Big Weekend ahead with 2 Rocket Launches in Florida
This will be a big weekend for seeing rocket launches along Florida’s Space Coast. Spectators will have 2 opportunities to watch a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center – one Saturday and one Sunday.
credit: needpix.com
The first launch is a Delta IV-Heavy scheduled for 12:14am eastern on Sept 26, 2020. That’s a night launch in the very early hours of Saturday morning – or just after midnight on Friday night, depending on how you look at it.
While that’s technically a launch on Saturday, anyone going out to see the launch in person will certainly be driving out there Friday night.
The United Launch Alliance Delta IV-Heavy rocket will launch from pad 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This launch had been attempted earlier on August 29. But the flight was halted just 3 seconds prior to lift-off due to a technical issue.
Onboard the Delta 4 is a classified spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
For anyone who can make it out to see the launch in person, it will be well worth the drive. A night launch of a rocket of this size will be something you will never forget.
The Delta IV-Heavy is the largest of the Delta IV family. It is the closest thing to what a night launch of the Space Shuttle was like.
With its 3 booster rockets mounted together, the launch will light up the midnight sky as if the Sun were rising out of the ground. Even from miles away, the Delta 4 will turn night into day all around you. It’s truly something that has to be experienced.
Second Rocket Launch of the Weekend
The second launch from the Space Center is also a rescheduled event.
On September 17, SpaceX scrubbed its latest launch attempt for a Falcon 9. Bad weather in the recovery zone for the Falcon 9 booster’s landing was to blame.
Instead, the Falcon 9 Starlink 12 rocket launch is now scheduled for 10:43am eastern on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Falcon 9 will blast off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. On this mission, it will put into orbit another 60 of the SpaceX Starlink Satellites.
About the Author
