NASA Launching Probe to Touch the Sun, August 11th

Image from Kennedy Space Center

On August 11th, the Space Coast will see a rare Delta IV Heavy launch from Cape Canaveral. The 45 minute launch window is set for the early hours of Saturday morning, between 3:48am and about 4:30am. The probe is named after Eugene Parker, the astrophysicist who correctly predicted the existence of solar winds in 1958. The probe will leave Earth’s orbit and make a short trip to Venus, where the craft will loop around to slow down before it approaches the Sun on November 5th to begin its 7 year mission. At its closet approach, the probe will fly within 4 miles of the Sun’s surface, traveling through the Sun’s outer atmosphere. NASA will also be hosting several special exhibits at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex over the weekend, showcasing mission details. The weather forecast for the launch indicates clear skies overnight and into the early morning hours.

We’ve had the pleasure of hosting many of the talented men and women from John Hopkins’ Applied Physics Lab (JHUAPL) and United Launch Alliance (ULA) this summer in our oceanfront units, who have played an integral role in the development and launch of the probe. We wish them the best of luck on this historic mission!

For more information about the launch and the upcoming launch schedule on the Space Coast, visit the official Kennedy Space Center website or check out Space.com’s article about the mission. For live launch updates, visit SpaceFlightNow‘s live launch feed. If you are planning to visit the Space Coast and are in need of accommodations, give us a call at (321)-784-5046 or e-mail us at [email protected]!