ORLANDO, Fla. – Who doesn’t like an exciting rocket launch?
The sky is illuminated by a rocket heading to space and sometimes you maybe be lucky enough to hear a sonic boom, but did you know that so much goes into forecasting the weather for rocket launches?
About 10 years ago, I had the privilege of visiting the 45th Weather Squadron while in college, which is now called the Space Launch Delta 45 at Cape Canaveral, and talked to the Air Force meteorologists about what goes into forecasting the weather for rocket and space shuttle launches.
It was eye-opening to hear their responses and the specific criteria that must be followed in order for a launch can be considered a “go.”
Here is a list of the criteria that they follow to launch a Falcon 9 Crew Dragon according to nasa.gov:
Lightning:
- Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of a detached thunderstorm anvil cloud.
- Do not launch 10 nautical miles of an attached thunderstorm anvil cloud, temperature and time-associated distance criteria can be met.
- Do not launch for 30 minutes after lightning is observed within 10 nautical miles of the launch pad or the flight path, unless specified conditions can be met.
- Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of a detached thunderstorm anvil cloud. Do not launch within 3 nautical miles of a thunderstorm debris cloud, unless specific time associated distance criteria can be met.
- Do not launch within 5 nautical miles of disturbed weather clouds that extend into freezing temperatures and contain moderate or greater precipitation, unless specific time-associated distance criteria can be met.
- Do not launch through a cloud layer greater than 4,500 feet thick that extends into freezing temperatures, unless other specific criteria can be met.
- Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of cumulus clouds with tops that extend into freezing temperatures, unless specific height-associated distance criteria can be met.
- Do not launch for 15 minutes if field mill instrument readings within five nautical miles of the launch pad exceed +/- 1,500 volts per meter, or +/- 1,000 volts per meter if specified criteria can be met.
- Do not launch within 10 nautical miles of the edge of a thunderstorm that is producing lightning within 30 minutes after the last lightning is observed.
- Do not launch through cumulus clouds formed as the result of or directly attached to a smoke plume, unless time-associated criteria can be met.
Wind:
- Do not launch through upper-level conditions containing wind shear that could lead to control problems for the launch vehicle.
- Do not launch if sustained winds at the 162-foot level of the launch pad exceeds 30 mph.
Downrange weather (the distance across the ground from the launch site)
- Do not launch if downrange weather indicates a violation of limits at splashdown in case of Dragon launch escape.
- Do not launch if downrange weather shows a high probability of violating limits at splashdown in case of Dragon launch escape.
Downrange weather is monitored at more than 50 locations along the ascent track along North American eastern seaboard and across the North Atlantic, according to NASA.
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