March 28, 2024

SpaceX now aims to launch an Earth-observation satellite for Italy on Saturday (yes, you can watch it live)

SpaceX is now anticipated to introduce an Italian Earth-observation satellite no earlier than Saturday (Jan. 29), 2 days later on than planned due to bad weather condition, and youll be able to see it live here when it raises off.A two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite is set up to lift off from Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) on Saturday.” Standing down from todays launch of COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 due to bad weather conditions at the launch website tonight; next chance is tomorrow, January 29 at 6:11 p.m. EST,” SpaceX composed on Twitter after scrubbing the launch.You can view all the action live here at Space.com when the time comes, courtesy of SpaceX, or straight through the company. SpaceX webcasts usually start 15 to 20 minutes prior to liftoff.Saturdays weather forecast calls for an 80% chance of great launch conditions, with winds at liftoff and upper-level wind shear as the only issues, according to a forecast from the U.S. Space Forces Delta 45 group.Related: The advancement of SpaceXs rockets in picturesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket bring the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 Earth-observation radar satellite for Italy stands atop Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of a prepared launch on Jan. 28, 2022.

SpaceX is now anticipated to launch an Italian Earth-observation satellite no earlier than Saturday (Jan. 29), 2 days behind planned due to bad weather condition, and youll be able to watch it live here when it lifts off.A two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite is scheduled to lift off from Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) on Saturday. SpaceX at first aimed to launch the mission Thursday, however delayed it for 24 hours less than hour prior to liftoff. A launch attempt on Friday was prevented by a thick cloud layer, the company said. ” Standing down from todays launch of COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 due to bad weather at the launch site tonight; next opportunity is tomorrow, January 29 at 6:11 p.m. EST,” SpaceX wrote on Twitter after scrubbing the launch.You can enjoy all the action live here at Space.com when the time comes, thanks to SpaceX, or straight via the business. SpaceX webcasts normally start 15 to 20 minutes before liftoff.Saturdays weather condition projection calls for an 80% chance of excellent launch conditions, with winds at liftoff and upper-level wind shear as the only issues, according to a projection from the U.S. Space Forces Delta 45 group.Related: The evolution of SpaceXs rockets in picturesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 Earth-observation radar satellite for Italy stands atop Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of a prepared launch on Jan. 28, 2022. (Image credit: SpaceX) The Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation program is moneyed by the Italian Space Agency, the Italian Ministry of Defense and the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Scientific Research. The system consists of two satellites, which are developed to observe Earth using synthetic aperture radar (SAR). CSG is an enhanced follow-on to the original Cosmo-SkyMed system. ” COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation [s] purpose is to monitor the Earth for the sake of emergency situation prevention, method, scientific and business functions, providing information on a worldwide scale to support a range of applications among which risk management, cartography, forest and environment protection, natural deposits expedition, land management, defense and security, maritime security, food and farming management,” European Space Agency authorities composed in a description of the program.The first CSG satellite, CSG-1, introduced atop an Arianespace Soyuz rocket from Kourou, French Guiana in December 2019 and is presently operating in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, 385 miles (620 kilometers) above Earth. CSG-2 is headed for the very same orbit.This will be the third launch for this Falcon 9 rockets very first phase. The booster previously assisted launch the Arabsat-6A interactions satellite and Space Test Program 2 mission for the U.S. armed force. For this flight, the rocket is anticipated to come back for a vertical touchdown at SpaceXs Landing Site 1 at Cape Canaveral not long after launch.Saturdays prepared launch is part of a really busy 10-day stretch for SpaceX. Its robotic Dragon cargo spacecraft returned from the International Space Station on Monday (Jan. 24), and the business is preparing to release a batch of its Starlink web satellites on Sunday (Jan. 30) as well as the NROL-87 objective for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office on Feb. 2. Editors note: SpaceX had initially targeted Thursday (Jan. 27) for the launch of CSG-2 but pressed it 24 hours since of weather. This story was upgraded at 6:26 p.m. EST (2326 GMT) on Jan. 28 to include the scrubbed launch attempt.Mike Wall is the author of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; highlighted by Karl Tate), a book about the look for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook..