Latest news with #EricLagatta
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
California rocket launch schedule: Here's what's due to launch in July from Vandenberg
Get ready to look up: Three more rocket launches could be commencing in the week ahead from Southern California. That includes not only SpaceX's regular slate of Starlink deliveries getting off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County , but also a NASA mission. Vandenberg and SpaceX typically don't officially confirm California launches until about a day ahead of time, and the Federal Aviation Administration's operations plan advisory is constantly updating. Still, multiple online websites that track launches suggest that NASA is planning a scientific mission while SpaceX is planning at least two more Starlink internet-beaming satellite deployments. For those who enjoy seeing SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket soaring across the sky, you're in luck: the upcoming rocket launches from Vandenberg should be widely visible across Southern California – and perhaps even Arizona. But it's important to keep in mind that rocket launches can be – and often are – delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Make sure to visit VC Star for the latest mission updates. Here's a look at the upcoming July 2025 launch schedule (so far) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base? 4 things to know about California rocket launches Tuesday, July 22: NASA TRACERS Agency: NASA Mission: SpaceX will serve as the launch service provider for a NASA mission to launch twin satellites to study solar activity's effects on Earth for the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission. Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: 11:13 a.m. PT Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Booster landing: Return to launch site for landing at LZ-4. Friday, July 25: Starlink 17-2 Agency: SpaceX Mission: Deploy Starlink V2 mini Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: 7:09 p.m. PT Saturday, July 26, 2025 Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean Tuesday, July 29: Starlink 13-4 Agency: SpaceX Mission: Deploy Starlink V2 mini Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: 8:39 a.m. PT Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Is there a rocket launch today? Schedule from Vandenberg in California Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Is there a California rocket launch today? Upcoming liftoff schedule from Vandenberg
Good news, space enthusiasts: rocket launches are about to resume in Southern California following a short break. The Vandenberg Space Force Base and SpaceX don't typically officially confirm California launches until about a day ahead of time, and the Federal Aviation Administration's operations plan advisory is constantly updating. Still, multiple online websites that track launches suggest that at least three Starlink deployment missions are on the schedule in the week ahead alone from California. Additionally, NASA could launch two science satellites sometime in July. And as usual, the upcoming rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County should be widely visible across California – and perhaps even Arizona. Still, it's important to keep in mind that rocket launches can be – and often are – delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Make sure to visit VC Star for the latest mission updates. Here's a look at the upcoming June 2025 launch schedule (so far) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base? 4 things to know about site of California rocket launches Agency: SpaceX Mission: Deploy Starlink V2 mini satellites into low-Earth orbit Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: To be announced Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean Agency: SpaceX Mission: Deploy Starlink V2 mini satellites into low-Earth orbit Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: 7:08 p.m. PT Wednesday, July 16, 2025 Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean Agency: SpaceX Mission: Deploy Starlink V2 mini satellites into low-Earth orbit Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: 7:09 p.m. PT Sunday, July 20, 2025 Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean Agency: SpaceX Mission: NASA's Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission, consisting of two identical satellites that will orbit Earth in tandem, will study solar activity's effects on Earth. Rocket: Falcon 9, a 230-foot, two-stage rocket Launch window: Late-July Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base Booster landing: Unknown 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 missions resume in California: Upcoming rocket launch schedule
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
People reported earthquakes and fire in the sky. It was probably a meteor.
People in the southeastern United States on Thursday, June 26, reported a fireball in the sky and rumbling on the ground, an unsettling combination that was probably a meteor, according to various agencies. Reports of sightings flooded the American Meteor Society around 12:30 p.m. And the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia, said residents reported what felt like earthquakes around that time. Bill Cooke, the chief of NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, told The New York Times and local news outlets that the flying space rock was about three feet in diameter and weighed more than one ton. (The USA TODAY Network left a message with the Marshall Space Flight Center seeking more information.) And the earthquake reports? Those were likely sonic booms, the brief, thunder-like noises when a spacecraft, aircraft or space rocks travel faster than the speed of sound, the local weather service office said. The awesome sight likely wasn't entirely harmless: Remnants of the cosmic object may have broken off and plummeted through the roof of a home in Henry County, Georgia, according to the local National Weather Service office. The weather service, citing the Henry County Emergency Management agency, said a resident south of Atlanta reported that a "rock" fell through their roof, broke through the ceiling and cracked the home's laminate flooring. Because the incident occurred around the time sightings were happening, "we are presuming that a piece of the object fell through their roof." The fireball that caught the attention of people across the southeastern United States is presumed to be from a meteor fragmenting in the sky, according to meteorologists and other experts. The American Meteor Society received nearly 150 reports of a meteor bright enough to be seen streaking across the midday sky beginning around noon local time Thursday, June 26. Most of the reports were from Georgia and South Carolina, but a few witnessed the object in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina. The National Weather Service office in Charleston said on Facebook that its satellite-based, lightning-detection system showed 'a streak within cloud free sky' over Gasburg, Virginia, near the state's border with North Carolina. Rocks in space are known as meteoroids. If those space rocks enter Earth's atmosphere, they become meteors that streak across the sky in events colloquially referred to as "shooting stars." Meteors – or fragments of them – that survive their atmospheric trip and land on the surface without burning up become meteorites, according to NASA. What many witnessed recently was a very bright meteor known as a fireball. It's relatively rare for fireballs to be sighted on Earth, especially during the daytime, as the objects generally have to be at least as bright as Venus to be visible to the naked eye, according to the American Meteor Society. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Meteor responsible for earthquake and fireball reports, experts say
