CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE â While many were disappointed they could not kick off Valentineâs Day with the IM-1 launch, space lovers can still enjoy a SpaceX launch of top secret satellites.
What You Need To Know
Not much is known about the USSF-124 mission
The launch is at 5:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb. 14
It will liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
For the USSF-124 mission, SpaceX is planning to send up its Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated the company.
The four-hour launch window opens at 5:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, with a backup attempt set for the same time the following day, stated both SpaceX and Space Systems Command.
For the Valentineâs Day launch, the 45th Weather Squadron gave about a 95% positive forecast. The only concern is the thick cloud layers rule.
Going into the black
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster used for this mission, named B1078, has six impressive missions.
After the stage separation, the first-stage booster is expected to land at Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. That means people may expect some windows rattling from the sonic boom it will make when it comes in for the landing.
About the mission
Much is not known about the USSF-124 mission, which is for the U.S. Space Force. It will be sent to low-Earth orbit.
âSpace Systems Commandâs (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) launch team and its mission partners are in final preparations for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) of the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-124 mission â¦,â stated U.S. Space Forceâs Space Systems Command in a press release emailed to the media. âA SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch two satellites for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and four satellites for the Space Development Agency (SDA) into Earth orbit.â
SSC stated this is the eighth National Security Space Launch by SpaceXâs Falcon 9 rocket since December 2018.
CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE â While many were disappointed they could not kick off Valentineâs Day with the IM-1 launch, space lovers can still enjoy a SpaceX launch of top secret satellites.
What You Need To Know
Not much is known about the USSF-124 mission
The launch is at 5:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb. 14
It will liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
For the USSF-124 mission, SpaceX is planning to send up its Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated the company.
The four-hour launch window opens at 5:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, with a backup attempt set for the same time the following day, stated both SpaceX and Space Systems Command.
For the Valentineâs Day launch, the 45th Weather Squadron gave about a 95% positive forecast. The only concern is the thick cloud layers rule.
Going into the black
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster used for this mission, named B1078, has six impressive missions.
After the stage separation, the first-stage booster is expected to land at Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. That means people may expect some windows rattling from the sonic boom it will make when it comes in for the landing.
About the mission
Much is not known about the USSF-124 mission, which is for the U.S. Space Force. It will be sent to low-Earth orbit.
âSpace Systems Commandâs (SSC) Assured Access to Space (AATS) launch team and its mission partners are in final preparations for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) of the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-124 mission â¦,â stated U.S. Space Forceâs Space Systems Command in a press release emailed to the media. âA SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch two satellites for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and four satellites for the Space Development Agency (SDA) into Earth orbit.â
SSC stated this is the eighth National Security Space Launch by SpaceXâs Falcon 9 rocket since December 2018.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER â There will be no Valentineâs Day treat for space lovers: A very early Wednesday morning SpaceX launch of Intuitive Machinesâ IM-1 mission was scrubbed late Tuesday night.
According to SpaceX, the attempt was called off due to “off-nominal methane temperatures prior to stepping into methane load.”
What You Need To Know
SpaceXâs Falcon 9 rocket will send Intuitive Machinesâ Nova-C lunar lander to the moon
The instantaneous launch is at Thursday, Feb. 15 at 1:05 a.m. ET
The IM-1 mission will leave Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center
Scroll down to learn more about the mission and the payloads going to the moon
The mission, which is now scheduled to take place Thursday at 1:05 a.m. ET, might be the first time a private commercial company will land on the moon.
Standing down from tonightâs attempt due to off-nominal methane temperatures prior to stepping into methane load. Now targeting Thursday, February 15 at 1:05 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of the @Int_Machines IM-1 mission from Florida â https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK
SpaceXâs Falcon 9 rocket will leave from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, stated the company.
For the early Thursday morning launch, the 45th Weather Squadron has given a 90% chance of good liftoff conditions, with the only concern being the thick cloud layer rule.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster, named B1060, is only 4 inches shy of 230 feet in height (70 meters), but it has an impressive 17 launches to its resume.
After the stage separation, the rocket is expected to land on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated SpaceX.
