Falcon 9 Ascent Commentator: T minus: 10,
9
8
7
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: 7, 6
5
4
3
2
1
0
And liftoff! The Falcon takes flight. Propelling the Deep Space Climate Observatory on a
million-mile journey to protect our planet Earth.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Beautiful ascent.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: One minute, 13 seconds after liftoff, the
Falcon 9 will reach supersonic speed. Fifty seconds into flight now.
Falcon 9 basking in the glow of the sunset.
Launch Controller: Altitude 6.5 kilometers. Downrange distance 4.3 kilometers.
Speed 599 meters per second.
Launch Controllers: Recovery has acquisition of signal.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Standing by to pass through the maximum
aerodynamic pressure.
Launch Controller: Vehicle is supersonic.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Falcon 9 is supersonic.
Launch Controller: Vehicle has reached maximum aerodynamic pressure.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Everything "Go."
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Falcon and DSCOVR passing through
Max-Q.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Two minutes into the flight of Falcon and
DSCOVR.
Launch Controller: Vehicle remains on a nominal trajectory.
Altitude 33.9 kilometers. Down range distance 20.9 kilometers.
Speed 1,468 meters per second.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Standing by for the first-stage engines to
shut down. First-stage cutoff in about 23 seconds.
Launch Controller: Vehicle remains on a nominal trajectory.
Altitude 57.9 kilometers. Down range distance 50.0 kilometers.
Speed 2,350 meters per second.
Launch Controller: We have MECO1.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: And we have Main Engine Cutoff.
Launch Controller: Separation confirmed.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: Second stage engine ignition . . .
Launch Controller: And we have Stage 2 engine ignition.
Mike Curie/NASA Launch Commentator: has occurred on time.
The Falcon 9 Merlin vacuum engine producing 92,000 pounds of thrust,
continuing to carry DSCOVR to its place in space.
Standing by for the fairing jettison, this will expose DSCOVR to space for the first
time.
And we see a good fairing jettison.