Thursday, August 24, 2017

SpaceX Plans Launch Today From Vandenberg

Los Angeles-based SpaceX is planning to send yet another rocket into space today, this time from Vandenberg Air Force Base, just north of Santa Barbara, in a launch which should be visible to residents across Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, and parts of Los Angeles County. According to SpaceX, the launch window for the FORMOSAT-5 satellite launch mission is today at 11:51 a.m. PDT, with a backup launch window tomorrow if necessary, also at 11:51 a.m. The FORMOSAT-5 is an Earth observation satellite owned by Taiwan's National Space Organization (NSPO). SpaceX said it will plan to land the first stage of the Falcon on its drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" in the Pacific. FORMOSAT-5 includes cameras with 2 meter resolution panchromatic (black & white) and 4-meter resolution multi-spectral (color) images, along with other secondary payloads.