Latest news with #NROL-69
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites to expand global internet coverage
In the early hours of June 28, after a day of severe weather warnings and storm activity across Central Florida, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 27 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch, which occurred at 12:26 a.m. from Launch Complex 40, followed hours of anticipation as meteorologists issued multiple thunderstorm alerts and lightning watches that could have delayed the mission. Fortunately, the skies cleared just in time, granting the launch team a window of calm, 10-mile visibility, and ideal conditions. This mission adds to SpaceX's expanding Starlink constellation, which aims to provide global broadband internet coverage, especially in remote and underserved regions. It also coincided with a significant date in SpaceX's history — the 10th anniversary of a Falcon 9 rocket explosion that occurred on June 28, 2015, during a NASA resupply mission to the International Space Station. The stark contrast between the two events underscores the remarkable technological and operational progress SpaceX has achieved over the past decade. SpaceX and Starlink reusability in action with veteran Falcon 9 booster The Falcon 9 rocket used for this mission was not a newcomer to the skies. SpaceX confirmed that the first-stage booster was flying its fifth mission, having previously launched CRS-32, NROL-69, GPS III-7, and another Starlink deployment. Once its primary task of lifting the payload into low-Earth orbit was complete, the booster executed a successful landing on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This routine yet remarkable display of reusability continues to demonstrate the economic and environmental efficiency of SpaceX's design. Each recovered booster reduces the cost of subsequent missions and supports SpaceX's long-term vision of sustainable space travel and interplanetary missions. A decade after failure, SpaceX looks ahead June 28 also marks a solemn moment in the company's history. On this day in 2015, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying over 5,000 pounds of cargo aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule for NASA broke apart just over two minutes into flight. The explosion was a major setback at the time, but it became a pivotal learning moment that shaped the company's future approach to reliability and design improvements. This latest launch occurred under the watch of newly appointed commander Col. Brian Chatman, who now leads Space Launch Delta 45 and oversees operations at Patrick Space Force Base and the broader Eastern Range. Responsible for ensuring safety over a vast 15-million-square-mile operational area, Chatman's leadership coincides with a period of increasing launch activity, making the success of such missions a reflection of both technical coordination and operational precision.
Daily Tribune
26-03-2025
- Science
- Daily Tribune
SpaceX rocket fuel makes stunning swirl in European sky
AFP | Paris Email : editor@ A stunning blue and white spiral spotted in skies across Europe late Monday was created by frozen fuel tumbling from a SpaceX rocket, according to weather forecasters and scientists. The UK's Met Office said on X it had received many reports of an "illuminated swirl" in the sky on Monday evening likely caused by a rocket that had blasted off earlier from Cape Canaveral in Florida. "Don't panic! No, it wasn't a UFO but the degassing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket," said the French state weather forecaster Meteo France in the country's central Loire Valley. Pictures of the vivid swirl were also posted by social media users in countries including Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Croatia. People across Europe may have had the chance to see the phenomenon -- as long as it was not obscured by clouds, planetary scientist James O'Donoghue of the UK's University of Reading told AFP. The spiral was created after the rocket's first-stage booster, which blasted it off the ground, separated and the upper stage took over, he said. As the booster fell back to Earth, it vented leftover fuel, which froze into reflective crystals. "These crystals caught the sunlight, creating the bright spiral pattern in the sky," O'Donoghue said. "The spiral shape happened because the tumbling rocket was spinning as it released the fuel." Spy satellite? The swirl was created by the launch of SpaceX's NROL-69 mission. Exactly what it was carrying into space was classified. But the mission was conducted for the National Reconnaissance Office, which manages the US military's spy satellites. "The Falcon 9 reusable rocket booster returned safely to Landing Zone 1 after delivering the national security payload to orbit," the office said in a statement. A similar spiral was spotted above New Zealand in 2022, also from the workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, according to reports at the time. The venting of the gas that creates these spirals is not dangerous, O'Donoghue said. It can happen to other rockets, but the sheer number of Falcon 9 launches makes it a likely suspect. The timing of this launch -- during the European twilight -- as well as the season, cloud cover and other factors affect whether people on the ground can see such spirals, O'Donoghue said. Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX has taken a "fail fast, learn fast" approach that has helped it become the world's dominant launch services provider. The company's massive Starship rocket exploded during its latest test flight this month, with social media footage showing red-hot debris raining down over the Bahamas.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Glowing blue spiral over Europe dazzles and perplexes. There's an explanation familiar to SoCal
