Atlas 5 rocket ready to loft spy payload, 12 CubeSats

SpaceFlight Now ^ | December 5, 2013 | Steven Clark

[Rodney Dangerfield]

A top secret surveillance satellite and 12 tiny co-passengers are ready for launch from California's hilly coastline late Thursday aboard an Atlas 5 rocket.

The United Launch Alliance booster is set for liftoff at 11:13 p.m. PST (0713 GMT; 2:13 a.m. EST Friday) from Space Launch Complex 3-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

[Rodney Dangerfield]

Anyone catch this tonight? I stood on top of a hill 400' above sea level just north of San Francisco and didn't see a thing. I've seen launches from Vandenberg before and they can be quite spectacular, if only for a few short seconds.

Hiking in 30 degree weather and standing out in the cold for nothing tonight.

Check in if you saw it and from where.

[kingu]

Dang, had just come in from my evening walk just before launch, so I missed it. :(

[Rodney Dangerfield]

I guess no one else saw it either.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I looked west from Alabama and couldn’t see a thing. Maybe I needed to be outside.

[driftdiver]

It was a secret launch. :)

[jsanders2001]

> It was a secret launch. :)

A “top secret” onewith “spy” satellites at that...: )

[Rodd OB]

I saw it from Simi Valley CA. The plume was red in color and faded toward white just before main stage cutoff, The trajectory was south from Vanderberg AFB. I never saw the second stage fire.