“Any idea why the 9:45 limit? They are not docking at ISS or anything. Seems like they could go at any time.”
The launch window is determined by a very wide range of factors. First and foremost, the Orion splashdown in the offshore the U.S. Pacific coast needs to occur in daytime with optimal sea conditions for Orion capsule recovery. Beyond that the range and global tracking systems, booster reentries, ejection components, atmospheric and exo-atmospheric conditions, satellite cloud positions, and innumerable other conditions must be coordinated.
“the Orion splashdown in the offshore the U.S. Pacific coast needs to occur in daytime with optimal sea conditions
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So now conditions must all be “optimal” and not merely within the limits of launch criteria?