The Southwest's Source for Space and Astronomy Information

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3-day K-index Plot

Image: NOAA

60-day Solar-terrestrial Plot

Image: www.solen.info

Multi-year Solar Flux Plot

Image: NOAA

For a complete listing of all recent and past Vandenberg launches, go to Vandenberg AFB Launch History. To access launch photos, videos, and audio reports, visit the Vandenberg Rocket and Missile Launch Multimedia library.

(MAY 22) VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was launched during an operational test at 6:27 a.m. here Wednesday from Launch Facility-4 on north Vandenberg.

The launch, originally slated for 3:01 to 9:01 a.m. Tuesday, was rescheduled due to a range safety instrumentation issue.

"I am proud of our team," said Col. Brent McArthur, 30th Space Wing vice commander and the launch decision authority. "Because of their professionalism, discipline and intense focus on mission assurance, we saw a safe and successful launch this morning."

Vandenberg AFB

(MAY 10) SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope will zoom in on the craters of the moon, the rings of Saturn and a globular cluster during a free, public viewing Friday, May 17, beginning at about 8 p.m. and lasting several hours. The best viewing generally occurs later in the evening. In case of inclement weather, please call the Telescope Viewing Hotline at (805) 565-6272 and check the Westmont website to see if the viewing has been cancelled.

Thomas Whittemore, Westmont physics instructor, says the moon will be more than seven days into its current cycle. “There will be a number of craters on the terminator, the portion of the moon’s surface where the sun is rising,” he says. “If the seeing is steady we should get a good glimpse of the jagged edges of these craters as the night advances.”

Later in the evening, Whittemore hopes to turn the 24-inch reflector telescope toward Saturn’s Cassini Division, the gap between the A and B rings.

Westmont College

Dry winds fan a wildfire near Camarillo, Calif. and send a thick plume of smoke offshore. The blaze began as a small incident on May 2 just before 07:00 PDT. Within a few hours, the small fire had turned into a major incident. NASA's Terra spacecraft passed over the area later that morning and recorded this view of the fire (red area) and smoke plume. Image courtesy of the MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC

(MAY 3) Researchers working with high-precision planetary radars, including the Goldstone Solar System Radar of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., have discovered strong evidence that the planet Mercury has a molten core. More

(APR 24) MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. - NASA and the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems, Moscow, are collaborating on a space biology mission aboard an unmanned Russian biosatellite to understand better the mechanisms of how life adapts to microgravity and then readapts to gravity on Earth. More

Workers unload NASA's IRIS spacecraft from a truck at the processing facility at Vandenberg where the spacecraft will be readied for launch aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket. Photo credit: Vandenberg AFB/Randy Beaudoin

(APR 17) GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellite arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Tuesday, April 16, to begin its final preparations for launch, currently scheduled no earlier than May 28. More

(APR 11) A strong M6-class solar flare on April 11th has hurled a CME toward Earth. Geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible when the fast-moving cloud reaches our planet on April 13th.

SpaceWeather.com

The discarded parachute from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover appears to flap in the martian wind in an animation released this week by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The chute lay on the Martian ground during months after its use in safe landing of the Curiosity rover. Seven images from the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter were combined to create the animation. The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates the orbiter's HiRISE camera, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Science Laboratory projects for NASA. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

(APR 3) A laboratory experiment at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., simulating the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan suggests complex organic chemistry that could eventually lead to the building blocks of life extends lower in the atmosphere than previously thought. More

(MAR 25) PASADENA, Calif. - NASA and international researchers have discovered that Earth's moon has more in common than previously thought with large asteroids roaming our solar system. More

Despite optomistic predictions, Comet Pan-STARRS proved to be difficult to see for many northern hemisphere sky watchers. The Webmaster photographed the elusive object (click for full view) low in the west at dusk on March 13 from Ventura County, Calif. The comet had passed near the Sun and entered the evening sky just days earlier. To image the object, the Webmaster used a vintage Nikon D70 digital SLR, 50mm lens, and an exposure of 15 seconds at f/4. Copyright 2013, Brian Webb

(MAR 20) PASADENA, Calif. - "The Voyager team is aware of reports today that NASA's Voyager 1 has left the solar system," said Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist based at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. "It is the consensus of the Voyager science team that Voyager 1 has not yet left the solar system or reached interstellar space. In December 2012, the Voyager science team reported that Voyager 1 is within a new region called 'the magnetic highway' where energetic particles changed dramatically. A change in the direction of the magnetic field is the last critical indicator of reaching interstellar space and that change of direction has not yet been observed."

