Two Rocket Launches by SpaceX, ULA Set for Tomorrow in Cape Canaveral
By Space Coast Daily // August 3, 2022
coverage can be seen on Space Coast Daily TV
BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Thursday will be a busy day in Cape Canaveral as United Launch Alliance and SpaceX will launch two rockets.
ULA will be the first rocket launch of the day.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 421 rocket will be launching the sixth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS GEO 6) missile detection and early warning satellite for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). ULA’s Atlas V rocket will launch SBIRS GEO 6 into a performance optimized geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).
Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
Equipped with powerful scanning and staring infrared surveillance sensors to protect our nation 24/7, the SBIRS spacecraft continue to serve as the tip of the spear for global missile warning as ballistic missile threats proliferate around the world. These infrared sensors, and others in a constellation of persistent overhead satellites, collect data that allow the U.S. military to detect missile launches, support ballistic missile defense, expand technical intelligence gathering and bolster situational awareness on the battlefield.
Built by Lockheed Martin using its modernized LM 2100 Combat Bus™, SBIRS GEO 6 is an enhanced space vehicle providing even greater resiliency and cyber-hardening against growing threats, as well as improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics.
Liftoff of the Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is scheduled for 6:29 p.m. EDT (1029 UTC) at the opening of a 40-minute window.
Weather forecasters continue to predict a 70-percent chance of favorable conditions for launch. The only concern is the development of isolated showers over the ocean and moving ashore near sunrise.
SPACEX ROCKET LAUNCH
The second rocket launch will feature SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch is targeted for 7:03 p.m. ET.
The weather forecast by the 45th Weather Squadron shows conditions will be 80-percent favorable for launch
SpaceX will launch the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) which will carry science instruments to image permanently shadowed craters to search for signs of water ice, measure the composition of lunar regolith, and capture high-resolution images to map future landing sites.
SpaceX will also attempt to recover the first-stage on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic.
Coverage of the launches can be seen on Space Coast Daily TV, powered by Route 1 Motorsports.
