Last Sunday, particles released by Halley’s Comet generated a meteor shower that adorned the Puerto Rican sky and, on Tuesday night, the astronomical spectacles continue with the launch of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX, whose wake can be seen from Puerto Rico if the takeoff materializes.
Initially, the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC) reported, in written statements, that the company, founded by the businessman Elon Muskwould try to launch a rocket at 6:56 pm this Thursday from Cape Canaveral, in the state of Florida.
However, the launch was delayed to 8:48 p.m. If takeoff occurs, Its brilliant trail of light can be seen across the entire island between 8:55 pm and 8:57 pm
Where to look?
The educational entity indicated that people who wish to observe the rocket should direct their gaze towards the sky in the direction of the northwest horizon.
“An alternative for those who do not know which way is northwest would be to use the compass built into cell phones and look 330 degrees. It is important to avoid visual obstructions such as trees or structures since the rocket trail will be visible at a low elevation above the horizon,” the SAC recommended.
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.
The entity, in turn, indicated that rocket launches are likely to be postponed. However, he clarified that, if it occurred later, it would still be visible minutes later.
Watch the live broadcast of the launch:
Why are these rockets launched in the direction of Puerto Rico?
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.
In a previous interview with The New Daythe scientific communicator of the SAC, Eddie Irizarry Robles, He 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.