SpaceX to launch Falcon Heavy Tuesday morning - WESH 2 Orlando

TRAVEL TIMES IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. MEREDITH: IT’S A BIG DAY ON OUR SPACE COAST. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS, SPACE-X IS LAUNCHING ITS FALCON HEAVY ROCKET. JASON: AS WE KNOW, LAUNCHES HAVE A WAY OF DRAWING IN PEOPLE AND THIS MORNING WILL LIKELY BE NO DIFFERENT. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE OUT AT THE CAPE THIS MORNING. FIRST WARNING METEOROLOGIST CAM TRAN IS OUT IN OUR WESH 2 WEATHER LAB BRINGING US THAT ALL IMPORTANT LAUNCH FORECAST. BUT WE BEGIN WITH BOB HAZEN WHO IS LIVE AT JETTY PARK. BOB, IN ADDITION TO THE LAUNCH , WE KNOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE COMING OUT AND THEY WANT TO WATCH THE ROCKET’S BOOSTERS LAND BACK AT THE CAPE. BOB: AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THEY WILL GET TO HEAR THOSE TWO SONIC BOOMS, WHEN THE ROCKETS COME BACK DOWN AND LAND ON THE PADS. YOU CAN SEE THIS IS THE FRONT OF THE LINE, PEOPLE WAITING TO GET INTO JETTY PARK THIS MORNING WHEN THE GATES OPEN ABOUT AN HOUR FROM NOW. THIS IS A LAUNCH SPACEX IS DOING FOR THE U.S. SPACE FORCE AND IT HAS BEEN 40 MONTHS SINCE A FALCON HEAVY LAUNCH. IT IS A MUCH MORE POWERFUL SYSTEM, THREE TIMES MORE POWERFUL. PEOPLE WILL FEEL A LOT OF THAT FORCE WHEN THE LAUNCH HAPPENS AND THE LANDING WILL BE A PRETTY BIG SPECTACLE AS WELL. THE BOOSTERS SHOULD COME DOWN SIDE-BY-SIDE AND LAND AT THE TIP OF THE CAPE AND MAKE THOSE SONIC BOOMS ON THE WAY DOWN. DAY PASSES ARE SOLD OUT ALREADY. WE WILL BE HERE TO SEE IT ALL AND BRING THAT TO YOU LATER THIS MORNING. MEREDITH: AS ALWAYS, THE WEATHER HAS TO COOPERATE IN ORDER FOR THAT ROCKET TO LIFT OFF. JASON: FIRST WARNING METEOROLOGIST CAM TRAN IS OUT AT THE CAPE IN THE WESH 2 WEATHER LAB. CAM, HOW’S IT LOOKING FOR LAUNCH TIME? CAM: THAT’S RIGHT. THE WEATHER IS LOOKING GREAT FOR THE LAUNCH THIS MORNING. THE COMPLEX WHERE THE ROCKET WILL TAKE OFF IS JUST OVER MY SHOULDER AND IT IS BONE DRY, GOOD SIGNS. LOOKING AT VERY QUIET CONDITIONS THIS MORNING, THE WIND IS CALM AND I KNOW KELLIANNE KLASS HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE FOG AND WE DEFINITELY RAN INTO SOME OF THAT FOG AT THE CAPE BUT RIGHT NOW VISIBILITY IS NOT BAD. SIX MILE VISIBILITY AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FIVE MILE AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. LOOKING AT WONDERFUL WEATHER FOR THIS MORNING’S LAUNCH. A 90% GO. A FEW CLOUDS COULD BE IN THE AREA AS THE LAUNCH WINDOW OPENS THIS MORNING. WE COULD SEE A FEW CLOUDS BUT LOOK HOW THOSE CLOUDS GRADUALLY CLEAR OUT AS WE GET TOWARD 9:30, 10:00. THE WEATHER IS LOOKING GREAT AND I’M NOT SEEING A LOT OF CLOUD COVER AROUND LUNCH -- LAUNCH TIME AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE GOING TO BE OUT WAITING FOR THOSE SONIC BOOMS WHICH IS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN AROUND EIGHT MINUTES AFTER LIFTOFF. EXPECTING THAT SONIC BOOM AS THOSE BOOSTERS RETURN TO THE SURFACE. HERE IS A LOOK AT THE LAUNCH TRAJECTORY. IT WILL TAKE OFF FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE FORCE STATION. WE ARE GOING TO SEE TWO OF THE BOOSTERS COME BACK TOWARD CAPE CANAVERAL, AND THEN THE CENTER CORE IS EXPENDABLE AND IT WILL DROP INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. THAT IS SOMETHING UNIQUE WITH THIS LAUNCH TO ACCOMMODATE THE PAYLOAD. FROM A WEATHER STANDPOINT, IT IS LOOKING GREAT OUT THERE AND IT WILL REMAIN DRIVE. THE ONLY THING TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR IS A FEW CLOUDS IN THE AIR. FOR NOW WE WILL SEND IT BACK TO YOU. MEREDITH: WE WILL BRING THAT LAUNCH TO YOU LIVE ON BOTH WESH 2 AND CW 18 LATER THIS MORNING. THAT LAUNCH WINDOW OPENS AT 9:41 A.M. WE WILL ALSO BE STREAMING IT ON FACEBOOK AND WESH.