The Minotaur 4 rocket and an innovative space surveillance satellite have a Saturday night launch date scheduled at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.We're going to a Bar Mitzvah near the beach tonight so we will be sure to look for the bright spot on the western horizon shortly after launch time. It's been a long time since we had a clear evening so that we can view a satellite launch in CA. This summer has been so foggy.
Liftoff time is 9:41 p.m. local (12:41 a.m. EDT) from Space Launch Complex 8 on the southside of the base.
The evening's launch opportunity extends 14 minutes to 9:55 p.m. to ensure the mission reaches the desired orbit.
The ground track map shows the flight track heading southwest from VAFB. It might be too far over the horizon. If you see (or don't see it) tonight, leave a comment about where you viewed the launch. (No points if you watched from the STARS lab or on the space channel.)
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We watched it from the rooftop pool at a hotel across the street from the Redondo Beach Pier. It was a beautiful and clear night.
ReplyDeleteThe launch was clearly visible once it got above the harbor festival lights. We first spotted it at 9:42 and watched the burnout of the first 3 stages.
http://spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/sbss/timeline.html
How about you?