SpaceX Jason-3 Mission is set to launch from Vandenberg AFB at 1:42pm EST (10:42am local time)

The Jason-3 Mission launch is targeted for a 10:42am PT launch from Space Launch Complex 4E at the Vandenberg AFB in California. This mission will use the last of the "pre-upgrade" SpaceX Falcon 9.1 rockets.

The mission is to deliver the Jason-3 satellite to LEO. Jason-3 is a combined effort of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration ), CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales - the French space agency), and EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites).

The usual secondary objective pf landing the Falcon 9 first stage will be attempted, with the target being the drone ship “Just Read the Instructions”. Following SpaceX's first successful landing last month at their new, solid-ground landing site, the chances for success seem high. However, the challenge of landing on a floating platform, coupled with the fact that last month's mission used an upgraded version of the Falcon 9, means that the likelihood of success is lower than it will be for upcoming missions.