Delayed two days because of weather, a NASA satellite that will look at the tiniest parts of the air and ocean is set for an early Thursday morning launch from theSpace Coastthat could shake households inCentral Floridawhen the rockets booster creates a sonic boom during its recovery landing.
Years in the works, the Plankton, Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite that was on the chopping block of the Trump administrations annual proposed NASA budgets several times as he sought to steer funds away from some climate-focused missions and shift money to deep-space efforts.
Now the nearly $1 billion PACE satellite sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket ready for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force StationsSpace Launch Complex40, delayed from planned early Tuesday and Wednesday attempts because of high winds, and now targeting a1:33 a.m.liftoff Thursday.
The early morning launch could also bring a loud surprise in the form of sonic booms to theSpace Coastand surrounding counties as the booster for the flight makes a return to CanaveralsLanding Zone 1instead of downrange in theAtlantic.SpaceXwarns residents ofBrevard,Orange,Osceola,Indian River,Seminole,Volusia,Polk,St. Lucie, andOkeechobeecounties may hear one or more sonic booms depending on weather and other conditions.
Space Launch Delta45s weather squadron expects a 95% chance for good conditions for the Thursday attempt.
If it launches, it will be the eighth liftoff from theSpace Coastin 2024 during a year thatcould see as many as 111 launches.
The mission, which is being run out of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, has been in the works for nine years, although originally conceived more than 20 years ago, saidJeremy Werdell, NASAs PACE project scientist.
What were doing here with PACE is really the search for the microscopic, mostly invisible universe in the sea and the sky in some degrees of land, he said.
Its three instruments on board look at the interactions of sunlight with clouds, a whole catalog of aerosol particulates in the air and phytoplankton, which form the base of the ocean food chain, in the sea.
Its as simple as that. We collect photons from the sun, just collect them, collect them, collect them, he said.
Werdell, whose main focus is on the oceans, andAndy Sayer, a PACE atmospheric scientist, outlined why a space-based view of this information would be beneficial.
Werdell notes there is both beneficial types of phytoplankton, such as those that help fisheries, or those that help absorb carbon dioxide, and harmful types as well, such as those related to red tide or blue-green algae that can cause fish kills and pollute the air.
Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter
Columnist Stephanie Hayes will share thoughts, feelings and funny business with you every Monday.
Subscribers Only
Want more of our free, weekly newslettersinyourinbox? Letsgetstarted.
For the first time on global scale well know where the harmful ones are, where the beneficial ones are, where the beneficial ones are moving to as the oceans are starting to change.
Sayers focus on clouds and aerosols will have a wide-ranging use, he says.
We have a pretty good handle from satellites on what is the total amount of aerosol, but we dont have such a good handle on how it splits down into all these different species, he said.
That ranges from industry-bred carbon emissions to sulfates to sea spray. Sayer said knowing where the various types are located can help inform public policy on air quality and human health, for instance. It can also potentially feed information on where beneficial particulate matter might prompt better agriculture or fishing.
As far as their role into how aerosols feed into cloud formation, some of that data can help feed theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That included tracking dust off the Sahara Desert.
The interactions between the kind of dust heating in the atmosphere are thought to be able to help control cloud formation and how these storms move and how they grow, he said. So the better we can get a handle on that, maybe the better we can predict these kinds of severe ends happening further and get better forecasts.
NASAs director of its Earth Science Division,Karen St. Germain, said theNOAAis a principal partner in the mission, and the data is expected could help predict hurricane intensification and track.
They are an early adopter, for many reasons, ranging from weather prediction to long-range climate to the harmful algal blooms and the things that affect fisheries, she said.
The PACE satellite builds on parts of existing observations, but most are hyperlocal, ground-based sensing, and space gives a macro view of these microscopic phenomenon, Werdell said.
We are studying the combined Earth system, Werdell said. It is not an ocean mission. Its not an atmosphere mission. Its not a land mission. Its an all-of-those-things mission. And that is so incredibly important because you cant understand one without understanding the other.
