Tag: Earth observation
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Video: Falcon 9 lifts off with Iridium and GRACE-Follow On satellites
SpaceX’s tenth launch of the year took off Tuesday from California’s Central Coast on a unique ridehsare mission to add satellites to Iridium’s communications network and replace two Earth science satellites which ended their observations last year. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 12:47:58…
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Launch timeline for Falcon 9 mission with Iridium and GRACE-Follow On
Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit with five more Iridium Next communications satellite and the U.S.-German GRACE-Follow On climate research mission. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket will lift off Friday at 12:47:58 p.m. PDT (3:47:58 p.m. EDT; 1947:58 GMT) Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX will not…
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Rideshare launch by SpaceX serves commercial and scientific customers
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket powered by a reused first stage climbed into orbit Tuesday from California’s Central Coast, carrying five satellites to upgrade Iridium’s global messaging service and two research craft to study Earth’s water cycle. The rideshare…
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Live coverage: Iridium satellites, climate research craft lift off from California
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with five next-generation Iridium communications satellites and two U.S.-German GRACE-Follow On research craft to study Earth’s climate and water cycle. NASA TV’s live video coverage begins at 12:15 p.m. PDT (3:15 p.m. EDT; 1915 GMT),…
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Photos: Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad at Vandenberg
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rolled out to its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on Monday, one day before its scheduled liftoff carrying seven satellites into orbit on commercial communications and climate research missions. These photos show the Falcon 9 rocket, standing more than 20 stories tall, at Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 4-East…
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New target dates set for next two Falcon 9 launches
The two GRACE-Follow On Earth science satellites are mounted atop five Iridium Next satellites in preparation for liftoff May 22 from California. Credit: Iridium The launch of five commercial Iridium message relay satellites and a pair of U.S.-German orbiting geophysics probes on a Falcon 9 rocket from California has been delayed three days to May…
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Chinese satellite successfully launched to monitor environment
A Long March 4C rocket lifts off Tuesday from the Taiyuan space base. Credit: Xinhua China launched a civilian-operated Earth-observing satellite Tuesday to survey global land and water resources, air pollutants, greenhouse gases and other environmental parameters. The Gaofen 5 environmental monitoring satellite launched at 1828 GMT (2:28 p.m. EDT) Tuesday aboard a Long March…
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Photos: Modified Russian ballistic missile blasts off with European satellite
Check out photos of Wednesday’s launch of a Russian Rockot booster, derived from a decommissioned Soviet-era nuclear missile, with Europe’s Sentinel 3B Earth observation satellite. The 95-foot-tall (29-meter) Rockot launcher lifted off at 1757 GMT (1:57 p.m. EDT; 8:57 p.m. local time) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in far northern Russia. Comprised of two booster stages…
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Long March 11 rocket delivers five commercial satellites to orbit
A Long March 11 rocket lifts off Thursday from the Jiuquan launch base. Credit: CALT Five commercial Chinese satellites carrying video and hyperspectral imaging sensors took off Thursday aboard a Long March 11 booster. The five small satellites are part of a larger Earth-imaging fleet under development by Zhuhai Orbita Aerospace Science and Technology Co.…
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Live coverage: Europe’s next environmental sentinel lifts off
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a Rockot launcher with Europe’s Sentinel 3B environmental monitoring satellite. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.