Latest news with #SpaceForce
CBS News
10 minutes ago
- Science
- CBS News
SpaceX launch could create sonic boom in Southern California, officials advise
A SpaceX launch scheduled on Tuesday morning could create a large sonic boom heard across Southern California, officials advise. The Falcon 9 launch of NASA's TRACERS mission, which will take place at Vandenberg Space Force Base's Space Launch Complex 4 East, is scheduled at 11:13 a.m. with an 57-minute long launch window. "About eight minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage will land on SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 ... at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California," said a release from SpaceX. "There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions." If necessary, a backup launch date is scheduled for Wednesday at the same time. TRACERS, or Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, is a program that aims to "help understand magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth's atmosphere," according to NASA's website. Scientists will evaluate how weather in space affects the weather on Earth. In May, a sonic boom shook most of Southern California as SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere after a launch nearly a day earlier.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Shares of Rocket Lab Lifted Off Today
Key Points Rocket Lab is a leading launch services provider. Bank of America has upwardly revised its price target due, in part, to the potential of the company's Neutron rocket. Because it's an unprofitable company, investors should only consider Rocket Lab if they're comfortable with a higher-risk investment. 10 stocks we like better than Rocket Lab › Each day this week, shares of Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) have closed higher than where they ended the previous day's trading session. The trend doesn't show signs of stopping today. With an analyst's positive outlook for Rocket Lab stock, investors are continuing to click the buy button on the launch services provider. As of 2:06 p.m. ET, shares of Rocket Lab are up 10.6%. Development of a new rocket has this analyst optimistic Maintaining its buy rating, Bank of America hiked its price target on Rocket Lab stock to $50 from $30. According to The Fly, the more auspicious view of the space stock is predicated on the favorable outlook for the Neutron rocket as well as the company's strength in satellite development position will provide more diverse offerings to its current rocket, Electron, the Neutron rocket is capable of larger payloads, and management is looking to its development as a major engine of growth for the company. In March, Rocket Lab announced that the United States Space Force has chosen the Neutron rocket to compete for contracts from the National Security Space Launch program, which has a five-year ordering period that extends through June 2029 and has a maximum value of $5.6 billion. Rocket Lab expects the first launch of Neutron to occur in the second half of 2025. What's a potential Rocket Lab investor to do now? It's important for those weighing an investment in Rocket Lab to remember that analysts often have shorter investing horizons than the long-term holding periods many investors favor. News of the higher price target, therefore, should be of little consequence. Instead, the company's robust backlog and progress with the Neutron program provide more concrete factors that can support an investment. Of course, since the company is still unprofitable, only investors comfortable with a more speculative investment will want to consider Rocket Lab at this point. Fortunately, there are other space stocks to consider if Rocket Lab is deemed too speculative. Should you invest $1,000 in Rocket Lab right now? Before you buy stock in Rocket Lab, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Rocket Lab wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $674,281!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,050,415!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,058% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 179% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025 Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Rocket Lab. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Shares of Rocket Lab Lifted Off Today was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
New Space Force STARCOM commander returns to Patrick Space Force Base after 11-year absence
When U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James Smith and his family packed into their Honda Odyssey van in 2014 and drove north on Interstate 95 to the Pentagon, he didn't think he'd ever get stationed on Florida's Space Coast again. Fast-forward 11 years. Smith has returned — as a Space Force major general. And he'll lead STARCOM as the high-tech field command continues transitioning from Colorado to Patrick Space Force Base, eventually creating a headquarters boasting more than 450 personnel in the next several years. "Who could have imagined in 2014 that I'd stand here today in a sharp and distinctive uniform; taking command of something we call a field command; within a brand-new military service?" Smith asked. Smith spoke from the Sharkatorium stage during a change of command ceremony Friday, July 18, at Patrick SFB. Smith moves to STARCOM after serving as Vice Director for Joint Force Development at the Pentagon, where he supported the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral STARCOM is the Space Force's training hub for warfighting in space, including doctrine, tactics and techniques. The Space Force was created in 2019. STARCOM — an acronym for Space Training and Readiness Command — was activated as the Space Force's third field command in August 2021. Then in May 2023, military officials announced STARCOM headquarters would move cross-country from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to