That means a sonic boom may be heard for many miles away.
About the IM-1 mission
Intuitive Machines is hoping to be the first private commercial company to land on the moon with its lunar lander, the Nova-C.
The IM-1 Nova C lunar lander is 14 feet (4.3 meters) tall and weighs 1,488 pounds (675 kilograms). And it is packed with small payloads, like experiments and equipment, to be delivered to crater Malapert A, near the south pole of the moon.
NASA is predicting that the Nova-C lunar lander will land on the moon next week.
âIf launch occurs any time in the three-day window in February, the landing will take place on February 22. The lander is capable of operating for about 14 Earth days in sunlight,â the U.S. space agency stated.
The IM-1 landing sequence lasts approximately two minutes. Within that time, every heartbeat within our team resonates with the weight of anticipation as we strive to fulfill the lunar aspirations of an entire country. For more information and mission updates, visit our IM-1⦠pic.twitter.com/WHMoYNw2EV
The IM-1 mission was originally set to be launched on Friday, Jan. 12, but Intuitive Machines stated it had to make an adjustment due to a change in SpaceXâs launch schedule.
Why space is the next big economic market
In a previous interview with Spectrum News, co-founder and CEO of Intuitive Machines Steve Altemus said that space is an evolution of a commercial market and not only is there an interest, but a need for it.
âToday, there are over a dozen landers being built, which is a new market, and because there were no lunar landers, there were no payloads or science instruments being commercially built for the moon. So, as we started to build our lunar program and offer services to fly commercial and civil equipment, instruments, and payload packages to the moon, the interest started,â Altemus stated.
The program allows NASA to work with various companies to deliver science, experiments and technology to Earthâs lunar sister.
Altemus stated that while there have been failures in reaching the moon for both space agencies and companies (such as Astroboticâs Peregrine that suffered a fuel anomaly and ended up crashing back down to Earth), but he sees them as the first steps to getting it right.
âWhen we think about the moon and the chances of crashing on the surface of the Moon or on the way to the moon, I have to think about all of what has happened before us and how much success we create every day. Every day we move forward one step closer to pushing the boundaries of success of commercial flights to the moon and we are prepared,â Altemus explained.
Deorbit burn underway. After Dragon reenters Earth’s atmosphere, it will fly over Mexico and Florida ahead of splashing down near Daytona, FL at ~8:30 a.m. ET pic.twitter.com/zXlrbm3FHR
Most of the time, many residents of the Sunshine State can hear a sonic boom whenever a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket’s first-stage booster comes in for a landing at a landing zone in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
But what made the Ax-3 mission so different is that the Dragon spacecraft had to cross the state to reach the coast off Daytona Beach for a splash down. That means Friday’s sonic boom was heard by more people than usual, which for many, was a rare treat.
How sonic booms happen
The speed of sound in the air is about 767 mph (1,234 kph). Or imagine going one mile in 4.69 seconds.
But when an aircraft, or in this case a Dragon spacecraft, goes beyond the speed of sound, also known as the sound barrier, it creates the thunder-like sound of a sonic boom.
“When an object moves faster than the speed of sound, or “supersoic,” air pressure waves combine to form a continuous shockwave behind the aircraft,” explained NASA.
“Air reacts like a fluid to supersonic objects. As objects travel through the air, the air molecules are pushed aside with great force and this forms a shock wave much like a boat creates a bow wave. The bigger and heavier the aircraft, the more air it displaces,” NASA explained.
The results of a sonic boom, besides making a loud sound, vary from rattled windows, car alarms going off, frightening pets or making journalists jump while trying to record a booster landing.
Either going up or down, astronauts and others have to train to deal with those speeds.
To give an idea of how fast the Ax-3 crewmembers were going, they started at an orbital speed of about 17,500 mph (2,816 kph) and ended at 16 mph (25 kph) during splashdown.
In a previous article, Steven Siceloff, the public affairs specialist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, told Spectrum News that astronauts go through a lot of training to handle those speeds.
“Handling higher G loads is a function of physical fitness and astronauts are very fit people. They train daily on the ISS and on Earth to maintain fitness,” he explained.
