Latest news with #WorldViewLegion
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fog-cloaked: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 Tuesday morning at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
(This story has been updated to include SpaceX's latest Tuesday evening launch target times.) The fog was so thick that the shrouded rocket was scarcely visible on SpaceX's own webcast. But a Falcon 9 lifted off in the predawn darkness Tuesday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking Florida's 11th orbital rocket launch thus far this year. SpaceX's Starlink 12-3 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 40 during a National Weather Service dense fog advisory — with meteorologists warning motorists that visibility could dip below ¼ mile until hours after sunrise. The Falcon 9 deployed 21 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, including 13 with direct-to-cell communications capabilities. Rumbling from the rising rocket reverberated for roughly 2½ minutes in Rockledge, Viera and nearby Space Coast communities, rattling homes amid unusual atmospheric conditions that thwarted launch photographers. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA rocket launch schedule in Florida Afterward, SpaceX continued targeting a Tuesday rocket launch doubleheader from the Cape. A second, 53-minute launch window was slated to open at 6:13 p.m. to launch a Falcon 9 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. That mission was set to deploy the third pair of Maxar Space Systems-built WorldView Legion high-resolution imagery satellites into orbit. Before the Starlink liftoff, SpaceX crews kept the general public guessing Tuesday morning by not publicly announcing that rocket fueling had begun. Instead, thick fog obscured views of Launch Complex 40 and telltale signs of rocket fueling, namely billowing white vapor and frost forming near the rocket's base. The first-stage booster from Tuesday's Starlink mission completed its 21st flight by touching down for landing atop the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. The booster previously launched OneWeb 1, SES 18+19, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F1, CRS-24 and 16 Starlink missions. Last week, Scandinavian Airlines officials announced Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi internet service will roll out fleet-wide late this year, free of charge to all passengers. "Starlink will soon be available on all @SAS flights for passengers and crew, even while flying over the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and North Pole," SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev said in a tweet. For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit 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: SpaceX launches Starlink 12-3 mission Tuesday at foggy Cape Canaveral
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maxar Successfully Launches Fifth and Sixth WorldView Legion Satellites
All six WorldView Legion Earth imaging satellites are performing well on orbit, marking a new era for geospatial insights WESTMINSTER, Colo., February 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Maxar Intelligence, a provider of secure, precise geospatial insights, today confirmed that its fifth and sixth WorldView Legion satellites are performing well after being launched into mid-inclination orbit from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket earlier today. With this successful launch, Maxar now has seven satellites on orbit capable of collecting 30 cm-class imagery—representing a significant increase in very-high resolution imagery capacity and marking a new era for the geospatial industry. Once all six WorldView Legion satellites are fully operational, the Maxar constellation will be able to collect more than 6 million sq km of Earth imagery per day, including up to 3.6 million sq km of 30 cm-class imagery. These capabilities offer: More capacity for mission planning. The ability to collect more real-time imagery to support site monitoring, emergency response, maritime surveillance and civil government use cases. Foundational imagery to create fresher basemaps and 3D maps for commercial and operational mapmaking and telecommunications planning. Enhanced insights extracted on the global scale for informed decision-making. "This incredible achievement puts Maxar in a category of its own within the geospatial industry, and it's been made possible thanks to the hard work, dedication and talent of the many people who have supported this program over the years," said Dan Smoot, Maxar Intelligence CEO. "This is the just the beginning. This additional capacity enables us to collect more timely data over more locations, and it will further fuel the industry's most advanced 2D and 3D geospatial content products." "Combining this capacity with our AI-powered technologies and software platform puts Maxar in a unique position to deliver the ground truth in near real-time, empowering our government and commercial users to make mission-critical, time-sensitive decisions with confidence," Smoot said. In addition to increasing collection capacity, the WorldView Legion satellites enhance the capabilities of Maxar's industry-leading constellation by: Powering dawn-to-dusk image collection, with satellites in mid-inclination orbit and sun-synchronous orbit. Enabling up to 15 revisits per day of some locations on Earth, which is critical for use cases like site and change monitoring. The first two WorldView Legion launched in May 2024 and are currently supporting customer missions. The second pair launched in August 2024 and delivered first images late last year. Built by Maxar Space Systems, these six WorldView Legion satellites are the first Maxar 500™ series platforms to reach space, following the successful launches of the four last year. "Maxar Space Systems is committed to our Maxar Intelligence customer, delivering on our legacy of quality and reliability. The WorldView Legion spacecraft are built to be the most advanced commercial Earth observation systems, reflecting our team's dedication and hard work," said the CEO of Maxar Space Systems, Chris Johnson. Learn more about Maxar's next-generation WorldView Legion satellites. About Maxar Intelligence Maxar Intelligence is a leading provider of secure, precise geospatial insights. Operating the most advanced commercial Earth observation constellation on orbit, we use the power of very high-resolution satellite imagery and software technology to deliver mission success on Earth and in space. Our secure, AI-powered products and services deliver ground truth in near real-time to keep nations safe, improve navigation, protect our planet, speed up disaster response and more. For more information, visit About Maxar Space Systems Maxar Space Systems is a leading satellite manufacturer and provider of advanced solutions for space exploration and operations. We deliver innovative solutions to commercial and government customers helping them unlock the promise of space to solve problems on Earth and beyond. We address a broad spectrum of needs for our customers, including mission systems engineering, product design, spacecraft manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing. Maxar Space Systems is a trusted partner in commercial and government missions, combining more than 60 years of deep mission understanding and industry leading performance. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contacts: Tomi MaxtedMaxar Intelligence Media Eric GlassMaxar Space Systems Media Relations+ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX launches Maxar 3 mission, high-resolution commercial satellites
