Latest news with #VandenbergSpaceForceBase
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Jellyfish cloud' soars over California during SpaceX launch
A massive cloud filled the sky over Southern California on Monday evening, taking the shape of a jellyfish with a long tail before slowly dissipating in the night. People across Los Angeles, San Diego and surrounding areas captured dramatic images of the unusual cloud, which was caused by a SpaceX rocket that blasted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base moments earlier. For rocket-created clouds to appear, conditions must be just right. A launch needs to occur shortly before daybreak or soon after nightfall, when it is dark on the ground. As the rocket ascends into space, it is eventually illuminated by sunlight, resulting in bright clouds that almost appear to glow. SpaceX rockets are not the only ones that can create the odd-shaped clouds. Similar clouds have been documented by other rockets, including the Space Shuttle, when conditions have been ideal. Monday evening's SpaceX launch lofted 26 Starlink satellites into orbit around the Earth.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
California rocket launch today: How, where to see SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink mission
Another SpaceX rocket is due to launch over the weekend from Southern California, but you'll most likely have to wake up pretty early if you want to see it. The commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground as early as Sunday, June 8, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. And according to SpaceX and Vandenberg, the rocket launch is targeted for early in the morning. The two-stage 230-foot tall rocket, one of the world's most active, has become crucial in regularly deploying batches of internet-beaming Starlink satellites into what's called low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly. But it's important to keep in mind that rocket launches can be – and often are – scrubbed or delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending rocket launch. Here's what to know about the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as well as when and where to watch it: California rocket launch schedule: Upcoming SpaceX missions from Vandenberg The SpaceX launch could happen as early as Sunday, June 8, with backup opportunities available Monday, June 9, according to a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory. A four-hour launch window opens at 6:34 a.m. PT Sunday,, according to a launch alert from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver 26 Starlink satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Following the delivery and deployment of the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County could hear sonic booms, according to an alert from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sonic booms are brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound. SpaceX provides a livestream of the launch on its website beginning about five minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X. Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Vandenberg, California, can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in California to catch the launch in person: 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, the public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the 'viewing site for SLC-6' (space launch complex-6) Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4 Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, the only location where the public can view the ignition and liftoff of rockets from Complex 4. Public access is at the Amtrak Surf Station parking area, but the area is closed in the case of back-to-back launches. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, has this list with additional viewing locations: , 6851 Ocean Park Road, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. , 1 Hancock Drive, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where both the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. , N A Street and McLaughlin Road, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002. The commercial spaceflight company is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket, from both California and Florida. That includes a regular cadence of deliveries of Starlink internet satellites into orbit, and occasional privately-funded commercial crewed missions on the Dragon. The most recent of SpaceX's private human spaceflights, a mission known as Fram2, took place in April. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024. SpaceX also benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads. Established in 1941, the Vandenberg Space Force Base, previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a site for both military, civil and commercial space launches. Agencies like NASA and companies like SpaceX routinely launch spacecraft from Vandenberg, a site where missile testing also takes place. Just recently, for instance, Texas spaceflight company Firefly Aerospace attempted to launch prototype satellites into orbit for Lockheed Martin from the base. Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 6,700 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX, a commercial spaceflight company, has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up. That allows Starlink's satellites to have lower latency and data time between user and the satellite, improving performance of things like streaming, online gaming and video calls. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: SpaceX rocket launch today? Where to see next California liftoff
National Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
AECOM awarded a more than $80 million environmental remediation contract for Vandenberg Space Force Base in California
Article content DALLAS — AECOM (NYSE: ACM), the trusted global infrastructure leader, today announced that it has been awarded an Optimized Remediation Contract (ORC) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Los Angeles District to provide environmental remediation services at Vandenberg Space Force Base on California's Central Coast. The 10-year, $81.3-million single award is one of the largest optimized remediation contracts awarded by the USACE Los Angeles District, reinforcing AECOM's position as a trusted partner in delivering mission-critical solutions. Article content Article content 'We are honored to expand our long-standing relationship with the Department of Defense and lead this critical work at Vandenberg Space Force Base,' said Frank Sweet, chief executive of AECOM's global Environment business. 'Through innovative, sustainable remediation solutions, we're helping to restore natural systems and deliver impactful environmental outcomes that align with our clients' long-term goals.' The contract includes a range of remediation and management activities at 60 sites throughout the base. Additionally, state-of-the-art digital tools will be utilized to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting, resulting in an optimized approach to site remediation. Article content 'As the sole contractor for this project, our team's deep experience delivering complex environmental solutions across California and for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uniquely positions us to support this mission,' said Matt Crane, Chief Executive of AECOM's U.S. West Region. 'By leveraging the principles of our Sustainable Legacies strategy and applying cutting-edge digital innovations, we are accelerating progress toward lasting restoration at Vandenberg Space Force Base.' Article content About AECOM AECOM (NYSE: ACM) is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients' complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings. Our teams partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2024. Learn more at Article content Forward Looking Statements All statements in this communication other than statements of historical fact are 'forward-looking statements' for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives for future operations, profitability, strategic value creation, capital allocation strategy including stock repurchases, risk profile and investment strategies, and any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, and the expected financial and operational results of AECOM. