Latest news with #Arizonans
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket could be visible over Arizona: Where, when to look up
SpaceX launches have come roaring back to life in Southern California after more than a two-week break, giving space enthusiasts plenty of chances to once again catch a rocket soaring high above. The first of three upcoming SpaceX Starlink missions got off the ground on the night of Tuesday, July 15. Now, Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company could soon get another of its Falcon 9 rockets off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base to deploy more of the internet-beaming satellites. The launch site itself may be across state lines, but Arizonans could still have a chance to see the rocket itself soaring overheard. 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 for any updates on the rocket launch. Here's what to know about the launch from Southern California, as well as when and where to watch it in neighboring Arizona: California rocket launches: SpaceX rocket launches have increased in California, and not all residents are happy What time is the SpaceX rocket launch from California? The launch is being targeted for 8:51 p.m. PT Friday, July 18, according to a launch alert from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. If needed, additional launch opportunities are available starting at 9:26 p.m. PT Saturday, July 19. Where is the next rocket launch from California? The launch will take place from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Most launches from Vandenberg fly at a south or southeast trajectory. What is the next mission launching from Vandenberg? The spaceflight will make use of the company's famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. The altitude is low enough to allow for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly. How to watch SpaceX Starlink launch livestream SpaceX will provide a webcast of the Starlink launch on its website beginning about five minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X. California rocket launch could be visible in Arizona: Where to watch 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 S. 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 metro Phoenix 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 on 115th Avenue, in Arizona What is SpaceX? 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 additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads. What is Starlink? Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 7,000 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both 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. This article has been updated to add new information. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket may be seen over Arizona: Where, when Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Grand Canyon's North Rim fire still raging amid strong winds, 'extreme heat'
Firefighters in Arizona struggled to gain a foothold against a pair of damaging blazes that devastated Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim, destroying a historic lodge and dozens of other buildings, and triggering widespread evacuations and closures. The Dragon Bravo Fire burning inside the park was at 5,700 acres and 0% containment as of Tuesday, July 15. Federal officials initially treated the fire as a controlled burn before powerful winds caused it to explode in size over the weekend, spurring evacuations and swallowing whole structures, including the Grand Canyon Lodge, the only hotel inside the national park at the North Rim. Arizona senators and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs have called on the federal government to investigate the wildfire response and whether it was mishandled. "The destruction of the Grand Canyon Lodge was a tragedy and Arizonans deserve answers," Hobbs said. North of the Grand Canyon, the White Sage Fire has scorched 77 square miles of land and remained at 0% containment, according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker. Evacuations in communities near the Utah Border were still in place as well as several road closures. No one has been injured in the blazes, officials said. Lightning strikes ignited both fires earlier this month and strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity caused their rapid expansion. Scorching temperatures have hampered firefighters' ability to battle the blaze on the ground – and the heat showed no signs of abating July 15.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Time of India
Spreading Grand Canyon fire destroys historic lodge
Spreading Grand Canyon fire destroys historic lodge (Image: AP) LOS ANGELES: A growing wildfire at the Grand Canyon's North Rim has now charred at least 50 structures, including a historic lodge inside the popular US tourist site and natural wonder, authorities said Monday. Hundreds of firefighters working from the air and ground in Arizona are battling the so-called Dragon Bravo blaze. More than 500 tourists and park staffers have been evacuated since the fire broke out on July 4, apparently from a lightning strike. On Saturday night the flames intensified quickly due to sustained winds gusting at up to 40 miles (64 kilometres) per hour, the National Park Service said. According to early assessments, the fire has burned down between 50 and 80 structures, including administrative buildings, a water treatment facility, and a historic building called Grand Canyon Lodge. It is the only place on the North Rim inside the park where visitors can spend the night. It was rebuilt in the 1930s after being destroyed in a fire and declared a national historic monument in 1987. Burning for over a week, the fire was initially managed by federal authorities in a confine and contain strategy -- rather than being tackled aggressively to try to put it out. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has criticized the approach and called for an independent probe. "An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government's emergency response," she wrote on X. "They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage. But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park," the Democratic governor wrote. Authorities announced the North Rim is now closed for the remainder of the tourism season running through mid-October. Firefighters are also battling a second blaze around 35 miles (56 kilometres) north of the Dragon Bravo fire in Kaibab National Forest. Roads have been closed down too but the more popular South Rim of the canyon remains open. Dozens of fires are burning in the western United States as the country goes into a dry and dangerous season for wildfires. The region faces additional challenges because the Trump administration has cut funding and staff at federal agencies that work to prevent and grapple with fires and other natural disasters. One of the greatest wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon is the result of the Colorado River eating away at layers of red sandstone and other rock for millions of years, leaving a chasm up to 18 miles wide and more than a mile deep. Last year almost five million people visited the world-famous site.
