as Tampa, though much of that depends on each mission’s trajectory and local weather. Thursday’s launch, a group of payloads for several customers labeled Transporter-3, will fly a rare southerly trajectory after liftoff, so the booster will approach from the south and generate booms along that path.

Transporter missions allow several customers to split the cost of a sub-$50 million Falcon 9 flight to orbit, but all payloads have to fly to similar locations. For more refined orbits, customers can choose smaller launch providers or wait for a Transporter mission that flies along the desired trajectory.

Experts caution that sonic booms can be startling, but they have only caused damage under extremely rare circumstances. They were most prevalent during the space shuttle days when orbiters returning to land at Kennedy Space Center would generate far-reaching double booms.

Local landings at the Cape used to be more common in the early days of the Falcon program – in fact, the rocket’s first successful landing in December 2015 was hosted at Landing Zone 1. The last time the Space Coast saw a land-based booster recovery was for the previous Transporter mission in June 2021.

More often, boosters land on drone ships in the Atlantic Ocean. But some missions, such as Thursday’s, leave enough fuel in the booster for it to fly back to the Cape.

Weather for Thursday’s attempt, meanwhile, was calculated by local Space Force forecasters at 70% “go.” Upper-level winds, booster landing weather, and solar flare activity are not factored into the percentage, but all were classified as “low-risk.”

“The bulk of any precipitation and cloud cover still looks to transit east of the spaceport by the primary launch opportunity Thursday morning though the mid-level clouds may be harder to scour out,” Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Tuesday. “The primary concern for a Thursday morning launch attempt will be for thick clouds and cumulus clouds.”

Thursday’s launch will mark the second of the year for the Space Coast. For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

—————————

SpaceX is an American aerospace company that provides space transportation services and sells space equipment like rockets. Elon Musk founded it in 2002 with the original aim of renewing the public’s interest in space travel. With time, the company has evolved, and its stated goal is to make humanity a multi-planetary species mainly by significantly reducing the cost of space travel. 

Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Falcon 9 is the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket. Reusability allows SpaceX to refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access.

——————————

From the crew of Pursuit, January 13:

We have front row seats for this launch. As mentioned before, Bob and Donna are staying at Kars campground right along the Banana River. The launch is a bit north, but the landing is going to be right in front of us. Stay tuned……