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any of our forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results, performance and achievements, or industry results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: our business is cyclical and vulnerable to economic downturns and client spending reductions; potential government shutdowns, changes in administration or other funding directives and circumstances that may cause governmental agencies to modify, curtail or terminate our contracts; losses under fixed-price contracts; limited control over operations that run through our joint venture entities; liability for misconduct by our employees or consultants; changes in government laws, regulations and policies, including failure to comply with laws or regulations applicable to our business; maintaining adequate surety and financial capacity; potential high leverage and inability to service our debt and guarantees; ability to continue payment of dividends; exposure to political and economic risks in different countries, including tariffs and trade policies, geopolitical events, and conflicts; inflation, currency exchange rates and interest rate fluctuations; changes in capital markets and stock market volatility; retaining and recruiting key technical and management personnel; legal claims and litigation; inadequate insurance coverage; environmental law compliance and adequate nuclear indemnification; unexpected adjustments and cancellations related to our backlog; partners and third parties who may fail to satisfy their legal obligations; managing pension costs; AECOM Capital real estate development projects; cybersecurity issues, IT outages and data privacy; risks associated with the benefits and costs of the sale of our Management Services and self-perform at-risk civil infrastructure, power construction and oil and gas businesses, including the risk that any purchase adjustments from those transactions could be unfavorable and result in any future proceeds owed to us as part of the transactions could be lower than we expect; as well as other additional risks and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements set forth in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement. Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact: Brendan Ranson-Walsh Senior Vice President, Global Communications 213-996-2367 Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX rocket launch to send more Starlink satellites to space: How to watch from Arizona
Don't worry: You didn't miss it. A SpaceX rocket launch that could be visible in Arizona was postponed a day and is now scheduled to get off the ground Friday, May 23. The impending launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California was initially scheduled for liftoff Thursday, May 22, before officials announced it was pushed a day. No reason was given for the delay. Coming up, Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company will attempt to send its famous Falcon 9 rocket on a trip to deploy another batch of 27 internet-beaming Starlink satellites into what's called low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly. The mission would be the fourth such SpaceX launch this month from California. The good news for Arizonans? Because of the launch site's proximity to Arizona, residents across a large swath of the state may be able to witness the rocket soaring overhead. Here's what to know about the launch, as well as when and where to watch it: The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is slated to get off the ground at 1:36 p.m. PT (4:36 p.m. ET) Friday, May 23, the Vandenberg Space Force Base said in an updated launch alert. Backup launch times are available until 5:36 p.m. PT. If SpaceX opts to scrub the launch, additional opportunities are available Saturday, May 24, starting at 1:14 p.m. PT. The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver the Starlink satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Following the delivery and deployment of the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. SpaceX said it will provide a livestream of the launch on its website beginning about five minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X. Because of Arizona's proximity to the launch site, there's a good chance people there can see the spacecraft streak across the sky, especially at night or very early morning. Here's a list of some possible viewing locations compiled by the Arizona Republic, a USA TODAY Network publication. Dobbins Lookout, South Mountain, 10919 South Central Ave., Phoenix, Arizona Papago Park, 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona Fountain Hills, a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, which in 2018 was designated a Dark Sky Community with little light pollution Superstition Mountains, located 40 miles from the Greater Phoenix area in Arizona Cave Creek, a town in Maricopa County about 30 miles north of Fountain Hills, Arizona Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 3400 Sky Harbor Blvd., Arizona, which has a parking garage that is popular for plane-watching Black Canyon City, an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona Any mountain park in Arizona , 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear, Arizona , 2600 N. Watson Road, Buckeye, Arizona , 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, Arizona , 6533 W. Phillips Road, Queen Creek, Arizona Monument Hill, a 150-foot slope located on 115th Avenue, in Arizona Space Exploration Technologies Corp., more widely known as SpaceX, is an astronautics company owned and co-founded by Elon Musk, the world's richest man. The commercial spaceflight company is contracted with NASA and the Department of Defense to use many of its spacecraft to help launch government missions. SpaceX also conducts many of its own rocket launches – most using its two-stage Falcon 9 rocket – including for private crewed missions and to deliver communication satellites to orbit. Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 6,700 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX, a commercial spaceflight company, has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up. That allows Starlink's satellites to have lower latency and data time between user and the satellite, improving performance of things like streaming, online gaming and video calls. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rocket launch before Memorial Day: Liftoff may be visible in Arizona
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What was that noise? SpaceX Dragon rattles Los Angeles with sonic boom
No, that wasn't an earthquake. A sonic boom caused by a SpaceX cargo vessel rattled Los Angeles late Saturday evening. Residents across a broad swath of the region reported a loud boom and rattling sensation around 10:45 p.m. The boom appears to be linked to a SpaceX Dragon capsule that was re-entering the atmosphere, according to a post on X from Elon Musk's space agency. "Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean," SpaceX posted about an hour before the boom was reported. The account said the capsule was due to make its entrance around 10:44 p.m. The unpiloted spacecraft had transported about 6,700 pounds of crew supplies, equipment and other resources to the International Space Station, according to NASA. It undocked from the International Space Station around 9:05 a.m. Friday before beginning its journey back toward the coast of California. Sonic booms have become a source of consternation for Southern Californians living near Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, where officials with SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force have acknowledged that their rocket launches and landings are causing the regular rattles. Last year, military officials rejected calls to reduce sonic booms coming from SpaceX rockets in the area, which have been increasing in frequency. Musk's agency said it plans to launch more than 90 rockets from the base by 2026. Residents in areas as far apart as Venice, West Hollywood, Highland Park, Agoura Hills and Santa Clarita reported feeling and hearing the boom on Saturday. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
