by After weeks of delays, the United Launch Alliance is ready to launch its first Vulcan rocket – a test flight that will send a private lunar lander to the moon for the first time – but if you’re hoping to see the historic liftoff, you’ll need to know you know when and how. So space fans, we’ve got you covered.
A Vulcan Centaur rocket will be launched from ULA’s Space Launch Complex-41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:18 am EST (0718 GMT) on its mission to prove its Certificate-1 readiness for commercial and government flights. You can watch the Vulcan rocket launch live online, courtesy of NASA and ULA, starting at 1:30 a.m. EST (0630 GMT).
The rocket is also carrying the Peregrine lunar lander, a private mission built by US company Astrobotic that is conducting six experiments for NASA as the first flight of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The mission will attempt the first US moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, and will be the first private mission ever to land safely on the moon, if successful.
Astrobotic’s Peregrine is also carrying a dozen other payloads to the moon for paying customers, including a package for delivery service DHL, a digital art gallery, and human DNA samples and cremated remains for space burial companies Celestis and Elysium.
What time is the ULA Vulcan Centaur’s first launch?
Currently, ULA is targeting January 8 at 2:18 am EST (0718 GMT) to launch the first Vulcan Centaur test flight, but the launch could occur anytime within a 45-minute window that closes at 3:03 am EST (0803 GMT). The mission was previously scheduled to launch on December 24, but ULA pushed it back to January to make room for a full fuel exercise.
This is the longest of ULA’s launch windows for its four flight opportunities this week, which include backup dates on January 9, 10 and 11. The launch windows for those backup dates are 9 minutes, 1 minute and 3 minutes, respectively.
The forecast for the January 8th launch promises the best weather conditions for all four launch opportunities this week. The IS 85% chance of good weather on launch day 8th Januarybut the the chance of good weather drops to 40% on January 9 because of thick clouds, and it is at 45% for both January 10 and 11according to Melody Lovin, dispatch weather officer for the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron.
Can you watch ULA’s 1st Vulcan launch online?
Yes, you can watch ULA’s Vulcan Centaur Cert-1 test flight launch online.
As NASA has several experiments riding on the Vulcan lunar payload, the Peregrine lunar lander, the US space agency will provide a live webcast of the launch. With liftoff currently set at 2:18 amThe NASA webcast will begin at 1:30 am EST (0630 GMT). You will be able to watch the live webcast in the window at the top of this page, or directly from the NASA+ app, the NASA YouTube channel and the NASA TV broadcast.
ULA will also host its own webcast, which you can also find on the ULA YouTube channel, as well as ULA’s Vulcan Centaur Cert-1 mission page.
The two webcasts should cover the last hour before launch, and then follow the Vulcan Centaur rocket through launch, stage separation and its first major in-orbit milestones. The Peregrine lunar lander is scheduled to separate from Vulcan’s Centaur upper stage four hours and 24 minutes after launch, but ULA may end its live stream before that milestone and you will probably share updates via XTwitter before.
How long is ULA’s 1st Vulcan Centaur rocket mission?
Between the launch to the Peregrine lander moon lander separation, there is a Vulcan Centaur Cert-1 ULA test flight it is estimated to last approximately 4 hours and 24 minutes, according to mission overview. During that time, the Vulcan rocket will launch, lose its first stage and deploy the Peregrine lunar lander on a so-called “translunar” trajectory that will take it to the moon. Meanwhile the Centaur upper stage will continue on its own into deep space to eventually orbit the sun.
If all goes well, Hawk he will land on the moon on Feb.23 in a region called Sinus Viscositatis, or the Bay of Stickiness, which is adjacent to a series of features known as the Gruitheisen domes. Below is the timeline of the Vulcan Centaur Cert-1 test flight.
What if the Vulcan Centaur rocket can’t launch ULA?
If ULA can’t launch the Vulcan rocket’s Cert-1 mission on Jan. 8, the company can try again for three more days before retiring for several weeks. ULA has a four-day window to launch the mission, with opportunities on January 8, 9, 10 and 11.
“Those four days are the opportunities,” Gary Wentz, ULA’s vice president of government and commercial programs, told reporters Friday (Jan. 5). “Obviously, as we go through the flow, the number of back-to-back attempts will depend on how far we go into the count, and how much fuel and commodities we consume in the process, assuming that it’s a weather delay or something. therefore.” A glitch or technical issue may cause longer delays.
The chart below shows the launch times and duration of the launch window for each day in the window. The length of the launch window is determined by the orbital mechanics required for Vulcan to take the Astrobotic Hawk to the moon.
If ULA is unable to launch the Vulcan Cert-1 mission in its four-day window, the company will he would have to wait until January 23rd to try again because of the orbital mechanics needed to deliver the Falcon to the moon, Wentz said.
Note to the editor: Tune in to Space.com on Monday, January 8 to watch ULA’s first Vulcan Centaur rocket launch Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander at 2:18 a.m. EDT (0718 GMT). The live webcast is expected to begin at 1:30 am EST (0630 GMT).
