credit Anthony Galván III
Posted on 08/28/2013 12:49:43 PM PDT by BenLurkin
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE (CBSLA.com) — The largest rocket ever to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base had a succesful lift-off Wednesday.
The Delta IV Heavy rocket was launched with a $1 billion spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) “in support of national defense,” according to aerospace engineering firm United Launch Alliance (ULA).
Once it reaches orbit in about two days, the classified payload is expected to be able to distinguish details back on Earth as minute as the make and model of an automobile.
ULA officials alerted the public about the launch through its Facebook and Twitter pages “so they wouldn’t be concerned when they felt their windows rattle and felt the vibrations,” Hennigan added.
The official launch time was initially scheduled for 10:52 a.m., but the actual launch did not take place until 11:03 PDT.
Los Angeles Times aerospace reporter Bill Hennigan told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO residents up and down the California coastline may hear – and even feel – the 235-foot rocket following the launch.
“It’s the largest rocket ever to be launched from Vandenberg,” Hennigan said. “They launched the same rocket in January of 2011, and it was so big, it caused such a stir, people were pulling off the road to see this and some people reported hearing it about 50 miles away.”
Click here to watch footage of the rocket launch on the ULA website
TTIUWP.
How can it be the largest when they launched the same rocket in 2011. That would make it the second time the largest rocket was launched from Vandeberg.
I wish they had launched the shuttle from there. They spent all the money to set it up and mothballed it all after Challenger.
IIRC there was a shuittle launching facility built at VAFB. The reason I heard it was never used, never made sense. Something about the wiring being backwards. I never believed that.
IIRC there was a shuittle launching facility built at VAFB. The reason I heard it was never used, never made sense. Something about the wiring being backwards. I never believed that.
Some people claim that Saturn V’s were launched from there with massive spy satelites, back when you had to send the film back to earth...
That’s the biggest drone around, no doubt.
Sweet!
I’d like to hear about these with enough time to spare to step out side and see it rise into the skies.
..the telescope on this one can see down to 19 inches across
Do they proof these things before printing them? If it wasn't in orbit already it would be a pile of rubble in the middle of the Mojave by now.
Inadequate ventilation in the fire pit. the concern was that in the event of a fuel tank failure rather than being diluted by wind and surrounding air the fuel would accumulate in the pit and make what would effectively be a HUGE fuel-air bomb.
(Never mind that hydrogen is lighter than air and wouldn’t settle to the low point)
Better?
Bump for a great looking launch.
I caught that as well. It must be a very slow rocket. It usually takes from 8-10 minutes.
I can believe that it was heard 50 miles away. In early 1977 I was going through ORT at VAFB and one early Sunday morning the whole apartment shook and everything rattled, felt like an earthquake and was loud. I jumped up and to the window in time to see a Titan missile booster lifting off from a site about 5 miles away. Much louder and more impressive than a test launch of a MMIII from a quarter mile away.
It is my understanding that for heavy loads (Apollo, Shuttles etc..) you launch from west to east and as close to the equator as possible to utilize the earth’s rotation effect. In Florida that takes it over water, from California that takes it over populated areas. Can you imaging a failure at T+ 2 minutes and parts reigning down in southern California.
An Ariane 5 is launching tomorrow.
Rocket: Ariane 5 ECA
Payload: Eutelsat 25B & GSAT 7
Launch date: Thursday, August 29, 2013
Launch window: 2030 GMT (1:30 p.m. PDT/4:30 p.m. EDT)
Site: ELA-3, Guiana Space Center, Kourou French Guiana
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ariane/va215/status.html
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