The sky of Puerto Rico will light up once again this Sunday night if the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from the SpaceX company materializes, as planned, reported Eddie Irizarry Robles, president of scientific dissemination of the Society of Caribbean Astronomy (SAC), to El Nuevo Día.
According to Irizarry Robles, the rocket was scheduled to be launched at 7:15 pm this Sunday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, heading towards Puerto Rico. However, in the afternoon, the launch was postponed to 8:21 p.m.
“If it is released at that time (the initial one, 7:15 pm), it will look very good. If it were released a little later, it would also be visible, but not as impressive. The earlier in the night, the better the takeoff looks from the perspective of Puerto Rico,” the scientific communicator had explained before the change in the launch time.
If it takes off at 8:21 p.m., Puerto Ricans could enjoy this sighting looking toward the northwest horizon sometime between 8:29 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
According to the scientific communicator, the Falcon 9 would be passing near the island at an elevation of 112 miles. Furthermore, he highlighted that, contrary to what some would think, the rockets are not launched directly upwards, but rather some time after takeoff they turn to the side to eventually begin orbiting the planet. If they do not make this turn, they descend again towards the earth’s surface.
“The acceleration of these ships is impressive, since when it begins to be visible from Puerto Rico it would be moving at about 13,000 miles per hour and increasing. Shortly afterward we will see that ‘a point’ or object appears to separate, gradually disappearing and leaving the trail behind,” Irizarry Robles said earlier in a press release.
“But in reality it has not separated, since it is the moment in which the second stage of the rocket ends or is turned off, so at that moment the ship has begun to orbit the Earth above our area because it has already managed to reach a speed of 16,300 miles per hour,” he added.
The Falcon 9 would be transporting another group of 23 Starlink satellites into space as part of a constellation of these to provide satellite Internet.
Although no changes are foreseen at the moment, Irizarry Robles explained that, if necessary, the takeoff could be postponed, since there will be other opportunities to launch it, being visible from our area minutes later.
“Several factors can cause these launches to be postponed, so before trying to see it, it is essential to confirm if the takeoff actually occurs,” he emphasized.
He recalled that to appreciate the sighting of the rocket it is important to avoid visual obstructions such as structures or trees towards the northwest horizon.
On January 7, at around 6:35 pm, a Falcon 9 rocket also illuminated the sky over Puerto Rico, leaving behind an impressive trail of light during its ascent to orbit.
Their appearance seemed to be so close and, in part, it was due to a curious fact that Irizarry Robles shared with this medium at that time.
Previously, the SpaceX company launched its rockets towards the Atlantic Ocean. However, since the beginning of 2020, the company began launching them towards Puerto Rico. This not only allowed the satellites to be placed in the desired orbit, but also provided an advantage: recovering the first stage of the rocket.
Irizarry Robles explained that, during this stage, the rocket appears as if it were descending in reverse, so a robotic boat or platform must be placed to receive it. In the past, these boats were located in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean towards the northeast.
However, when SpaceX decided to launch in the direction of Puerto Rico, it calculated that, if they located these platforms in calmer waters, such as those in the direction of the Bahamas Islands, the robotic boat would be more established, so there would be greater probability of recovering the first stage of the rocket.