Free Republic

Blastoff is imminent.

The US military is set to conduct a test launch of a hypersonic nuclear missile hours after polls close on Election Day. An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is scheduled to blast off between 11:01pm and 5:01am PT from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. **SNIP** But military officials noted that the 'test is routine and was scheduled years in advance.' They said the purpose of the test was to show the 'readiness of nuclear US forces' and provide 'confidence in the nation's nuclear deterrence' amid fears of the growing threat of the outbreak of World War III. The...

The Commissars of California are so concerned about enforcing political uniformity that they are denying the military's right to launch from Vandenburg Air Force Base using SpaceX rockets. Why? Elon Musk owns Twitter/X, and he is a supporter of Donald Trump. The California Coastal Commission on Thursday rejected the Air Force’s plan to give SpaceX permission to launch up to 50 rockets a year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County.Some members of the commission complained about Elon Musk and his political statements. pic.twitter.com/rbdGWUYA1F— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_4_Trump) October 12, 2024When the Biden administration dropped Starlink from its rural broadband...

The following is an update from SpaceX: "SpaceX is targeting Thursday, September 5 for a Falcon 9 launch of the NROL-113 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch window opens at 8:20 p.m. PT." For countdown status and video feeds of the launch, go to: https://spaceflightnow.com https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=nrol-113 https://spacex.com/launches This information is subject to change. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=928089179364045&set=a.226357352870568&type=3&ref=embed_page

Pollster Frank Luntz said that Vice President Kamala Harris’ historically effective campaign launch is not sufficient for her to defeat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Harris is currently leading Trump nationally by 1.5% after the vice president launched her campaign on July 21, according to the RealClearPolling average. Luntz, on “CNN News Central,” said that despite Harris having the “best launch” in decades, the polling difference between her and Trump is so small that she must surge after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to have a clear path to victory.

South Africa’s new government is a “Government of National Unity” (GNU) between the formerly dominant African National Congress (ANC), the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), and the Zulu Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). The new government is the result of a coalition agreement that was announced Friday, shortly before a deadline to cast votes in Parliament for the country’s president. Current President Cyril Ramaphosa will be returning to office. The ANC fell from 57% in 2019 to just over 40% in the 2024 elections last month. The DA, with nearly 22% of the vote, was the second-largest party. The radical Economic Freedom...

Tomorrow, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, a Boeing-built spacecraft is set to blast off toward the International Space Station, carrying a human crew for the first time. The astronauts have been in preflight quarantine, getting some extra practice for the historic ride through flight simulations. The rocket stands tall on the launchpad, with the spacecraft, Starliner, perched on top. The weather forecast looks nearly perfect.

March 14 Starship • Orbital Flight Test 3 (OFT-3)Launch time: 7:00 a.m. CDT (8:00 a.m. EDT, 1200 UTC) for 110-min. windowLaunch site: Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas A SpaceX Super Heavy booster and Starship vehicle will make a third fully-integrated test flight during a 110-minute launch window.The plan is for the Starship to achieve near-orbital before reentering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Indian Ocean.The Super Heavy booster will target a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798) was recently launched into the James River at Newport News Shipbuilding. Shipbuilders transferred the submarine from a construction facility to the floating dry dock, where it was later submerged and moved by tugboats to a submarine pier at the shipyard for final outfitting, testing and crew certification. Massachusetts is the U.S. Navy’s 25th Virginia-class submarine and will be the 12th delivered by NNS.

A Trident nuclear missile misfired and crashed into the ocean near the submarine that launched it during a test last month, it has been reported.It is the second misfire in a row, after a failed launch in 2016.The missile’s first stage boosters did not ignite during a test launch by HMS Vanguard on January 30, and it fell into the ocean and sank, the Sun reported.Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key were both on board the submarine during the test, according to the newspaper.

Starlab — being built by Voyager Space and Airbus through a joint venture, alongside partners including Northrop Grumman and Hilton — is planned to launch on a single mission of SpaceX’s mammoth rocket. Starlab represents one of the earliest commercial customers to order a Starship launch from SpaceX. The companies did not disclose the launch contract’s value. The station is one of several currently in development by U.S. companies, as NASA prepares to retire the International Space Station in 2030. Voyager and Airbus are targeting as early as 2028 for Starlab’s launch. The space station’s four-year development and construction timeline...

Pad : SLC-40 Location : Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA Rocket : Falcon 9 Block 5

During the launch of the Starlink 6-7 mission, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket created a donut-shaped ring as it passed through maximum aerodynamic pressure. Lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on July 28, 2023 at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 UTC).

Pad : SLC-41 Location : Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA Rocket : Atlas V live in 2 hours

KEY POINTS The Federal Aviation Administration said Elon Musk's SpaceX must keep its Starship Super Heavy rocket grounded. The federal agency had been probing the April launch, which saw SpaceX's Starship explode in mid-flight. The FAA called for SpaceX to take 63 corrective actions before it launches another Starship test flight.The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday said Elon Musk's SpaceX must keep its Starship Super Heavy rocket grounded, saying the company needs to take 63 corrective actions before it is cleared for another test flight. The FAA has now wrapped its probe into the April launch, which saw the rocket...

The following is an update from SpaceX: "SpaceX is targeting Friday, August 18 at 12:30 a.m. PT (7:30 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Weather permitting, this event could be visible to the unaided eye for hundreds of miles. Observers in dark locations may be able to see the rocket's tenuous exhaust plume. Rather than being visible due to being illuminated by sunlight at high altitude, the plume may be visible because it is generating its own light.

North Korea fired what it described as a “space satellite” toward the south on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, according to Reuters. Sirens were heard across Seoul around 6:32 a.m. local time, and the city issued a warning asking citizens to prepare for potential evacuation, the report said. The Japanese government issued an emergency warning over its J-Alert broadcasting system for residents of the southern prefecture of Okinawa, saying a missile had been launched from North Korea. The launch comes a day after North Korea confirmed it will launch a reconnaissance satellite in June. The North’s official KCNA news agency...

Japan put its ballistic missile defences on alert on Monday and vowed to shoot down any projectile that threatens its territory, after North Korea notified it of a planned satellite launch between May 31 and June 11. The nuclear-armed North says it has completed its first military spy satellite and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch. It would be the North's latest step in a series of missile launches and weapons tests in recent months, including one of a new, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Tokyo expects North Korea to fire the rocket carrying its satellite...

Former President Trump on Monday welcomed Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to the 2024 Republican presidential primary, using Scott’s entry into the race to chide another rival: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). “Good luck to Senator Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable.” Trump noted that he and Scott worked together to establish opportunity zones, an investment incentive included in the 2017 tax cut legislation passed by Republicans and signed into...

Longish article. Several embedded videos. Good stuff. Excerpts below. “The latest incident to befall the U.S. Navy’s troubled Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) was an embarrassingly public one, and one that left the brand-new USS Cleveland (LCS-31) damaged in the process of being launched, in front of around 3,000 people, including members of the media. The Navy has now issued a statement providing more details of the collision between the Cleveland — which is the last of the 16-strong Freedom class — and a tugboat involved during the warship’s recent christening.” “No personnel injuries occurred, but there was limited damage” to...