The TOMEX+ mission was initially scheduled to launch on August 18, but has since been rescheduled 6 times for a host of reasons. Here is a detailed breakdown of all postponements.
- August 17: The planned August 18 launch was cancelled and then scheduled for August 19, due to “expected cloud cover in the area and down range camera sites.”
- August 18: It was again rescheduled for August 21, due to high sea states from Hurricane Erin and cloud cover in the area.
- August 19: It was rescheduled for August 22, due to high sea states in the recovery area as an aftereffect of Hurricane Erin and cloud cover.
- August 20: The mission was rescheduled, this time for August 23, due to high sea states in the recovery area caused by Hurricane Erin.
- August 21: It was rescheduled to August 24 for the same reason it was rescheduled on August 20.
- August 22: It was indefinitely rescheduled due to persisting high sea states in the recovery area and cloud cover.
NASA is now looking to fix a new date this week for the launch attempt. The launch window for the mission opened on August 18 and is scheduled to close on September 3. The TOMEX+ mission consists of three rockets, two of which will release vapor tracers — comparable to colorful smoke — which can then be studied to trace wind patterns. The third rocket, which will be launched about 5 minutes after the first two, will carry a lidar instrument which will measure atmospheric density and motion over time.
Sounding rocket missions are short missions that usually last between 2–20 minutes. They are especially important for studying the mesopause — a layer of Earth’s atmosphere inaccessible to satellites and weather balloons alike.
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