All criteria refer to observed and forecast weather conditions except for first day PLS which is forecast weather only. For AOA, TAL and PLS sites, cloud coverage 5 tenths or less below 8,000 feet and a visibility of five nautical miles. With redundant Microwave Landing System capability or weather reconnaissance aircraft, the ceiling and visibility must be 10,000 feet and 7 nautical miles for all sites. For RTLS and the TAL sites, no thunderstorms, lightning, or precipitation within 20 nautical miles of the runway, or within 10 nautical miles of the final approach path extending outward to 30 nautical miles from the end of the runway. - For AOA and PLS sites, no thunderstorms, lightning or precipitation within 30 nautical miles of the runway, or within 20 nautical miles of the final approach path extending to 30 nautical miles from the end of the runway. For the TAL, AOA and PLS sites there is a night-time crosswind limit of 12 knots.
All criteria refer to observed and forecast weather conditions.
If the mission duration is greater than 12 days the limit is 12 knots, day and night. One is located at Patrick Air Force Base south of Cocoa Beach. Each radar provides rain intensity and cloud top information out to a distance as far as 200 nautical miles. Thirty-one advanced field mill sites around KSC and Cape Canaveral Air Station provide data on lightning activity and surface electric fields induced by charge aloft. This data helps forecasters determine when electric charge aloft may be sufficient to create triggered lightning during launch, and to determine when to issue and cancel lightning advisories and warnings.