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

(MAR 15) WASHINGTON - The United States will add more ground-based ballistic missile interceptors to its arsenal to guard against increased threats from North Korea and Iran, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced today. More

The blue waters of Shark Bay contrast with the surrounding land of Western Australia in this Terra spacecraft image released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on March 5. Shark Bay contains the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve, one of the very few places in the world where living stromatolites are found. The image was recorded using Terra's ASTER instrument. Terra was launched from Vandenberg AFB in 1999 December. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/METI/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

(MAR 5) SUNNYVALE, Calif. - The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $284.4 million fixed-price contract to procure long lead parts for the fifth and sixth Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites in the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning constellation.

Featuring a mix of GEO satellites, hosted payloads in highly elliptical earth (HEO) orbit, and associated ground hardware and software, the SBIRS program delivers resilient and improved missile warning capabilities for the nation while simultaneously providing significant contributions to the military's missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness mission areas.

Lockheed Martin previously received a contract to complete non-recurring engineering activities for GEO-5 and 6 and procure select long lead spacecraft parts enabling supplier production lines to deliver the lowest possible price for each component. This next phase authorizes the purchase of the remaining long lead spacecraft components. A final contract for full production under fixed-price terms will be awarded at a later date.

Lockheed Martin's SBIRS contracts include four HEO payloads, four GEO satellites, and ground assets to receive, process, and disseminate the infrared mission data. Under the new contract, the team will procure long lead parts for the fifth and sixth GEO satellites.

Two HEO payloads and the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite have already been launched. GEO-2 is scheduled for launch in March of 2013.

Lockheed Martin

(MAR 1) Hawthorne, Calif. - Today, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to orbit for SpaceX's second mission under its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. Falcon 9 completed its job perfectly, continuing its 100 percent success rate. More

A large meteor streaked over Russia's Chelyabinsk region on the morning of February 15, causing widespread damage and 1,000 injuries. Scientists from Colorado State University analyzed imagery from a U.S. DMSP satellite that passed over the region moments later and found the trail left by the meteor as it entered Earth's atmosphere. Vandenberg AFB, California serves as the launch site for the DMSP military weather satellite program. Image courtesy Colorado State University

(FEB 22) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has selected United Launch Services, LLC of Englewood, Colo., to provide Delta II launch services for the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat)-2 mission, currently scheduled for July 2016.

A firm fixed-price launch service task order has been awarded under the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract. NASA's total cost to launch ICESat-2 is $96.6 million, including payload processing, integrated services, telemetry, reimbursables and other launch support requirements.

The Delta II rocket will place the ICESat-2 spacecraft into a near-circular Earth polar orbit following liftoff from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. ICESat-2 is a continuation of the global time series of precision ice topography measurements initiated by the first ICESat mission. ICESat-2 will measure changes in the elevation of the polar ice sheets to understand their contribution to current and future sea-level rise. It also will characterize polar-sea ice thicknesses and global vegetation heights to understand their connections to the Earth system.

Subcontractors performing work for United Launch Services include Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., Alliant Techsystems, Inc of Magna, Utah and Aerojet of Sacramento, Calif. United Launch Services' United Launch Alliance provides the Delta II and launch services.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for management of the ICESat-2 launch service acquisition and implementation.

NASA

(FEB 11) VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Team Vandenberg launched a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a NASA payload from Space Launch Complex-3 at 10:02 a.m. here Monday.

Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander, was the launch decision authority.

"We completed our mission of supporting a safe and successful launch," said Armagno, "I am so proud of my team on another job well done."

It was the sixth Atlas V launch for Vandenberg.

The 30th Space Wing and NASA hosted a launch viewing party at Providence Landing Park in Lompoc that brought in nearly 1,800 spectators from all over California.

"Our communities have supported our base and our mission for many years," said Larry Hill, 30th Space Wing Public Affairs community relations chief. "It was great to see such an amazing turnout for this launch."

Mobility, the rock band from United States Air Force Band of the Golden West, played for the launch spectators.

Vandenberg AFB

The first-ever holes drilled into a martian rock are visible in this image released on February 9. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recently made the holes to obtain a sample for analysis from inside of the rock. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. manages the Curiosity mission for NASA. Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

(FEB 8) An Atlas V rocket carrying the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg AFB on February 11. Plans call for the Atlas to lift off from Space Launch Complex 3 (SLC-3) at south Vandenberg at 10:02 PST, the start of a launch window that extends until 10:50 PST. However, issues such as technical problems, bad weather, or ships or aircraft straying into the range can cause the launch to happen at any time during the window or to be rescheduled for another day.

