Rocket Launch from Cape Canaveral Visible Across Florida
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket was expected to be visible across much of Florida, depending on local weather and cloud cover. The launch was planned from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, November 5, within a 44-minute window starting at 10:24 p.m.
The launch was scrubbed before 11 p.m., but ULA later announced a new date and time for liftoff. A visibility map released by the company showed the rocket’s projected flight path across the state.
Floridians and visitors as far as Jacksonville, Cape Coral, and Miami could witness the rocket lighting up the night sky after liftoff.
According to ULA, most of Florida had the potential to see the event. The mission, known as ViaSat-3 Flight 2 (F2), involves an “ultra-high-capacity broadband spacecraft” built for Viasat, designed to significantly expand the company’s current satellite network.
The Atlas V rocket was equipped with five solid rocket boosters, expected to propel it off the launch pad with dramatic force, creating a spectacular sight for observers across the region.
Author’s Summary
The scrubbed Atlas V launch from Cape Canaveral was expected to light up skies across Florida, carrying Viasat’s next-generation broadband satellite into orbit.