Space Coast may get daytime launch
Eyes to the sky, Central Florida. The first daytime launch in more than six months is scheduled to take off from the Space Coast on Thursday afternoon.
Elon Musk-led SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center’s launch complex 39A carrying a communications satellite. The launch window will run from 3:46 p.m. to 5:29 p.m.
That’s p.m. — not a.m. Since May, the Cape has only seen early morning launches.
Expected to go into space Thursday afternoon will be Es’hail-2, the second satellite from Qatar-based communications company Es’hailSat. Es’hail-2 will “boost broadband delivery, broadcasting and global connectivity” in Qatar, the Middle East and the North Africa region, Es’hailSat said in a news release.
The satellite will also support TV distribution, telecommunication and government services, the company said, expanding the quality of Es’hailSat’s offerings. The company sent Es’hail-1 into space in August 2013, and this second satellite is expected to provide backup to the first.
Es’hail-2 will also provide greater anti-jamming protection to ward off interference.
And in a first, the satellite will carry the first two amateur radio antennas to enter geostationary orbit. The antennas will connect users from as far as Brazil and India with each other in a single hop and in real time.
The weather forecast for Thursday is 60 percent “go” for launch, according to the Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron. Thick cloud layers and cumulus clouds could pose the biggest threat for a delay in the launch.