Nice forecast for SpaceX launch early Thursday
There's an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for SpaceX's early Thursday morning launch of a Japanese company's communications satellite, according to Air Force meteorologists.
Liftoff is targeted for 1:21 a.m. Thursday, at the opening of a two-hour window at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 40.
A Falcon 9 rocket will attempt to boost the JCSAT-14 satellite, owned by SKY Perfect JSAT and built by Space Systems Loral, on its way to an orbit 22,300 miles over the equator.
SpaceX rocket preparing for early Thursday satellite launch
Rain and thunderstorms in the area Wednesday — some potentially bringing hail and strong winds — are expected to clear out before the launch window, according to the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron's official forecast.
Thick clouds and strong winds at the launch pad are potential threats to the liftoff early Thursday.
If the mission is delayed a day, the forecast improves to 90 percent "go."
SpaceX on Sunday completed a countdown dress rehearsal that culminated in a brief test-firing of the Falcon 9 rocket's nine Merlin 1D main engines, a key pre-launch milestone.
"Static fire complete, teams reviewing data," the company tweeted.
The JCSAT-14 mission had been scheduled for early Wednesday, but was pushed back a day for unspecified reasons.
After the launch, SpaceX will again attempt an experimental landing of the Falcon 9's first stage on an unpiloted ship stationed down range in the Atlantic Ocean.
The launch will be the 24th by a Falcon 9 since its debut in 2010, including a failure last June, and the fourth by the upgraded "full thrust" version of the rocket.
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