Weather better for historic SpaceX launch of NASA astronauts
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The weather is looking up for SpaceX’s first astronaut launch, as officials vow to keep crew safety the top priority. Forecasters say the odds of acceptable conditions have improved to 60% for Wednesday’s planned launch of a SpaceX Falcon rocket with two NASA astronauts. But that doesn’t factor in the sea states along the SpaceX Dragon capsule’s path to orbit. SpaceX needs relatively calm waves and wind up the U.S. and Canadian seaboard and across the North Atlantic to Ireland, in case astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken need to make an emergency splashdown. This will be the first astronaut launch from Florida in nearly a decade, and a first for a private company. Both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are expected to attend today’s launch.