Tag: Vandenberg
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Weather not looking promising for Atlas 5 launch
Rainy weather at the California launch site is forecast to put a damper on plans to fly an Atlas 5 rocket on Thursday evening. Air Force meteorologists are predicting a combination of rain, clouds and even lightning, with a mere 10 percent chance of acceptable liftoff conditions. “A well-developed frontal system will dig into the…
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Atlas 5 to sport new upper stage engine Thursday
The NROL-35 mission logo. Credit: NRO The most powerful Atlas rocket to ever fly from the West Coast is poised for launch Thursday to deliver a secret payload into orbit while debuting a new upper stage engine. Lifting off on two million pounds of thrust, the 20-story rocket will fire away from Vandenberg Air Force…
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Atlas/NROL-35 mission stats
This will be… The 633rd launch for Atlas program since 1957 The 294th Atlas launch from Vandenberg AFB since 1959 The 43rd Atlas to use Space Launch Complex 3 The 10th Atlas 5 launch from Vandenberg AFB since 2008 The 222nd mission for the Centaur upper stage The 199th use of Centaur by an Atlas…
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U.S. military’s X-37B space plane lands in California
The U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane touches down at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Credit: Boeing The U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane concluded its third mission Friday, streaking through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean and gliding to an automated landing on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., after spending a…
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X-37B space plane scheduled to return to Earth soon
Artist’s concept of an X-37B spacecraft in orbit. Credit: Boeing A robotic U.S. Air Force space plane is set to land in California as soon as this week after a secretive 22-month flight hundreds of miles above Earth. Built by Boeing Co., the X-37B space plane will touch down on a runway at Vandenberg Air…
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SpaceX successfully launches debut Falcon 9 v1.1
SpaceX have enjoyed a huge success via the launch the first flight of its new Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket on Sunday, carrying an array of payloads including Canada’s CASSIOPE technology demonstration satellite. Liftoff took place from Vandenberg Air Force Base at the start of a three-hour window that opened at 09:00 local time (16:00 UTC).…
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Falcon 9 v1.1 successfully conducts second Hot Fire
SpaceX’s newly upgraded Falcon 9 v.1.1 has successfully completed a second Hot Fire test – also known as a Static Fire – ahead of its debut mission to launch the Cassiope satellite into orbit. Launch from SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex – 4 (SLC-4) at Vandenberg is now targeting a window that opens on September 29,…
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ULA Atlas V launches Landsat DCM spacecraft
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Altas V has launched its second mission in just a few short weeks, lofting the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) satellite into orbit. Launch from Space Launch Complex -3 (SLC-3) at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in Californian was on time at 6:02pm UTC. Atlas V Launch: LDCM is a…
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ULA Atlas V finally launches with NROL-36
The Atlas V launch – believed to be carrying a pair of ocean surveillance satellites to locate ships at sea, in a mission designated NROL-36 – launched on Thursday night at 21:39 GMT (2:39pm Local), from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch suffered from several delays since its initial August 14 launch date, prior to Thursday’s…