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    Welcome to DSCOVR’s Launch Day!

    Good evening from Florida! We are making the third launch attempt today for the DSCOVR spacecraft, an observatory that will serve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Launch time this evening is 6:03 p.m. EST and the launch window is instantaneous. All conditions are go right now and the weather forecast calls for a 90 …

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    Fueling Under Way, Upper-Level Winds ‘Go’

    At T-2 hours, 46 minutes, SpaceX Falcon 9 fueling operations are under way at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. There are no technical issues and there is a 90 percent chance for favorable weather at the planned liftoff time of 6:03:32 p.m. EST. Upper level winds remain “Green.” …

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    Go for Tanking at T- 3 Hours

    Managers overseeing launch preparations of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and NOAA’s DSCOVR have given a “go” for propellant loading. The operation is scheduled to take place at T-3 hours, about 3:03 p.m. EST. Liquid oxygen and RP-1, a rocket-grade kerosene, will be fed into separate tanks aboard each of the Falcon’s two stages. Weather …

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    Upper-Level Winds ‘Go’

    Tuesday’s launch attempt of NOAA’s DSCOVR spacecraft aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was scrubbed because upper level winds were outside of limits established to ensure safe flight through the atmosphere. Today, data from the first weather balloon are characterized as “dramatically improved” and upper level winds currently are “Green.” As on Tuesday, managers and …

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    Crew Back to Work on Science; Europe Preps Cargo Craft for Departure

    SpaceX Dragon Recovered

    The Expedition 42 crew worked on numerous science investigations Wednesday after releasing the SpaceX Dragon for its splashdown Tuesday. The six orbital lab assistants studied such things as exercise loads in space, plant growth and changes to vision during long duration space missions. The Force Shoes study will help researchers design better training programs and …

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    Forecast Weather: 90 Percent ‘Go’ Today

    NOAA’s DSCOVR is slated to launch today at 6:03:32 p.m. EST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It is an instantaneous launch window. Our continuous countdown coverage will begin at 5 p.m. on NASA Television and here on the NASA Blog. There is …

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    Dragon Splashes Down Ending SpaceX Mission

    SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at about 7:44 p.m. EST 259 miles southwest of Long Beach, California, marking the end of the company’s fifth contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The spacecraft is returning about 3,700 pounds of NASA cargo and science samples from the International Space …

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    Dragon Conducts Deorbit Burn, Splashdown Next

    Dragon conducted its deorbit burn on time at 5:49pm Central time, 6:49pm Eastern time and is headed for its parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific some 259 statute miles southwest of Long Beach, California. Splashdown time remains approximately 6:44pm Central time, 7:44pm Eastern time (4:44pm at the splashdown site, about 2 hours, 4 minutes before sunset).

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    Next Opportunity: Tomorrow at 6:03 p.m. EST

    The launch teams are resetting for another launch attempt tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 6:03 p.m. EST. The weather forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions. We will update the countdown status as events warrant here on the blog and our continuous coverage will begin at 5 p.m. along with that of …

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