As the wait continues for the Delta IV Heavy to bid farewell, locals and spring breakers will be celebrating a double rocket launch on Saturday.
If all goes according to plan, two Falcon 9 rockets could take to the skies again on evening launches over Florida — yet another innovation.
SpaceX confirmed both launches Friday night, following a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency advisory and Federal Aviation Administration listing.
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On Saturday, March 30, Eutelsat 36D, a telecommunications satellite for Africa and Eurasia, is the target for a possible launch from Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39A on a Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite is designed to provide television broadcasting and government services in Africa, Europe and the Far East for more than 15 years, an Airbus press release said.
It is currently expected to be released at 5:52 p.m., a window of three hours and 58 minutes, with a backup opportunity Sunday if necessary.
That evening, Space Wilk Another batch is an attempt to launch 23 satellites From Launch Complex 40 on another Falcon 9 rocket. The release is currently targeting a lift at 9:02pm, with backup opportunities starting at 7pm on Sunday and extending the window to 10pm.
According to the Space Force's 45th Weather Wing, the weather is forecast to be favorable for both launches. The only concern: thick clouds.
The Space Coast last saw a double-header on February 14-15, when SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Moon Lander on instinctive engines from KSC Pad 39A, seven hours after the Falcon 9 rocket launched the secretive USSF-124. National Defense Mission from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. In December 1972, the Odysseus moon lander became the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since Apollo 17, albeit on one end.
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Meanwhile, the long-awaited wait for United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy to make its final flight is likely to drag on into the weekend. The launch, scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Thursday, was aborted Thursday when it exceeded acceptable limits, and that's when crews noticed a gas nitrogen pipeline ground pump had failed, ULA CEO and President Tory Bruno said in a post on X .
The pump provides pneumatic pressure to the missile vehicle systems.
ULA said they were doing a 24-hour turnaround, and then scheduled the launch for Friday at 1:37 p.m. But Bruno later posted on what X called Twitter: “Pump failed again … stand by.”
Just before 8 p.m., ULA said they were standing down to continue working on the pipeline.
“The team is constantly fixing the pipeline and needs more time to build confidence in the system,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our customer to confirm our next launch attempt, and a new date will be provided upon resolution.”
The Federal Aviation Administration says ULA has a possible launch window of Monday at 1:25 p.m. The release window is four hours. ULA has not yet said, however, whether they are ready for Monday's release. When it launches, it will be the 16th flight of the Delta IV Heavy and the 389th and final flight of the Delta rocket program.
ULA is replacing the next-generation Vulcan rocket, which recorded a successful first flight from Cape Canaveral in January.
Marvin and Shelley Kendall of New York were at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Thursday, hoping to witness the final flight of the powerful triple-core Delta IV Heavy. Marvin works as an IT systems engineer and Shelley works in the pharmaceutical industry. Both said they understood the importance of STEM, so when they heard about the launch, they wanted to be there.
Their children, Marvin Kendall III, 10, Alexander Solomon, 11, and Harper Kendall, 8, stood with their parents in dismay at the front of the audience complex. When asked how he felt about the scrub, Alexander Solomon said.
If Saturday's doubleheader kicks off as planned, those in the city will be in for an eye-popping sky.
Contact space reporter Brooke Edwards at [email protected].