Feb. 4 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched its Maxar 3 mission, with two high-resolution commercial satellites on board, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday after Monday's launch was scrubbed. The Maxar 3 mission, which carried both WorldView Legion satellites into mid-inclination Earth orbit, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at about 6:13 p.m. EST. "SpaceX has confirmed that it is now set to launch our fifth and sixth WorldView Legion satellites from Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 4," Maxar Technologies wrote earlier Monday in a post on X, along with photos of the satellites. Launch update: @SpaceX has confirmed that it is now set to launch our fifth and sixth WorldView Legion satellites from Kennedy Space Center on February 4. The launch window opens at 6:07 p.m. ET. Watch the launch live at and Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) February 3, 2025 Approximately 47 minutes after liftoff, the first WorldView Legion satellite was to be deployed. The second satellite was to be deployed about an hour and 50 minutes into the flight. The two WorldView Legion satellites were shipped to Florida from Maxar Space Systems' factory in Palo Alto, Calif., in early January. The satellites will complete Maxar's first block of satellites, once released into orbit. This is the fourth flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster 1086, which will support Tuesday's launch. The first stage booster previously launched GOES-U and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation eight minutes after launch, Falcon 9 will land on Landing Zone at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which could cause a sonic boom across Central Florida. There are currently four WorldView Legion satellites operating in mid-inclination Earth orbit and six other satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit, according to Maxar Technologies. "With satellites now in sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits, the Maxar constellation has more capacity for tasking than ever before -- an increase of 85% over the mid-latitudes of Earth!" Maxar Technologies wrote in December in a post on X. With satellites now in sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits, the Maxar constellation has more capacity for tasking than ever before-an increase of 85% over the mid-latitudes of Earth! : This GIF illustrates the MIO orbits of four WorldView Legion satellites. Read more... Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) December 3, 2024 Earlier Tuesday, Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The satellites, which launched at 5:15 a.m., included 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities. Direct to Cell capabilities allow Starlink satellites to "function as space-based cell towers, providing cellular service directly to standard LTE phones," according to SpaceX. Direct to Cell will enable global data service, texting and voice calls while "enhancing connectivity in remote or underserved areas." Tuesday morning's flight was the 21st for the first stage booster, which previously launched OneWeb 1, SES 18+19, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F1, CRS-24 and 17 Starlink missions. Falcon 9 delivers 21 @Starlink satellites to the constellation, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 4, 2025
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX launches Maxar 3 mission, high-resolution commercial satellites
Feb. 4 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched its Maxar 3 mission, with two high-resolution commercial satellites on board, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday after Monday's launch was scrubbed. The Maxar 3 mission, which carried both WorldView Legion satellites into mid-inclination Earth orbit, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at about 6:13 p.m. EST. "SpaceX has confirmed that it is now set to launch our fifth and sixth WorldView Legion satellites from Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 4," Maxar Technologies wrote earlier Monday in a post on X, along with photos of the satellites. Approximately 47 minutes after liftoff, the first WorldView Legion satellite was to be deployed. The second satellite was to be deployed about an hour and 50 minutes into the flight. The two WorldView Legion satellites were shipped to Florida from Maxar Space Systems' factory in Palo Alto, Calif., in early January. The satellites will complete Maxar's first block of satellites, once released into orbit. This is the fourth flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster 1086, which will support Tuesday's launch. The first stage booster previously launched GOES-U and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation eight minutes after launch, Falcon 9 will land on Landing Zone at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which could cause a sonic boom across Central Florida. There are currently four WorldView Legion satellites operating in mid-inclination Earth orbit and six other satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit, according to Maxar Technologies. "With satellites now in sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits, the Maxar constellation has more capacity for tasking than ever before -- an increase of 85% over the mid-latitudes of Earth!" Maxar Technologies wrote in December in a post on X. Earlier Tuesday, Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The satellites, which launched at 5:15 a.m., included 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities. Direct to Cell capabilities allow Starlink satellites to "function as space-based cell towers, providing cellular service directly to standard LTE phones," according to SpaceX. Direct to Cell will enable global data service, texting and voice calls while "enhancing connectivity in remote or underserved areas." Tuesday morning's flight was the 21st for the first stage booster, which previously launched OneWeb 1, SES 18+19, Eutelsat HOTBIRD-F1, CRS-24 and 17 Starlink missions.
