NASA, SpaceX To Launch PACE Earth Science Satellite Early Tuesday – Talk of Titusville

NASAs Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) observatory is inspected and processed on a spacecraft dolly in a high bay at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023 Photo: NASA

SpaceX and NASA are planning to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 NET Tuesday morning at 1:33 AM EST. Weather may be a concern: the 45th Weather Squadron has yet to issue a Probability of Violation forecast, but the National Weather Service and other general forecast products are calling for a good chance of wind and rain at the planned launch time.

The payload for the mission is NASAs PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite. It isan Earth-observing instrument that will conduct observations of global ocean color, biogeochemistry, and ecology, as well as the carbon cycle, aerosols as well as as clouds.

According to NASA, PACEs data will help us better understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide. In addition, it will reveal how aerosols might fuel phytoplankton growth in the surface ocean. Novel uses of PACE data will benefit our economy and society. For example, it will help identify the extent and duration of harmful algal blooms. PACE will extend and expand NASAs long-term observations of our living planet. By doing so, it will take Earths pulse in new ways for decades to come.

Until the 45th Weather Squadron releases their official launch forecast, heres the general weather forecast. Note that this forecast does not consider rocket launch weather criteria and should be used only for a very general look ahead:

Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Windy, with a north northwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Windy, with a north wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

Stay tuned, we will replace old forecasts with new ones as they become available.

Trajectory will be south, with the final destination being a Sun-synchronous orbit.

This will be an RTLS (Return To Launch Site) mission. Space Coast residents can expect a sonic boom to spread through the area after 1:42 AM. Remember that sound travels about five miles per second, so the exact time for the sonic booms arrival is dependent on your locations distance to LZ-1.

SpaceX has not yet identified which booster that will be used for this flight. Talk of Titusville will add more information when it becomes available.

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NASA, SpaceX To Launch PACE Earth Science Satellite Early Tuesday - Talk of Titusville