For SpaceUpClose & RocketSTEM
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER/CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, FL – After a dup od weather delays due to high winds reaching over 45 MPH at the Cape, NASA ans SpaceX seems finally to be on the cusp of launching NASA’s revolutionary PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) Earth observation mission aboard a recycles SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soon after midnight Thursday, Feb. 8.
Liftoff of PACE is targeted for 1:33 a.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 8, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space in Florida.
The launch window extends for just 90 seconds.
The nearly $1 Billion PACE probe will launch on a south polar trajectory into a sun-synchronous orbit into LEO and an altitude of 676.5 km (420 mi) with 98 degree inclination.
Launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict 95% favorable weather conditions for the launch of NASA’s PACE
The Falcon 9 1st stage booster B1081.4 will launch for the 4th time to space and back.
The 1st stage B1081 will conduct a RTLS land landing back at the Cape at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) about eight and a half minutes after liftoff and a few miles south of pad 40.
In case of a delay the weather odds remain at 95% favorable on Friday, Feb. 9, at 1:33 AM ET.
Spectators can expect exciting sonic booms screaming across the region
The launch has been delayed two times due to unfavorable weather conditions and very hefty winds with gusts exceeding 45 mph the past two days around the Space Coast.
For the primary launch window early Thursday morning, the only concern is a very low risk of a Cumulus Cloud Rule violation.
Enjoy our pre-launch photos taken by the Space UpClose team of Ken Kremer and Jean Wright.
The spacecraft will separate from the upper stage 12 minutes and 22 seconds after liftoff
PACE will be directly injected into its final orbit “an effectively instantaneous launch,” said Joel Parker, flight dynamics lead for PACE at Goddard.
PACE will be in a Sun-synchronous orbit, meaning it’s synced to always maintain the same position relative to the Sun. This also means it will cross Earth’s equator at the same local time for each orbit, and the angle at which the sun illuminates Earth will be consistent for each image that it takes. This allows scientists to collect consistent data.
“An Earth-observing satellite generally wants the Sun well overhead during observations,” said Scott Patano, flight dynamics system development lead for PACE at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
To get this level of lighting during its orbit, PACE wants the Sun to be almost behind it as it observes the Earth. Though if the Sun happens to be directly behind the satellite, there may be glare or reflections off the ocean, which isn’t ideal, especially considering one of its main purposes is to collect ocean data. To prevent glare, PACE will be slightly offset – not directly in front of the Sun. If you imagine the Sun is at the 12:00 angle, PACE will orbit at 1:00.
“PACE’s 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,” says NASA.
“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 NASA’s long-term observations of our living planet. By doing so, it will take Earth’s pulse in new ways for decades to come.”
Learn more at NASA’s blog
You can watch live coverage of PACE starting at 12:45 a.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 8 on the NASA+ streaming service, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, as well as YouTube, and the agency’s website.
This is the fourth flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-7, CRS-29, and one Starlink mission.
PACE is outfitted with 3 powerful science instruments: OCI, SPEXone and HARP2
It is designed with a minimum 3 year lifetime and is loaded with 10+ years of propellant.
PACE is managed by NASA Goddard
Watch Ken’s continuing reports about Artemis, SpaceX missions, SLS, Orion and NASA missions, SpaceX Crew and Cargo Dragons, SpaceX Axiom, JWST, DART, Lucy Asteroid mission, GOES, SpaceX Starlink, Commercial Crew and Starliner and Crew Dragon, Blue Origin and Space Tourism, and onsite for live reporting of upcoming and recent SpaceX and ULA launches including Crew 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7, ISS, Solar Orbiter, Mars 2020 Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, NRO spysats and national security missions and more at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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