I am not a meteorologist, but if Cumulus cloud height formation is a mission scrub parameter, why are the scheduling these things during maximum heating and when the clouds are their loftiest.
Launch days and times are chosen to conform to the mission planned trajectory path. For example, for payload deployments, or for docking with the ISS.
SpaceX prepares to launch Demo-2, schedule and timeline releasedhttps://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/human-spaceflight/spacex-prepares-to-launch-demo-2-schedule-and-timeline-released/From the naked eye, the liftoff will look fairly similar to the 20 missions which Dragon’s first iteration flew to the international outpost. Much like Space Shuttle launches to the International Space Station, the launch trajectory will carry the launch vehicle on a flight path northeast of the Kennedy Space Center. The vehicle will experience Max-Q, the period of maximum aerodynamic stress on the rocket, at approximately 58 seconds after liftoff.
The Falcon 9 first stage will propel Dragon for about two and a half minutes before its nine engines will shut off, and the second stage carrying Crew Dragon will separate from the first stage and begin its push of the spacecraft into low earth orbit. From there, the first stage will begin its boost back burn to align itself on a trajectory to return to earth. True to form of most recent SpaceX missions to the International Space Station, the company will attempt to land the first stage on the autonomous drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You†approximately 9 minutes and 22 seconds after liftoff.
Once Crew Dragon separates from the second stage at approximately 8 minutes and 52 seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft’s onboard computers and crew will get to work, performing several key functions to test Dragon’s capability of on orbit maneuvering. As spacecraft Commander, Astronaut Doug Hurley will act as the crew member monitoring these functions. While NASA did not give a specific time the spacecraft will reach the ISS, it could take up to two days for Dragon to reach its intended target, depending on the amount of tests NASA and SpaceX want to perform on the vehicle before initiating docking procedures. The first half of Dragon’s journey on orbit can be broken down into five key tasks that must be completed on the way to the ISS: orbit activation, phasing burns, approach initiation, proximity operations, and docking and pressurization initiated at the rendezvous point with the ISS. These key functions can and will be performed autonomously by the Crew Dragon vehicle, but can be initiated and controlled by the crew at any phase of the flight should an anomaly occur within any of the vehicle’s onboard systems. Once Dragon arrives at the Station, it will pressurize itself to match the pressure of the orbiting laboratory. From there, the crew will be able to open the hatch and initiate arrival procedures.
The exact duration for Crew Dragon’s ISS stay is still yet to be determined, however, as discussed in a May 1 press conference by NASA’s deputy Manager of commercial crew Steve Stitch, it is expected that Crew Dragon will stay docked to Station anywhere from 30-119 days. Any time beyond the 119 days could possibly result in a degradation of Dragon’s solar panels.
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