Editor’s note: Follow along to Thursday’s launch attempt here.
After a weather delay, SpaceX is preparing to launch its second NASA mission of the year early Wednesday morning − a central Earth and climate satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA is providing live coverage of the launch, scheduled for 1:33 a.m. ET Feb. 7 from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. You can watch the launch live from the embedded video at the top of the page or on USA TODAY’s YouTube channel.
You can also register as a virtual guest to attend the launch, which comes with updates, curated resources, and mission-specific information delivered to your inbox. After each activity, you can also receive commemorative stamps for your virtual guest passport.
Weather may be a factor for Wednesday’s launch as well − the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts conditions as 50% favorable for launch.
The launch will see a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carry a spacecraft called PACE, which stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem. The mission will help NASA “understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide, measure key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and Earth’s climate and monitor ocean health,” according to the agency.
According to Spaceflight Now, the upcoming mission will be the first time in over 60 years that a U.S. government mission has aimed for a polar orbit from Cape Canaveral. Such launches were halted after a failed launch in 1960 caused debris to fall on Havana, killing a cow and sparking protests.
Contributing: Doc Louallen, USA TODAY.
