Good Weather Forecast for 1st Nighttime Blastoff of SpaceX Falcon Heavy June 24

Stunning blastoff of triple barreled SpaceX Falcon Heavy on April 11, 2019 at 6:35 PM ET from Launch Complex-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, FL carrying the Arabsat-6A telecommunications satellite to Earth orbit, on 1^st commercial launch of Falcon Heavy.  From my remote camera placed at pad 39a.  Launch on the 3^rd Falcon Heavy on STP-2 mission for the U.S. Air Force is slated for June 24, 2019 at 11:30 p.m. EDT.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM – 22 June 2019

CAPE CANAVERAL/MERRITT ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, FL –   Good weather is currently forecast for the first ever nighttime blastoff of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy just before midnight Monday, June 24, from Florida’s Space Coast.

Air Force meteorologists with the 45^th Space Wing say the weather outlook for Monday evening is rather favorable - currently forecast as a 70% percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time. 

Liftoff of the Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission paid for by the Department of Defense (DoD) and managed by the U.S Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) is now targeted for launch on June 24, 2019 at 11:30 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida – following the good outcome of the hold down static fire test.

The launch window opens at 11:30 p.m. EDT and extends four hours to 3:30 a.m. June 25.

In case of any delay the next launch opportunity is Tuesday, June 25 with the same launch window.

The full SpaceX Falcon Heavy with a payload fairing attached stands vertical at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in this wide angle view following successful static fire test.  Launch on the STP-2 mission for the U.S. Air Force is slated for June 24, 2019 at 11:30 p.m. EDT.  See 2 sooty side boosters recycled from Arabsat 6A launch in April 2019. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Here is the detailed forecast from the 45^th Space Wing - Jun 23 update:

"An upper-level ridge over the Southeast US will keep the shower and thunderstorm activity over Central Florida below seasonal norms. The surface ridge axis is south of the Space Coast however, which will keep the isolated afternoon convection along the Space Coast. This southwesterly flow will also bring high temperatures in the 90s over the Spaceport. The primary weather concerns for a launch attempt overnight Monday are lingering anvil and thick layer clouds from the isolated afternoon convection.”  

“On Tuesday, the upper-level ridge will begin moving east, allowing a storm system to drop into Florida. Thus, the coverage of showers & storms will increase, while the launch weather concerns remain the same.”

45^th Weather Squadron facility inside the Morrell Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

This 3^rd launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy marks the 1^st ever mission of the triple stick rocket for the US Air Force and the first reuse of previously flown boosters on the world’s most powerful rocket. 

The extremely complex mission is being conducted in joint partnership with NASA and NOAA and will deliver two dozen military and science satellites to a variety of orbits. 

The Air Force is paying for this Falcon Heavy mission launch and using it to certify the rocket for future launches of US National Security missions including using reused booster hardware. 

The STP-2 mission will also feature a breathtaking attempt by SpaceX to recover all 3 booster cores by land and by sea.

The two side boosters will land back at the Cape 8 minutes after launch and the center core will touchdown at sea on the OCISLY droneship.

The path to launch was cleared after SpaceX engineers successfully completely a critical hold down nighttime test firing of the mammoth Falcon Heavy, shortly before midnight Wednesday, June 19 – thereby paving the path for the first ever nighttime blastoff of the beast generating 5 million pounds of thrust on what is certain to be an absolutely magnificent spectacle on Florida’s Space Coast Monday evening June 24. 

SpaceX conducted a short Static Fire Test of the Falcon Heavy rockets 1^st 27 first stage engines with a payload fairing attached and standing vertical at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 11:32 p.m. EDT June 19, 2019. Launch of the STP-2 mission for the U.S. Air Force is slated for June 24, 2019 at 11:30 p.m. EDT.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The Falcon Heavy will deliver 24 science and military satellites to space on the first ever mission for the DOD that also includes four satellites for NASA and more for NOAA, a number of Universities, Industry and one for the Planetary Society.

The 24 satellites will be delivered to 3 separate orbits and inclinations as the second stage is fired for a record 4 separate times in another test of its capabilities.

Included on the manifest are four NASA payloads investigating technologies that will help improve future spacecraft design and performance in space.

The NASA payloads aboard the Space Test Program-2 flight include:

-the Deep Space Atomic Clock for vastly improved interplanetary navigation that could change how we navigate on the Moon, to Mars and beyond,

-the Space Environment Testbeds (SET) involving four experiments to help will reveal the ways local space weather affects spacecraft hardware,

- the  Green Propellant Infusion Mission to a test cleaner and new much less toxic green propulsion system could take the small satellite revolution beyond what it is today, and

- the Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment involving six satellites to study irregularities in Earth’s upper atmosphere that interfere with GPS and communications signals.

NOAA along with NASA, the USAF and others are sponsoring the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere & Climate-2, or COSMIC-2 system– a constellation of 6 satellites. 

The Falcon Heavy first stage is comprised of three Falcon 9 cores. The center core is new and plumbed differently from the twin pair of side cores – which are recycled from the Arabsat 6A launch in mid- April. 

The Falcon Heavy measures 229.6 feet (70 m) tall and 39.9 feet (12.6 m) wide with a mass of 3,125,735 lb (1,420,788 kg).

Watch my commentary about the Falcon Heavy launch at News 6 Orlando here:

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/space-news/third-falcon-heavy-launch-targeted-on-the-space-coast

Dr. Ken Kremer/Space UpClose interviewed by CBS 6 Orlando TV News WKMG on June 19, 2019 about the Falcon Heavy STP-2 launch targeted for June 24. Credit: CBS 6 WKMG/Ken Kremer screenshot

Ken will be onsite at the Kennedy Space Center for liive coverage of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy STP-2 launch. 

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.

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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events

Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

Jun 22-24: Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings.  Learn more about the upcoming/recent Falcon Heavy, NASA 2024 Moon landing goal, SpaceX Starlink-1, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-17 launch to ISS, SpaceX Demo-1 launch/test failure, SpaceX Beresheet launch, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, Northrop Grumman Antares, SpySats and more

Ken’s will display his photos for sale