At liftoff, the Atlas will rise vertically from SLC-3 for several seconds before it slowly begins to pitch over and head toward the south. The vehicle will briefly produce a contrail as it passes through a zone that extends roughly from 33,000 to 38,000 feet above sea level.

The Atlas V rocket variant for slated for launch on Monday uses liquid propellant engines and no strap-on solid rocket motors. Unlike solid rocket motors, which produce a brilliant flame, liquid propellant engines produce a much fainter flame. At launch time, the Sun will be well above the horizon, creating a bright sky background. The rocket's use of liquid propellants and the bright sky will greatly diminish the visibility of the launch.

Under the best of circumstances, the Atlas V will probably only be visible for the first few minutes of flight from liftoff to first stage cutoff and stage 1/2 separation.

Under good conditions, observers within seven miles of the launch pad should enjoy a nice display. For observers in outlying areas the display will be very subdued.

Under very good conditions, the first stage flame may be visible to the naked eye as far away as Carpinteria, Pismo Beach, and Taft. The short contrail from the first stage may be visible as far away as Pasadena, King City, and Bakersfield.

Brian Webb

(FEB 1) ARLINGTON, VA - President Obama today awarded 12 eminent researchers the National Medal of Science and 11 extraordinary inventors the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honors bestowed by the U.S. government upon scientists, engineers and inventors. The recipients received their awards at a White House ceremony. This marks the 50th anniversary of the presentation of the first National Medals of Science in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy.

Those honored include astronomer Sandra Faber of the University of California, Santa Cruz who was recognized for "...leadership in numerous path-breaking studies of extra-galactic astronomy and galaxy formation and for oversight of the construction of important instruments, including the Keck telescopes."

Faber is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California Observatories and the Lick Observatory. Her research, which focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies and the evolution of structures in the universe, has revolutionized the way cosmologists understand and model the universe. She leads a Hubble Space Telescope project designed to give scientists a view of galaxy formation nearly as far back as the Big Bang.

National Science Foundation

A Ground Based Interceptor (GBI) climbs following a silo launch from Vandenberg AFB on January 26. The launch was performed to test improvements to the anti-missile kill vehicle carried atop the GBI. Photo by Brian Webb

(JAN 26) The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully completed a flight test of a three-stage ground-based interceptor (GBI), launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 2 p.m. (PST) today.

Data from this flight test will be used to evaluate the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle system performance in a flight environment. If a target missile were present, the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle would collide directly with the threat warhead to perform a hit-to-kill intercept. Engineering data from this test will be used to improve confidence for future intercept missions.

A target missile launch was not planned for this flight test. After performing fly out maneuvers, the three-stage booster deployed the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle to a designated point in space. After separating from the booster, the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle executed a variety of pre-planned maneuvers to collect performance data in space.

Initial indications are that all components performed as designed. Program officials will assess and evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.

Today's event, designated Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Control Test Vehicle (GM CTV)-01, is part of an extensive test series initiated after the Flight Test Ground-Based Interceptor (FTG)-06a failure in December 2010. The Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle flown during GM CTV-01 was modified based on findings from the FTG-06a Failure Review Board. This test is the critical first step in returning GMD to successful intercept testing.

U.S. Department of Defense

(JAN 24) VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The 30th Space Wing and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency are scheduled to conduct a flight test exercising elements of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system Jan. 26, between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m on North base.

Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander, is the Launch Decision Authority.

"Vandenberg Hawks are working with MDA to provide safe launch operations for the test," " said Armagno."It's a pleasure to work with our MDA mission partners."

The test will involve the launch of a three-stage Ground-Based Interceptor missile. It does not involve an intercept, and no target missile will be launched. MDA will use the test results to improve and enhance the GMD element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System, designed to defend the Nation, deployed forces, friends and allies from ballistic missile attacks, according to an MDA spokesperson.

Vandenberg AFB

(JAN 14) TOOELE ARMY DEPOT, Utah -- After a year of meticulous planning and preparation, Tooele Army Depot has begun to receive and store first- and second-stage C-4 rocket motors from the Trident I C-4 Fleet Ballistic Missile/Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile from the Missile Defense Agency. More

Lakes on Saturn's moon Titan are revealed in a Cassini spacecraft radar image released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on January 8th. The craft's radar mapper penetrated the thick haze surrounding Titan to show lakes of liquid hydrocarbons (left) and partially filled lakes or saturated ground (top right). JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell

(JAN 11) One of the biggest sunspots of the current solar cycle is now turning toward Earth. Named AR1654, the active region is crackling with medium-sized (M-class) flares and could be poised to break the recent spell of calm space weather around our planet.

SpaceWeather.com

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