You don’t know how stressful launch days are until you live through one … or in my case, three. Hundreds of us met before dawn on a golf course near Vandenberg Air Force Base and waited with anticipation as our satellite, SMAP, sat on the launch pad. We were nervous and excited and hopeful.
But let me tell you why I was especially nervous — two of the last launches that carried Earth-science satellites failed, crashing into the ocean. Each of the launch vehicles that carried the satellites failed to open the protective clamshell (called the fairing) around the satellite and release them. So the combined weight of the launch vehicle and the satellite were just too much, and they both plummeted back to Earth and into the ocean.
Luckily, the replacement satellites and future Earth-science satellites were given a different rocket to launch on. But still, launching something to space is a risky endeavor, so my team and I were understandably worried as we neared the launch.
But then, at 4 minutes before launch, we got word that the winds were too strong in the upper atmosphere, and the launch was cancelled for that day. We had to hold on to our nerves for two more days, and luckily, on the morning of January 31st, the winds were calm. We counted down together as the moment of launch drew near, and we all screamed and laughed (and cried) as we watched her fly into space:
As the launch vehicle rocketed out of sight, we rushed back over to where they were playing the mission control feed. We passed one hurdle of getting off the launchpad, and now it was time for the second:
Yes! The fairing opened, AND the spacecraft separated (at 0:58 into the video). But wait, there was more! The camera on the launch vehicle also let us see the solar panels deploy (1:39 into the video), as Earth just chills, spinning in the background.
And there was our baby, all grown up and flying on her own.