Saturday storms across Florida could further delay SpaceX launch program
Yesterday's launch scrubbed due to thunderstorms...
Launching a large metal tube into space is already difficult enough on it's own. It becomes extremely dangerous if weather conditions are inclement. This was the case this past Thursday as SpaceX had to postpone its launch that was planned for the early afternoon.
The next launch is planned for this upcoming Saturday, May 30th at 3:22pm Eastern Daylight Time.
Unfortunately, the forecast is not looking ideal...
Srping and summer is usually a tough time of year to stay dry in Florida...
Launch commit criteria are very strict. Weather forecasters who assist the launch process look for several different factors. Strong winds, thunderstorms in the area and cloud cover that extends up into subfreezing air are all taken into account when monitoring for a safe launch.
The official launch criteria can be found here.
The latest look at Futuretrack across Florida Saturday afternoon do not look promising for a launch. Scattered showers and thunderstorms look to pop across eastern Florida around lunch time and continue through the evening.
Currently, forecasters for SpaceX are giving a 40% chance of favorable conditions for launch on Saturday.