Patrick SFB. Next, St. Johns River Water Management District permitting records show two modular buildings measuring 22,898 square feet and 22,737 square feet are slated for STARCOM at Patrick SFB, along with a 133-space parking lot and dry stormwater retention area. Estimated completion date: Oct. 31. More than 100 STARCOM personnel are expected to be stationed on Florida's Space Coast by year's end. Smith succeeds Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, who has commanded STARCOM since July 2023. Sejba's next assignment: special assistant to the vice chief of space operations at the Pentagon. Smith previously commanded the 1st Range Operations Squadron at then-Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from August 2012 to May 2014. That's when his four children attended Merritt Island High, Jefferson Middle and Tropical Elementary schools. "I definitely did not foresee how dramatically or rapidly the very character of warfare would evolve," Smith said, referring to space-based surveillance, electronic warfare and other complexities. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: STARCOM leader to oversee move from Colorado to Patrick Space Force Base Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX sends 24 Starlink satellites to polar orbit in late night launch
July 19 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched 24 more Starlink satellites late Friday from California into low-Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:52 p.m. PDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base's pad 4 East. Watch Falcon 9 launch 24 @Starlink satellites to orbit from California SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 19, 2025 About eight minutes later, Falcon 9's first-stage booster successfully landed on "Of Course I Still Love You" stationed in the Pacific Ocean. It was the booster's 14th mission, and 141st on this vessel and 477th of all droneships. SpaceX has launched 88 Falcon 9 rockets this year and 516th overall in California and Florida. The satellites were deployed into a polar orbit about one hour later. Falcon 9 launches 24 @Starlink satellites from California SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 19, 2025 The Starlink network includes 7,965 active units launched since 2019, reported. The satellites provide broadband internet access and direct-to-cell service. The next SpaceX flight from Florida is scheduled for 5:12 p.m. EDT Monday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Complex 40. A Falcon 9 will launch the fifth pair of 03b mPower satellites to medium Earth orbit for Luxembourg-based SES.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
What to know: ULA Vulcan rocket to launch national security mission from Cape Canaveral
It's been awhile since Florida has seen a Vulcan rocket launch, but United Launch Alliance is pushing ahead to break that drought. While an official launch date is yet to come, ULA has announced the upcoming USSF-106 mission for the Space Force. The company has also teased photos of the red and white Vulcan rocket in the process of being stacked for launch. The long awaited liftoff will be from Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As it is a national security mission, the payload remains undisclosed. When did a Vulcan last launch? How long has it been since we've seen this rocket? The last Vulcan launch was the Space Force certification flight in October 2024. Now that the new rocket has been cleared to fly national security payloads, the Space Coast awaits a launch date for this rocket's third flight. "From its inception, the Vulcan rocket was designed to deliver heavy payloads to any orbit. The upcoming USSF-106 mission utilizes this capability with Centaur V launching a multi-manifest U.S. national security payload directly to geosynchronous orbit for the Space Force," United Launch Alliance posted to its website July 15. The Centaur V is the Vulcan's upper stage, which is designed to reach unusual orbits for these national security missions. "The basic architecture of the rocket is really focused on these unique orbits," ULA CEO Tory Bruno told reporters in March. "An example would be directly injecting into geosynchronous orbit − a mission really the government does." A geosynchronous orbit is one which orbits alongside Earth's 24-hour rotation, with the spacecraft staying above the same longitude. The first time a Vulcan launched was in January 2024. What is the Vulcan replacing? While ULA still launches its Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, the Vulcan is designed to replace both Atlas V and the now retired Delta IV. It will become ULA's main workhorse rocket. On top of missions for the Space Force, Vulcan will also fly payloads such as Amazon's Kuiper internet satellites. The long awaited Dream Chaser space plane is also on the manifest, but no launch day yet. Vulcan is designed to fly with two, four, or six solid rocket boosters, or none at all. ULA says to look for four solid rocket boosters propelling this upcoming mission off the launch pad. What happened during the ULA Vulcan rocket launch in Florida last fall? During Vulcan's last launch in October 2024, sparks were seen by spectators approximately 38 seconds into the flight. It was later revealed that an issue within one of the solid rocket boosters caused the light show. The issue did not impact the mission, with the payload reaching orbit. The incident was investigated by ULA to understand the root cause. In March 2025, the Vulcan rocket received certification from the U.S. Space Force to fly national security missions. When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral Be sure to follow the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team for the latest from Cape Canaveral. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What to know: ULA Vulcan rocket to launch mission from Cape Canaveral Solve the daily Crossword
