Last week, the Falcon 9 SES 8 communications satellite was scheduled to launch at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The mission of SES 8 is to "provide Ku-band and Ka-band direct-to-home broadcasting and network services over the Asia-Pacific region. This rocket will fly in the Falcon 9 v1.1 configuration with upgraded Merlin 1D engines, stretched fuel tanks and a payload fairing." Two seconds to lift off, the launch was aborted. The second attempt to launch was scheduled Nov 28- Thanksgiving Day. We were watching the launch at Port Saint John by the Indian River.
It was a chilly afternoon on a Thanksgiving Day. There were quiet a few people who were not Floridians and were hoping to see the launch for the first time. It was cloudy but, the weather was not the factor of the aborted launch.
There was a Wifi signal by the boat dock, thanks to Bright House, I was able to use my iPad to monitor the Space X live webcast. It was truly chilly outdoor so; we stayed inside the car the whole time.
The launch pad is straight ahead. On a clear day, the rocket launch is clearly visible from here. The best spot to watch the launch is at Kennedy Space Center in the Apollo premises.
The parking space in the boat dock is full but, not crowded. Most of all, it was okay to wait because the weather is cool.
The window for the launch was between 5:37 to 6:43 PM EST but, as you can see, it was really cloudy. There was a second attempt to launch and aborted. They re-scheduled by Monday, December 2 but, it was delayed. Today is the third attempt. I hope it will be successful this time.
We can see the rocket from our front yard but, it is nicer to see it from here. I will be taking photos for comparison. Have a great day everyone!
The launch took place in Space Launch Complex-40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. We were looking at the direction of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and listening on the radio too. The on-time lift-off occurred after a smooth countdown and we watched this beautiful rocket lift off. The picture below is where we always went to watch the shuttle lift off. This was taken in another time (April 17-Shuttle Discovery piggyback moment).
We were at the boat dock along Indian River just across the Cape Canaveral area. The weather is nice. The Falcon 9 carried SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, embarking a historic flight to the ISS. This is a demonstration flight and Dragon is expected to do the on-orbit maneuvers, rendezvous capabilities and vehicle performance.
Few people came here and mostly locals. The tiny building at the center of the picture below is a building in Kennedy Space Center- NASA and further right is the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
I am using my Blackberry phone and I only took two pictures.
I hope this test will be a great success.