A large, bright blue spiral spotted over Europe on Monday night sparked chatter on social media about what might have caused the mysterious vortex. Videos posted on the X showed a blue orb in the night sky that was visible in the U.K., France and other countries. In a post on X, AccuWeather said the mesmerizing blue spiral might have been caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The post quoted the U.K. Met Office in saying,the spiral probably came about due to the rocket's "frozen exhaust plume... spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky." The flight, dubbed NROL-69, launched shortly before 2 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to Space X's website, where the launch can be seen on video. A spokesman for SpaceX could not immediately be reached for comment. A Falcon 9 has previously caused a stir in Southern California with the light show it left in its wake. Sci-fi fans might see a similarity with another blue vortex. The spiral is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the 1980 film "The Final Countdown," in which the USS Nimitz enters a blue vortex and travels through time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of course, it's Hollywood, no explanation is needed. 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.
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Glowing blue spiral over Europe dazzles and perplexes. There's an explanation familiar to SoCal
A large, bright blue spiral spotted over Europe on Monday night sparked chatter on social media about what might have caused the mysterious vortex. Videos posted on the X showed a blue orb in the night sky that was visible in the U.K., France and other countries. In a post on X, AccuWeather said the mesmerizing blue spiral might have been caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The post quoted the U.K. Met Office in saying,the spiral probably came about due to the rocket's 'frozen exhaust plume... spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky.' The flight, dubbed NROL-69, launched shortly before 2 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to Space X's website, where the launch can be seen on video. A spokesman for SpaceX could not immediately be reached for comment. The Falcon 9 has previously caused a stir in Southern California with the light show it left in its wake. Sci-fi fans might see a similarity with another blue vortex. The spiral is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the 1980 film 'The Final Countdown,' in which the USS Nimitz enters a blue vortex and travels through time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of course, it's Hollywood, no explanation is needed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Spectacular blue spiral light brightens up night sky, likely from Space X rocket
A mysterious spiraling blue light illuminated the night skies over Europe on Monday. The cosmic whirlpool was captured in stunning video and appears to have been created by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster falling back toward Earth, according to experts. Time-lapse video taken from Croatia at around 4 p.m. EST, or 9 p.m. local time, shows the glowing light spinning across the sky in what many social media commentators likened to a spiral galaxy. The full video at normal speed lasts for about six minutes. Elon Musk Congratulates Spacex, Nasa For 'Excellent Work' Rescuing Stranded Astronauts The Met Office in the U.K. said it had received many reports of an "illuminated swirl in the sky" and said it was likely caused by the Space X rocket which launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at around 1:50 p.m. EST as part of the government's classified NROL-69 mission. The Elon Musk-owned SpaceX was launching a payload on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the government's intelligence and surveillance agency. "This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today," the Met Office wrote on X. "The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky." Read On The Fox News App The glowing light is an example of what some people call a "SpaceX spiral," according to Spacex Dragon Capsule Sticks Splashdown Landing As Nasa Astronauts Return Home After Months Stuck In Space SpaceX spirals develop after the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket separates from its first-stage booster. As the upper stage continues towards space, the lower stage falls, spiraling back to Earth, dumping what remains of its fuel. The fuel then freezes instantly due to its high altitude and light then reflects on it, creating the strange-looking glow in the sky, per the outlet. Fox News Digital reached out to SpaceX for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Monday's cosmic display came just days after a SpaceX team working with NASA returned two stranded astronauts from article source: Spectacular blue spiral light brightens up night sky, likely from Space X rocket
