Until October 13
The storm approaching from the Gulf of Mexico prompted organizers to delay the launch of NASA’s Psyche asteroid exploration mission on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket until October 13. The launch was originally scheduled for the morning of October 12.
The preliminary forecast suggested only a 20% chance of favorable weather conditions. This led to the decision to cancel the launch and wait for better weather on Friday and Saturday. The launch is planned from the cosmodrome. Kennedy in Florida, where the Falcon Heavy is installed on the launch pad.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch with Psyche mission for NASA asteroid exploration delayed due to weather conditions
NASA officials explained that the main concerns were strong winds associated with a storm front approaching the rocket complex.
The postponement of the launch to Friday is also due to the characteristics of the Falcon Heavy rocket, which has a limited number of repeated launches before requiring maintenance and refueling.
The likelihood of favorable weather conditions allowing for a launch on Friday or Saturday is estimated at 50%. The Psyche mission launch window will last until October 25th.
This mission is aimed at studying the Psyche asteroid, which is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The goal of the mission is to obtain new data about this metallic asteroid, believed to be the core of a protoplanet.
