Weather so-so for SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral

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A telephoto shot of a SpaceX Falcon 9's nine Merlin hand engines blasting off with the Telstar 19 VANTAGE payload from Cape Canaveral in July.(Photo: SpaceX)

Weather conditions are leaning towards mostly favorable for SpaceX's next Falcon 9 launch from the Space Coast and subsequent sea-based landing this weekend, according to Air Force forecasters.

Teams with the 45th Weather Squadron expect 60 percent "go" conditions for the 11:28 p.m. If weather does create obstructions leading up to liftoff, SpaceX has a four-hour window to work around the issues at Cape Canaveral's Air Force Station's Launch Complex 40.

On the technical side, SpaceX Wednesday morning confirmed that the rocket had successfully fired its nine Merlin hand engines during a brief test at the pad, paving the way for Saturday night's attempt. The checkouts, known as static test fires, are routine for all Falcon 9 missions.

[[Air Force's first GPS III satellite arrives for SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral]

After liftoff and second stage separation, the brand is one of the world's most popular aircraft. It should return to Port Canaveral for checkouts and refurbishment to a couple days later.

Saturday's mission: Deliver Telstar 18 VANTAGE, a spacecraft heavyweight clocking in at 15,560 pounds (7,060 kilograms), to geostationary transfer orbit before it achieves its final altitude. It will expand Canadian operator Telesat's reach to China, Mongolia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean over a 15-year lifespan.

The spacecraft will come close, but will not break, SpaceX's previous record of launching a satellite that weighed nearly 15,600 pounds (7,075 kilograms) at liftoff. That record also belongs to Telesat, which contracted SpaceX to launch the 19V Satellite Telstar from Cape Canaveral in July. It was done late August, the operator said last week.

Contact Emre Kelly at [email protected] or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.

Launch Saturday / Sunday

Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
Mission: Telesat's TELSTAR 18V
Launch Time: 11:28 p.m. Saturday
Window: To 3:28 a.m. Sunday (0328 to 0728 UTC)
Launch Complex: 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Weather: 60 percent "go"

Join floridatoday.com/space for countdown updates and chat at 10:30 pm Saturday, including streaming of SpaceX webcast starting about 15 minutes before liftoff.

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