He said the science to be determined from the mission, though, is partly unknown, but thats a good thing,
The scientific community with PACE has something they can grow into, and that hasnt happened in a really long time, he said. This is a mission that we dont know what were going to learn about. And that is so deeply exciting.
The PACE mission, which has a planned 10-year lifespan once on orbit, was one of the first targeted by Trump beginning with the 2018 fiscal year budget, butCongressrestored funding to the mission with the final budget allocations. It is now set to join more than two dozen Earth science satellites currently orbiting the planet.
It has been a long strange trip as they say, an emotional Werdell said Sunday during a preflight press conference in response to the missions several near cancellations.
We were as confident as one can be that we would find ways to persevere. The community wanted all of this, he said. Not going to dive into policy or politics, but its been a really remarkable journey and the support from the community, the support from the agency, the support from people like yourselves asking questions getting involved, weve kept our morale high.
More here:
Sonic boom could hit Florida with SpaceX launch of NASA Earth science probe - Tampa Bay Times
- SpaceXs Starship destroyed on return to Earth at end of third test flight - The Guardian - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- How to watch SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch test live online today - Space.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX achieves historic milestone in launch of world's largest rocket into space but Starship lost on reentry - Fox Weather - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- What time is SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch test on today? - Space.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX launch: Starship reaches new heights in test for NASA missions - USA TODAY - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX's incredibly powerful Starship lost in the Indian Ocean after reaching orbit for 1st time - Livescience.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX Starship Rocket Lost On Re-EntryHeres What To Know - Forbes - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin Could Race SpaceX to the Moon - The New York Times - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceXs Starship gets FAA approval for third test flight - The Washington Post - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX launches Starship on the third flight test of the program Spaceflight Now - Spaceflight Now - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch makes it to space without exploding, but is lost on reentry - Phys.org - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX cleared to attempt third Starship launch Thursday after getting FAA license - CNBC - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX stacks Starship ahead of 3rd test flight (photos) - Space.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX rocket launch captured on SNYs broadcast of Mets-Nationals Spring Training game - Awful Announcing - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Louisiana man captures video of SpaceX crew returning to earth - WDSU New Orleans - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX Starship successfully blasts off on third test flight - Los Angeles Times - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Spacex confirms loss of starship at end of third test flight - Reuters - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX launching third Starship test flight in Texas: What to know - Austin American-Statesman - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX Starship achieves new milestones its third test flight, ITF-3 - Florida Today - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX gets E-band radio waves to boost Starlink broadband - SpaceNews - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX's Crew-7 capsule returns 4 astronauts to Earth with predawn splashdown (video) - Space.com - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- 'Wildly Successful Test': SpaceX's Starship reaches orbit, biggest rocket ever made - Fox Business - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX Dragon splashes down during reentry, Crew-7 returns to Earth - USA TODAY - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX Starship launch 3: Time, how to watch live, what to expect - Business Insider - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX's Starship makes it into space but is lost during reentry - The Washington Post - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Starship launch: Third flight reaches space but is lost on re-entry - New Scientist - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX reveals new details on Starships third test flight - TESLARATI - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- Starship lifts off on third test flight - SpaceNews - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX successfully launches Starship but loses spacecraft while in orbit - News 13 Orlando - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX Starship launch livestream: Watch the third launch live - Mashable - March 16th, 2024 [March 16th, 2024]