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fortnite players could be eligible for some cash: How to get a refund
The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday, June 25 it is sending more than $126 million in refunds to Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted purchases while playing the game. The agency also said it is reopening the process for Fortnite players, or their parents or guardians, to submit a claim stemming from the FTC's 2023 settlement with Epic Games, the game's developer. Epic Games agreed to pay $245 million to settle the FTC's allegations that the developer used "deceptive practices" to trick players into making unwanted purchases. The FTC issued its first round of refunds in December 2024, which saw the agency send over 629,000 payments totaling more than $72 million. In the latest round of refunds, the agency says it will send nearly 970,000 checks and PayPal payments to consumers who have filed a valid claim. "Today's announcement brings the total amount of refunds the FTC has issued to consumer related to Epic's deceptive billing practices to nearly $200 million," the FTC said in a news release June 25. The FTC said consumers selected their payment method when they completed their claim form. Check recipients should cash their checks within 90 days, as indicted on the check, while PayPal recipients should redeem their payments within 30 days, the agency said. Eligible consumers who have not yet submitted a claim have until July 9, 2025, to submit one at Fortnite, best known for its Battle Royale mode in which up to 100 players can fight it out to the last one standing, is free to download and play. But the game charges players for a slew of in-game items and experiences – known among gamers as microtransactions – such as costumes and dance moves. Microtransactions are a common feature in video games and one many gamers have come to expect and understand. But according to the FTC, Epic Games used a design tactic known as "dark patterns" that concealed in-game purchases, allowing children to rack up unauthorized charges without parental consent. In some cases, just the single accidental press of one button led players of all ages to incur charges that they hadn't agreed to, the FTC says. This could occur for players who tried to wake the game from sleep mode or who pressed a button to merely preview a purchasable item, the agency said in a complaint, which outline offenses from 2017 to 2022. Epic Games also was accused of locking customers who disputed unauthorized charges out of their accounts, causing them to lose access to all the content they purchased. Under a proposed administrative order with the FTC, Epic agreed to pay $245 million, which will be used to refund consumers. The settlement, reached in December 2022, represents the FTC's largest refund amount in a gaming case. Contributing: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fortnite refund: How to file a claim, get a check from FTC
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Fortnite players could be eligible for a refund: How to file a claim
The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday, June 25 it is sending more than $126 million in refunds to Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted purchases while playing the game. The agency also said it is reopening the process for Fortnite players, or their parents or guardians, to submit a claim stemming from the FTC's 2023 settlement with Epic Games, the game's developer. Epic Games agreed to pay $245 million to settle the FTC's allegations that the developer used "deceptive practices" to trick players into making unwanted purchases. The FTC issued its first round of refunds in December 2024, which saw the agency send over 629,000 payments totaling more than $72 million. In the latest round of refunds, the agency says it will send nearly 970,000 checks and PayPal payments to consumers who have filed a valid claim. "Today's announcement brings the total amount of refunds the FTC has issued to consumer related to Epic's deceptive billing practices to nearly $200 million," the FTC said in a news release June 25. The FTC said consumers selected their payment method when they completed their claim form. Check recipients should cash their checks within 90 days, as indicted on the check, while PayPal recipients should redeem their payments within 30 days, the agency said. Eligible consumers who have not yet submitted a claim have until July 9, 2025, to submit one at FTC says Epic Games 'tricked' customers into unwanted purchases Fortnite, best known for its Battle Royale mode in which up to 100 players can fight it out to the last one standing, is free to download and play. But the game charges players for a slew of in-game items and experiences – known among gamers as microtransactions – such as costumes and dance moves. Microtransactions are a common feature in video games and one many gamers have come to expect and understand. But according to the FTC, Epic Games used a design tactic known as "dark patterns" that concealed in-game purchases, allowing children to rack up unauthorized charges without parental consent. In some cases, just the single accidental press of one button led players of all ages to incur charges that they hadn't agreed to, the FTC says. This could occur for players who tried to wake the game from sleep mode or who pressed a button to merely preview a purchasable item, the agency said in a complaint, which outline offenses from 2017 to 2022. Epic Games also was accused of locking customers who disputed unauthorized charges out of their accounts, causing them to lose access to all the content they purchased. Under a proposed administrative order with the FTC, Epic agreed to pay $245 million, which will be used to refund consumers. The settlement, reached in December 2022, represents the FTC's largest refund amount in a gaming case. Contributing: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@
