Weather

"It's like hitting a brick wall"; Upper level winds and launch scrubs

The Space Coast is booming and living it up to its nickname. With the increase in rocket launches from Cape Canaveral or Kennedy Space Center, there has been an major increase in visitors and business. But when a rocket launch is scrubbed, it could also be a major disappointment for many spectators.
Yes, safety is a priority when it is time to launch. Not only are there millions of dollars involved in critical satellites, technology and cargo, but soon we will have human lives again at stake. Weather plays a crucial role on launch days, and about half of all launch scrubs are due to weather.
But weather is a small word for all the components it has. First, meteorologists at Patrick Air Force Base provide forecasts for clients. The clients, such as Space X, then use the forecasts and data to determine if the weather conditions are appropriate for the specific launch.

Did you know? 50% of launch scrubs are due to weather, and 30% of those are due to upper level winds.

Unfavorable upper level winds take most of the blame for weather-related launch scrubs. These winds, occurring between 20,000 to 40,000 feet, can often act as a barrier, like a brick wall, due to their fast speed and the fact that they change directions with height. It's like when a hurricane or tropical storm is affected by wind shear, not allowing it to continue with a strengthening cycle and often weakening the storm.
Because all launches differ by weight or type of rocket (or rockets), there is no set weather criteria to follow. Perhaps there are upper level winds a heavy launch can sustain that cannot be sustained by a smaller rocket. Meteorologists and their clients are evaluating the upper level winds often until the last few minutes or seconds of that launch.

Did you know? A rocket passing through clouds can cause lightning.

Lightning is a common worry for a launch day. Central Florida is the lightning capital of the U.S., and during a rocket launch, it doesn’t take a thunderstorm to scrub a launch. Air mixing in the atmosphere-forming clouds may be enough to worry about a launch. If a rocket goes through these clouds were electrons are separating it can create lightning with enough energy to damage a rocket and its cargo.
So to all the visitors, local spectators and space fanatics like us at Channel 9, be patient. Although there are lots of parameters to look for in a launch, it’s like a baby’s birth. All the waiting is worth it at the end when it finally launches.

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