ULA Sets The Stage At The Cape (Launch)

[SatNews] Ramping up preparations for tomorrow’s launch began as the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency-1 (AEHF-1) satellite was rolled out to its Space Launch Complex-41 launch pad arriving at 7:25 a.m. EDT today. In addition the remote camera was set up.

The launch of the AEHF-1 mission is set for Saturday with a launch window of 7:07-9:06 a.m. EDT. The AEHF constellation of satellites will provide 10 times greater capacity and channel data rates six times higher than that of the existing Milstar II communications satellites.

On Saturday, August 14, the live broadcast coverage of the Atlas V AEHF-1 launch will begins at 6:47 a.m. EDT and will conclude 55 minutes after launch.  Listed below are the satellite coordinates for the launch:

14 AUGUST (ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME)

• Test signals begin: 6:30 A.M.
• Broadcast start: 6:47 A.M.
• SATELLITE – GALAXY 3
• TRANSPONDER – G3C-8C
• BAND – C-BAND ANALOG
• ORBITAL POSITION – 95 DEGREES W
• CARRIER – INTELSAT
• BANDWIDTH – 36 MHz
• UPLINK FREQ – 6085 MHz (HORIZONTAL)
• DOWNLINK FREQ – 3860 MHz (VERTICAL)

WEBCAST SIMULCAST: Begins at 6:47 a.m. EDT. You can observe the launch here.

WEATHER FORECAST:
Overall probability of violating weather constraints:  20% Primary concern(s):  Cumulus Clouds 

Overall probability of violating weather constraints for 48 hour delay: 40%; Primary concern(s):  Cumulus Clouds

Summary:
The high pressure axis is South of Central Florida with a broad area of low pressure off the Eastern seaboard and trailing surface trough in the Gulf coast states.  In this regime pattern with Westerly winds, thunderstorms developing by noon to early afternoon along the seabreeze boundary are expected with the boundary remaining near I-95 through the afternoon.

Steering winds will transport showers and thunderstorms back toward the East coast.  For MLP roll today, fair weather conditions are expected in the morning with a loose pressure gradient and light West-southwest winds during the roll gusting to 12 kts (230 feet).  Isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop along the seabreeze boundary by noon to early afternoon.  Steering level winds will steer developing thunderstorms back toward the East coast. 

On launch day, the surface trough drifts into North Florida with moisture pooling in advance of the trough and near Atlantic waters. There is a small threat of an isolated shower or thunderstorm during the count with the encroaching boundary to the North.  West winds gusting in the low teens are expected.  The primary concerns for launch day are Cumulus Clouds associated with isolated showers.  In the event of a 48 hour delay, the aforementioned surface trough pushes into Central Florida as a broad, diffuse boundary over the Central and Southern peninsula with high pressure building down the peninsula.  Moisture pooling in the vicinity of the surface trough results in an increased threat of isolated showers and thunderstorms. The primary concerns for a 48 hour delay are Cumulus Clouds.