Latest news with #SpaceXFalcon9
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Is there a rocket launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, liftoff schedule from Vandenberg, California
Residents of the Golden State have a few rocket launches to look forward to in the weeks ahead. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has plans for at least two deliveries of Starlink satellites into orbit from Vandenberg, California. Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman, a launch service provider based in Virginia, is under contract for a U.S. Space Force launch there later this month. 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. In Florida, rockets − including SpaceX Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy or United Launch Alliance's Atlas V − launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or nearby at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In California, rockets launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Florida rocket launch schedule: Here's what's coming up for SpaceX, NASA rocket launches at Cape Canaveral Here's a look at the upcoming May 2025 launch schedule at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California: California rocket launch, Friday, May 9, 2025: SpaceX Starlink 15-3 Mission : SpaceX will potentially launch a Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to deploy Starlink broadband satellites. Launch window : 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET ) to 9 p.m. PT Friday, May 9, 2025. Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Vandeberg, California California rocket launch in May 2025: SpaceX Starlink 15-4 Mission : SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to deploy Starlink broadband satellites. Launch window : To be announced Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base. in Vandenberg, California California rocket launch in May 2025: Northrop Grumman Space Systems EWS OD-1 Mission : Northrop Grumman will launch a prototype weather satellite for the United States Space Force on its Minotaur IV rocket. The satellite, known as the Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System (EWS), is due to remain in low-Earth orbit for about three years for a mission known as Operational Demonstration-1 (OD-1.) Launch window : To be announced Rocket launch location: Space Launch Complex 8 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Vandenberg, California A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base is viewed Dec. 28, 2024 from Encinitas, California. The image was taken following stage separation as the first stage returns to land on a droneship, in the Pacific Ocean. Stunning images! SpaceX, ULA rocket launches from Vandenberg, California, may be visible in Arizona, too Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California rocket launch schedule: May SpaceX missions from Vandenberg
CBS News
05-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado-based Lunar Outpost behind rover set to explore Moon's south pole for first time
Following a successful launch of Intuitive Machines' lunar lander, part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, the team from Colorado-based Lunar Outpost was back to work. "About 20 seconds after that rocket SpaceX Falcon 9 cleared the launchpad, you saw people running out of the bleachers to get over to mission control and to start checking on our system," said Michael Moreno, Vice President of Strategy for Lunar Outpost. The lander is expected to reach the moon's surface on Thursday. Onboard is Lunar Outpost's exploration rover MAPP, or mobile autonomous prospecting platform. "Our flight teams are locked in and me, personally, I'm excited but I'm not really going to buy into all of that excitement until we are operating on the lunar surface," Lunar Outpost co-founder Julian Cyrus said. Cyrus and Moreno helped launch the Golden startup in 2017. They are now on the verge of a historic voyage, one that's expected to be the first commercial rover on the moon and the first rover ever to explore the Moon's south pole. According to Lunar Outpost, the lunar south pole is one of the most strategically and scientifically significant locations in space. Permanently shadowed craters are believed to contain water ice deposits, a critical resource for producing fuel, oxygen, and drinking water. "Every one of us feels like we are grateful to have a front row seat in history and to actually take part in it, it's a rare opportunity. It's once-in-a-lifetime," Moreno said. Adding to the technical and scientific firsts of the mission, Moreno says they're paving the way for a lunar economy, with NASA purchasing the first commercially collected moon dust from the company. "What's the business model for selling payload space? What's the pricing model? ... What's the process in business innovation? Those are even steps beyond solving these really hard technical challenges," he added. They'll include payloads or experiments from companies like Nokia, demonstrating the first-ever cellular network on the moon, as well as partnership with Adidas and Juventus, one of the world's largest European football clubs, making them the first professional sports organizations involved in moon exploration. "You don't really see football clubs on the moon very often," Cyrus said, "you know it's awesome to see, It allows people a different avenue and a different path to be a part of these awesome missions and programs that we have," he said. According to NASA, Intuitive Machines is targeting their Moon landing no earlier than 12:32 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 6. Their coverage begins at 11:11:30 a.m. on NASA+.