NBC News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Arizona senators press Trump Cabinet secretary on response to Grand Canyon wildfire
Arizona's senators are demanding answers from the Department of the Interior over its handling of a devastating wildfire that is still burning out of control on the Grand Canyon's North Rim. In a letter sent Monday to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly questioned the department's initial response to the Dragon Bravo Fire. The blaze spread quickly over the weekend and destroyed dozens of structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, a visitor center and a wastewater treatment plant. 'It has been reported that National Parks Service officials initially decided to monitor the fire as a controlled burn, but changed their approach as strong winds allowed the fire to jump multiple containment features,' the senators wrote in the letter. 'There are many questions over the initial decision to treat this fire as a controlled burn and subsequent decisions on how to respond.' Neither the National Park Service nor the Department of the Interior immediately responded to requests for comment. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, on Sunday called for an independent investigation into the federal response, particularly the decision to 'manage that fire as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer,' she said in a post on X. 'An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government's emergency response,' Hobbs wrote. 'They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage. But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park.' As of Monday, the fire has consumed more than 5,700 acres and remains 0% contained, according to InciWeb, the U.S. Forest Service's wildfire information site. Gallego and Kelly said they were concerned that early decisions by the federal government 'may have affected the spread of fire in northern Arizona,' particularly since the North Rim has been under weeks of extreme heat and experienced a dry winter. The senators asked Burgum to detail the factors that contributed to the initial decision to treat the fire as a controlled burn. Controlled burns are fires that are intentionally set or allowed to burn to reduce the amount of dry and flammable vegetation in an area. These kinds of burns are used to manage ecosystems that need periodic fires to stay healthy and also to lower the risk of bigger wildfires from breaking out. Gallego and Kelly called the Grand Canyon 'Arizona's crown jewel,' and asked about the resources available to fight the wildfire. They also questioned how the Interior Department plans to prevent other blazes from spreading. The senators requested responses by Aug. 10. The Dragon Bravo Fire was started by lightning on July 4. The National Park Service said Sunday that the blaze 'exhibited extreme and volatile fire behavior the evening of July 12, resulting in a 500-acre expansion.' The fire's rapid expansion was fueled by sustained winds of 20 mph and gusts reaching up to 40 mph, according to the NPS. Early assessments suggest that between 50 to 80 structures have been lost, but no injuries or deaths have been reported so far. A separate, bigger blaze known as the White Sage Fire is also burning north of the Dragon Bravo Fire. The White Sage Fire has consumed more than 49,000 acres and is also 0% contained, according to InciWeb.
Axios
14-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
"Big beautiful bill" tax changes could cost Arizona hundreds of millions
Federal tax code changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill could cost the state nearly $400 million, legislative budget analysts estimate. Why it matters: The massive tax and spending legislation that President Trump signed this month could subvert the $17.6 billion budget agreement that Arizona lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs reached after a protracted fight that threatened a government shutdown. How it works: Federally adjusted gross income serves as the basis for calculating individual state income taxes. When the federal tax code is amended, the state must also adopt those changes to maintain consistency, per the Arizona Department of Revenue. Arizona usually passes annual legislation to conform to federal tax code changes. The big picture: An analysis by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) last week concluded that conformity with federal tax changes would cost Arizona about $381 million this fiscal year. Those changes include reduced taxes on tips ($23.6 million in fiscal year 2026) and overtime pay ($76.5 million), increased federal deductions for state and local taxes ($79.7 million), and increased standard deductions for seniors ($53.7 million). Other non-conformity changes could cost the state nearly $57 million. What they're saying: Gubernatorial spokesperson Christian Slater declined to comment on whether Hobbs would be willing to sign a tax conformity bill next session if it means losing hundreds of millions, telling Axios, "We are still examining the full impacts of the bill that's anything but beautiful." The other side: Sen. John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Axios that non-compliance in 2026 would create "chaos," and he predicted that Hobbs would support tax conformity. He said conformity means Arizonans will be able to spend more of the money they earn. Kavanagh said he expects an improving economy will bring more tax revenue to the state, and even if that doesn't happen, he said the lost revenue could likely be offset by delaying budgeted infrastructure projects to the following year. Between the lines: Arizona can adopt some but not all changes, and Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler) thinks partial adherence is likely the way to go. Mesnard, who often sponsors annual tax conformity bills, said it wouldn't make sense for Arizona to adopt all the changes, some of which, he noted, are only in effect federally for a few years.