- UPDATE 3: SpaceX launches NASA's PACE satellite with new capabilities to study climate, ocean and atmosphere ... - SatNews - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- DID YOU HEAR IT? Sonic booms reported in Central Florida during return of Ax-3 crew - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Ax-3 Astronauts Undock in Dragon from Station for Earth Return - NASA Blogs - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX targeting Feb. 14 for launch of Intuitive Machines IM-1 private moon mission - Space.com - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Mongolia discusses first national satellite with SpaceX - Developing Telecoms - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- NASA, SpaceX, PACE in Florida: Where to watch Earth-science launch - Florida Today - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX rolls out Falcon 9 rocket to launch NASA's ocean-studying PACE satellite on Feb. 8 (photos) - Space.com - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Musk at center of sexual harassment fight with ex-SpaceX employees - The Seattle Times - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX to launch NASA's PACE ocean-monitoring satellite this week - Space.com - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA's new PACE mission: The best pictures from the launch - Wonderwall - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Ax-3 astronauts leave International Space Station in SpaceX Dragon, eye Friday splashdown - Florida Today - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX Dragon carrying Axiom-3 astronauts returns to Earth with splashdown near Daytona Beach| Watch - Hindustan Times - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Weather Delays Launch of NASAs PACE Mission PACE Mission - NASA Blogs - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX Launches Ambitious PACE Mission to Monitor Global Ocean, Atmospheric Health - AmericaSpace - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- UPDATE 3: Another bump in time as SpaceX delays launch of 22 Starlink smallsats SatNews - SatNews - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX applies for sea-based satellite earth stations - DatacenterDynamics - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Launch Roundup: SpaceX to launch lunar lander on Falcon 9's 300th mission; JAXA looks to reach orbit with H3 rocket ... - NASASpaceflight.com - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- UPDATE 2: PACE launch delay again as weather creates stand down SatNews - SatNews - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Weather 40% Favorable for Tuesday PACE Mission Launch PACE Mission - NASA Blogs - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- NASA's PACE mission underway with overnight launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket - WFTV Orlando - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX launches NASA's PACE satellite to study Earth's oceans, air and climate - Yahoo News UK - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX shows of 4 giant Starship Super Heavy boosters (photos) - Space.com - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Weather Clears for PACE Launch PACE Mission - NASA Blogs - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 rocket Thursday night from Vandenberg SFB - Yahoo News - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- WATCH AGAIN: NASA'S PACE spacecraft launches on Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Starlink Group 7-13 | Falcon 9 Block 5 - Everyday Astronaut - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Watch private Ax-3 astronauts return to Earth in SpaceX capsule on Feb. 9 (video) - Yahoo! Voices - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- NASA's PACE mission underway with overnight launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket - Yahoo News - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Ax-3 Astronauts Undock From Space Station in SpaceX Dragon for Earth Return - SciTechDaily - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- SpaceX, NASA targeting Feb. 22 for launch of Crew-8 astronaut mission - Space.com - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- SpaceX gearing up to launch Intuitive Machines private moon lander in February - Space.com - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- NASA names astronauts for SpaceX's Crew-9 mission to the ISS - Space.com - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Starlab commercial space station to launch on Starship - SpaceNews - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- SpaceX launches private Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the ISS (video) - Space.com - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- NASA and Partners Now Target Tuesday for Ax-3 Mission Departure - NASA Blogs - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Cygnus Cargo Ship Launching on SpaceX Rocket Live on NASA TV - NASA Blogs - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- SpaceX: DOD Has Requested Taking Over Starship For Individual Missions - Aviation Week - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Musk took drugs with Tesla and SpaceX execs WSJ - Global Village space - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Watch SpaceX launch of NASA International Space Station cargo mission live on Tuesday - USA TODAY - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- SpaceX wants to give some land to Texas Parks and Wildlife but ownership is unclear - Texas Public Radio - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- SpaceXs Starship Rocket to Launch the Starlab Commercial Space Station - Via Satellite - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Cygnus Lifts Off Atop SpaceX Rocket to Deliver Station Cargo - NASA Blogs - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Space Force Guardian to reach orbit for 1st time on SpaceX's Crew-9 astronaut launch - Space.com - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Coverage of the Hatch Closing for the SpaceX/Axiom-3 Crew - NASA (.gov) - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- US military eyes SpaceX Starship for 'sensitive and potentially dangerous missions': report - Space.com - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- SpaceX, NASA ready for splashdown of Ax-3 crew - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Starlabwith half the volume of the ISSwill fit inside Starship's payload bay - Ars Technica - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- NASA, SpaceX To Launch PACE Earth Science Satellite Early Tuesday - Talk of Titusville - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Teams Hold Flight Readiness Review for NASA's PACE Mission PACE Mission - NASA Blogs - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Space Force to get its 1st astronaut on SpaceX launch this year - Orlando Sentinel - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]