After days of uncertainty, the Federal Aviation Administration announced on Sunday that SpaceX had been cleared to continue Monday’s planned launch of the Hera asteroid probe from the European Space Agency, Hera, due to stormy weather.
With forecasts calling for an 85% chance of clouds and rain causing delays, Hera launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on target at 10:52 a.m. EDT Monday. The forecast is 75% “no go” if the launch is delayed until Tuesday.
“The last obstacle is the weather. So, please, please, you have to do something!” Hera project manager Ian Carnelli joked to reporters Sunday. “That’s the only thing we can’t control… It looked like there was an opening when it was launched, but it’s really impossible to tell right now.”
ESA
Hurricane MiltonMeanwhile, it poses a threat throughout the week as a cyclone expected to cross the Florida peninsula Wednesday and moved out over the Atlantic Ocean near Florida’s Space Coast.
The launch of NASA’s $5.2 billion Europa Clipper mission, which had been planned for Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center, was put on hold during the storm.
“The safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and every precaution will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,” said Tim Dunn, senior launch director with NASA’s Launch Services Program.
“Once we have the ‘all-clear’ followed by facility assessment and recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity.”
Additionally, the return to Earth of three Russian astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon ferry has been delayed due to poor weather forecasts.
8 crew commander Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, launched to the International Space Station last March. They had planned to cancel Monday, returning to Earth to close out their 217-day mission.
National Weather Service
But NASA announced on Sunday that the departure would be delayed until at least Thursday due to unexpected weather. Crew Dragon ferries require calm winds and seas in the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean to allow safe splashing.
For the Falcon 9, the FAA’s clearance only applies to the launch of Hera while the agency continues to monitor the investigation into what caused the Falcon 9’s second stage malfunction on September 28 and missed the re-entry point targeted to the Earth’s atmosphere in the Pacific Ocean. .
SpaceX routinely sends its second stage into the atmosphere for destruction at the end of a mission to prevent collisions or other problems that could add space debris already in Earth orbit.
The FAA wants to ensure that the problem is understood and corrected so that future re-entries proceed as planned, to ensure that debris that remains in re-entry heating will splash harmlessly in the targeted “footprint” at sea, away from the shipping lanes and populated areas.
The second stage used for the Hera mission will boost the space probe into deep space, using up all of its propellant in the process. It will not return to Earth, so in the event of damage, it will not pose a security threat.
“The FAA has determined that no second-stage re-entry for this mission adequately mitigates the primary risk to the public of a reoccurrence of the accident experienced with the Crew-9 mission,” the agency said in a statement, indicating. to the latest Falcon 9 plane.
NASA
“Safety will lead the timeline for the FAA to complete its review of the SpaceX’s Crew-9 accident investigation report and when the agency authorizes the Falcon 9 to return to regular operations,” the statement concluded.
The FAA did not finalize plans to launch Clipper Europa atop a Falcon Heavy rocket Thursday for its long-awaited mission to Jupiter and its ice-covered moon Europa.
Like the Hera mission, the Clipper upper stage, which is used for all Falcon-family rockets, will not return to Earth. Instead, it will burn all of its propellant to accelerate the probe to Earth’s escape velocity of 25,000 mph.
But FAA clearance to proceed, assuming it comes in time, will likely be a moot point, at least in the near term. It is unlikely that the Clipper and Falcon Heavy rockets will be moved to the Kennedy Space Center launch pad until Milton passes through the area.