WIRED
15-02-2025
- Climate
- WIRED
For-Profit Companies Can't Easily Replace NOAA's Weather-Forecasting Prowess
Christine Wiedinmyer Kari Bowen Feb 15, 2025 8:00 AM Replicating the abilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fleet of weather satellites would take time and a lot of money—and expose private companies to a large amount of risk. The SpaceX Falcon 9 launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with the Jason-3 spacecraft onboard, on January 17, 2016. Photograph: Bill Ingalls; NASA/Getty Images THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. When a hurricane or tornado starts to form, your local weather forecasters can quickly pull up maps tracking its movement and showing where it's headed. But have you ever wondered where they get all that information? The forecasts can seem effortless, but behind the scenes, a vast network of satellites, airplanes, radar, computer models, and weather analysts are providing access to the latest data—and warnings when necessary. This data comes from analysts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA, and its National Weather Service. Atmospheric scientists Christine Wiedinmyer and Kari Bowen, a former National Weather Service forecaster, explain NOAA's central role in most US weather forecasts. When people see a weather report on TV, what went on at NOAA to make that forecast possible? A lot of the weather information Americans rely on starts with real-time data collected by NOAA satellites, airplanes, weather balloons, radar, and maritime buoys, as well as weather stations around the world. All of that information goes into the agency's computers, which process the data to begin defining what's going on in different parts of the atmosphere. NOAA forecasters use computer models that simulate physics and the behavior of the atmosphere, along with their own experience and local knowledge, to start to paint a picture of the weather—what's coming in a few minutes or hours or days. They also use that data to project seasonal conditions out over weeks or months. NOAA's data comes from many sources to provide a more complete picture of developing climate and weather conditions. Communities and economies rely on that constantly updated information. NOAA When severe weather is on the way, the agency issues the official alerts you'll see in the news and on your phone. All of this analysis happens before the information reaches private weather apps and TV stations. No matter who you are, you can freely access that data and the analyses. In fact, a large number of private companies use NOAA data to create fancy maps and other weather products that they sell. It would be extremely difficult to do all of that without NOAA. The agency operates a fleet of 18 satellites that are packed with instruments dedicated to observing weather phenomena essential to predicting the weather, from how hot the land surface is to the water content of the atmosphere. Some are geostationary satellites which sit high above different parts of the US measuring weather conditions 24/7. Others orbit the planet. Many of these are operated as part of partnerships with NASA or the Air Force. Some private companies are starting to invest in satellites, but it would take an enormous amount of money to replicate the range of instrumentation and coverage that NOAA has in place. Satellites only last so long and take time to build, so NOAA is continually planning for the future, and using its technical expertise to develop new instruments and computer algorithms to interpret the data. NOAA's low earth orbiting satellites circle the planet from pole to pole and across the equator 14 times a day to provide a full picture of the year twice a day. The agency also has geostationary satellites that provide continuous coverage over the US. Courtesy of David Ducross/NOAA Maritime buoys are another measuring system that would be difficult to replicate. Over 1,300 buoys across oceans around the world measure water temperature, wind, and wave height—all of which are essential for coastal warnings, as well as long-term forecasts. Weather observation has been around a long time. President Ulysses S. Grant created the first national weather service in the War Department in 1870. It became a civilian service in 1880 under the Department of Agriculture and is now in the Commerce Department. The information its scientists and technologists produce is essential for safety and also benefits people and industries in a lot of ways. Could a private company create forecasts on its own without NOAA data? It would be difficult for one company to provide comprehensive weather data in a reliable way that is also accessible to the entire public. Some companies might be able to launch their own satellite, but one satellite only gives you part of the picture. NOAA's weather observation network has been around for a long time and collects data from points all over the US and the oceans. Without that robust data, computer models, and the broad network of forecasters and developers, forecasting also becomes less reliable. Analyzing that data is also complex. You're not going to be able to take satellite data, run a model on a standard laptop and suddenly have a forecast. And there's a question of whether a private company would want to take on the legal risk of being responsible for the nation's forecasts and severe weather warnings. Neil Jacobs, nominated to oversee NOAA, explains why the agency is essential for accurate national weather forecasting and why private companies might not want to take on the legal risk on their own. NOAA is taxpayer-funded, so it is a public good—its services provide safety and security for everyone, not just those who can pay for it. If weather data was only available at a price, one town might be able to afford the weather information necessary to protect its residents, while a smaller town or a rural area across the state might not. If you're in a tornado-prone area or coastal zone, that information can be the difference between life or death. Is climate data and research into the changing climate important for forecasts? The Earth's systems—its land, water, and the atmosphere—are changing, and we have to be able to assess how those changes will impact weather tomorrow, in two weeks, and far into the future. Rising global temperatures affect weather patterns. Dryness can fuel wildfires. Forecasts have to take the changing climate into account to be accurate, no matter who is creating the forecast. Drought is an example. The dryness of the Earth controls how much water gets exchanged with the atmosphere to form clouds and rainfall. To have an accurate weather prediction, we need to know how dry things are at the surface and how that has changed over time. That requires long-term climate information. NOAA doesn't do all of this by itself—who else is involved? NOAA partners with private sector, academia, nonprofits, and many others around the world to ensure that everyone has the best information to produce the most robust weather forecasts. Private weather companies and media also play important roles in getting those forecasts and alerts out more widely to the public. A lot of businesses rely on accuracy from NOAA's weather data and forecasts: aviation, energy companies, insurance, even modern tractors' precision farming equipment. The agency's long-range forecasts are essential for managing state reservoirs to ensure enough water is saved and to avoid flooding. The government agency can be held accountable in a way private businesses are not because it answers to Congress. So, the data is trustworthy, accessible and developed with the goal to protect public safety and property for everyone. Could the same be said if only for-profit companies were producing that data?
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘Oildale' sign damaged in solo-vehicle crash: CHP
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A motorist crashed into and knocked over a sign welcoming drivers to Oildale Monday afternoon. The 'Oildale' sign was damaged on Monday after a vehicle collided into the sign and became high-centered on the median, according to the California Highway Patrol. The incident occurred just north of the intersection of North Chester and Beardsley avenues at about 4:04 p.m. Latest SpaceX Falcon 9 launch visible in Bakersfield The vehicle also hit the black and yellow pedestrian sign directly north of the 'Oildale' sign. No injuries or arrests were reported after the crash, according to CHP. The sign has already been repaired several times. Just days after its unveiling in November 2017, the sign was vandalized by graffiti. The sign was also knocked over when a driver crashed into the sign in February 2018. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
