Tag: atlasV

NROL-101: Where to Watch

As per the latest news, ULA is currently scheduled to launch NROL-101 on its Atlas V rocket from SLC-41 on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at 5:54 pm local time.

Based on the visibility map posted by ULA to Twitter for the previous launch date, the northeasterly trajectory of this launch suggests strongly that Playalinda Beach is the place to be for this launch. As for why this is so: see my previous post about watching Starlink launches from Playalinda

Upcoming Launches: SpaceX Starlink 5, ULA AEHF-6

Updated 17 Mar 2020 – closure information.

The next two launches coming up on the Space Coast will be SpaceX’s Starlink 5 launch, currently set for Wednesday, March 18th at 8:16 am EDT, and United Launch Alliance’s AEHF-6 launch on Thursday, March 26th at 2:57 pm EDT with a 2-hour launch window.

Please note that due to current Coronavirus concerns, public gathering is NOT RECOMMENDED. We recommend you stay home – or in your hotel room – rather than mingle with others to watch this launch or any other event.

SpaceX Starlink 5 will be launching on a Falcon 9 rocket from pad LC-39A, with an expected landing on their drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY); the drone ship landing will not be visible from shore. For this launch, Playalinda Beach should provide an excellent view – arrive early and bring water, sunscreen and possibly toilet paper, as facilities there are primitive – $20 per car to park gives you in/out privileges for 7 days. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will not be offering launch viewing, as they will be closed as of Monday, March 16th. Jetty Park and Observation Tower remain closed until further notice.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Road closure information has been released for the Starlink launch: roads to Playalinda Beach (SR-406 from the west, SR-3N from the north) will be closed at 8:25 am on launch day, or whenever Playalinda parking reaches max capacity. Roads in and around Kennedy Space Center, including SR-405, SR-3, Space Commerce Way and the NASA Causeway, will be closed to the general public at 5:30 am. TL;dr – wherever you’re headed, get there early.

ULA AEHF-6 will be launching on on an Atlas V from SLC-41, another northern launch pad. Playalinda Beach will provide a good view – as stated above, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Jetty Park and Exploration Tower remain closed until further notice.

Remember: Rocket launches often slip to later dates, and can scrub and require rescheduling at any time up to the moment of launch! In the days leading up to these (or any) launches, keep an eye on Space Twitter or other social media for any updates to the launch schedule. There are many potential sources of timely information, but if you can only keep track of one source, Chris G. of NASASpaceflight.com is an excellent choice.

As always, if you have additional questions or need more specific information on any viewing locations, please feel free to reach out to Wayward Plane via the links in the sidebar! I’m happy to help, and generally respond to inquiries within two hours or less of receipt.

Best of luck on your launch viewing journey!

Upcoming Launches: SpaceX, SpaceX, ULA, SpaceX Demo-2…

Just a quick outline of what to expect in the coming weeks and months in terms of Space Coast launches… (spoiler: there’s a LOT happening!)

The next one up will be SpaceX Starlink 4, currently set to launch on a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 on February 15th at 10:46 am EST. I’ll have more specific viewing information and advice shortly, but as this launch will include a drone ship landing rather than returning to LZ-1, and due to the northerly trajectories of Starlink launches, my general advice at this time is to strongly consider Playalinda Beach for viewing.

After that, we have SpaceX CRS-20 on the schedule for March 2nd, at 1:45 am EST. CRS launches are commercial resupply missions to the ISS, and thus are usually RTLS (return to landing site) with the boosters landing at LZ-1. For this reason, and because the time of night will limit availability of other options, I recommend favoring a more southern viewing option, like the Route 401 Viewing Stands (note: parking is limited, and they fill up fast!) or Jetty Park or Exploration Tower, if those sites make viewing opportunities available.

The next confirmed launch date after that will be for United Launch Alliance’s AEHF-6 launch of their Atlas V rocket from SLC-41, currently set for March 13th at 3:45 pm EDT. As this is within normal hours of operation for Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, viewing may be available from their Banana Creek/Apollo Saturn V Center; in addition, Playalinda Beach should be open and available, and both of these will be good options for viewing.

Other launches noted as TBD (to be determined) for sometime in March are SpaceX’s Starlink 5 and SAOCOM 1B launches, and SpaceX’s GPS 3 SV03 launch in April; there is also a ULA Atlas V launch of AFSPC 7/OTV-6 listed as TBD for May. More news on those as it becomes available.

The big news, however, is that we now have a working date for SpaceX’s Demo-2 launch, which will carry astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil for the first time since the end of the shuttle program. Currently, that working date is May 7th, but the launch date is very much not certain at this point; there is a strong probability that it might be delayed, or might even happen sooner. Still, it is not too soon to begin making preliminary tentative travel plans. Keep an eye on social media, and this site, for further updates as the situation progresses.

These are exciting times for the Space Coast launch community! Head on down for a launch, or several!

Post-Launch Updates: Starliner, SpaceX OCISLY Return

After a picture-perfect launch aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket early Friday morning, the Boeing Starliner capsule missed its proper orbital insertion to rendezvous with the International Space Station as planned, and will instead land in White Sands, New Mexico tomorrow morning at 7:57 AM EST. Coverage will be shown live on NASA TV starting at 6:45 AM EST.

Due to what is believed to be a software issue, Boeing’s capsule did not make the planned burn to reach the orbit needed for ISS rendezvous. The problem occurred due to automation and a communication challenge with TDRS, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites; according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine during a press conference yesterday morning, if the capsule had been crewed, the astronauts aboard might have been able to provide data and take action to complete the mission as planned, and in any case, would have been safe. ULA CEO Tory Bruno confirmed during the same press conference that ULA’s Atlas V rocket performed nominally throughout the launch to spacecraft separation. Despite the issues encountered, a great deal of information is being gathered to help ensure that future problems of this sort can be prevented. At this time, it has not been determined whether there will be another uncrewed test mission prior to the first crewed launch of the Starliner capsule.

Meanwhile, the launch itself was viewable along the eastern coast of the United States, resulting in spectacular photos from viewers far north of Florida, as well as the usual stunning work by the recurring cast of Space Coast launch photographers:

And while all the pre-launch prep and post-launch drama was going on elsewhere, SpaceX’s drone ship Of Course I Still Love You sailed serenely into port on Thursday, carrying the landed booster from the successful JCSAT-18/Kacific1 launch on December 16th. By Friday evening, the booster was horizontal and being offloaded from OCISLY.

Don’t forget to tune into NASA TV tomorrow for coverage of the Starliner capsule landing, and stay tuned for more exciting Space Coast rocket launches!