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28.10.2016
Atlas V launch from VAFB rescheduled for Nov. 6
After a series of postponements, the launch of an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base has been rescheduled for Nov. 6.
The United Launch Alliance-built rocket, which will attempt to carry the WorldView-4 satellite into orbit, is slated to take off between 10:30 and 10:46 a.m., according to ULA. It will blast off from VAFB’s Space Launch Complex-3.
The launch follows several delays that were brought on by both equipment malfunction and nature.
The rocket initially was scheduled for liftoff Sept. 16 but was postponed in the final minutes due to a leak in the rocket’s fuel line. It was pushed to Sept. 18, but the Canyon fire ignited on VAFB on the evening of Sept. 17 and caused the launch date to be pushed out to Sept. 26.
The Canyon fire eventually grew to more than 12,500 acres, becoming the largest in the military installation's history. Due to that, as well as the start of other fires on base, ULA decided on Sept. 22 to postpone the launch again until October at the earliest.
VAFB and ULA officials have said the fires did not cause any damage to the rocket, its payload or the launch facilities.
Base officials have not revealed any cause for the fires, which were under investigation shortly after being extinguished.
The WorldView-4, built by Lockheed Martin for DigitalGlobe, is a high-resolution commercial imaging satellite.
Quelle: SANTA MARIA TIMES
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Update: 3.11.2016
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VAFB rocket launch delayed again
The planned launch of the Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base has been pushed back another week, according to United Launch Alliance.
The launch is now set for next Friday, November 11, with a launch window of 10:30-10:46 a.m.
ULA says crews are working to resolve minor booster issues discovered during final preparations for launch.
The launch has been postponed numerous times. It was scrubbed September 16 due to a leak during propellant tanking and scrubbed again on September 18 due to the Canyon Fire and two subsequent wildfires on base. The launch was rescheduled last month for November 6 and postponed again Wednesday.
The rocket will be carrying the WorldView-4 imaging satellite for DigitalGlobe.
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
Quelle: KSBY6
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Atlas V launch from VAFB postponed again due to 'booster issues'
In the latest in a string of setbacks, the scheduled launch of an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base has been pushed back to Veterans Day.
The launch was most recently planned for Sunday, Nov. 6, but United Launch Alliance, which is providing the rocket, announced Wednesday that those plans had been altered. The rocket now is slated to blast off from VAFB’s Space Launch Complex-3 between 10:30 and 10:46 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11.
“The team is actively working to resolve minor Atlas V booster issues discovered during final preparations for launch,” read a post on ULA’s website.
The primary payload for the rocket will be the WorldView-4, a high-resolution imaging satellite.
The new launch date follows several delays that were brought on by both equipment malfunction and nature.
The rocket initially was scheduled for liftoff Sept. 16 but was postponed in the final minutes due to a leak in the rocket’s fuel line. It was pushed to Sept. 18, but the Canyon fire ignited on VAFB on the evening of Sept. 17 and caused the launch date to be pushed out to Sept. 26.
The Canyon fire eventually grew to more than 12,500 acres, becoming the largest in the military installation's history. Due to that, as well as the start of other fires on base, ULA decided on Sept. 22 to postpone the launch again until October at the earliest.
VAFB and ULA officials have said the fires did not cause any damage to the rocket, its payload or the launch facilities.
Base officials have not revealed any cause for the fires, which reportedly still are under investigation.
Quelle: LOMPOC
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Rocket Problem Further Delays Sunday Atlas V Rocket Launch Attempt
Crews expect to try for Nov. 11 departure of mission postponed by Canyon Fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Troubles with an Atlas V rocket will delay this weekend’s planned launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Instead of Sunday, the next launch attempt for the rocket set to carry the WorldView-4 satellite will occur Nov. 11, rocket manufacturer United Launch Alliance said.
“The team is actively working to resolve minor Atlas V booster issues discovered during final preparations for launch,” ULA representatives said.
The Atlas V will launch from Space Launch Complex-3 on South Base.
The launch window is 10:30 to 10:46 a.m., an hour earlier than the first attempt due to the switch from Daylight Saving Time this weekend when clocks will be set back one hour early Sunday.
The rocket’s departure originally had been planned for Sept. 16, but a faulty valve prompted mission managers to scrub the attempt with minutes left in the countdown.
Plans to try again Sept. 18 had to be scrapped because the Canyon Fire sparked on South Base the night before.
That 12,500-acre fire damaged launch support equipment, including electrical poles and communication cables, keeping the rocket and its cargo earthbound.
Officials said the rocket and its cargo remained safe and secure on SLC-3 during the wildland fire that burned within 1.5 miles of the launch pad.
The team expected to try again Sunday, but the newest problem foiled those plans, pushing the mission to Veterans Day.
WorldView-4, a high-resolution commercial imaging satellite owned and operated by DigitalGlobe, will help assorted customers across the globe, company officials said, adding the spacecraft should begin generating revenue for the firm in early 2017.
“Importantly, WorldView-4 will substantially increase our ability to image the world with resolution, accuracy and clarity far beyond that of all other commercial providers, enabling us to better serve our international, defense and intelligence customers, and advance new commercial use cases,” Jeffrey Tarr, DigitalGlobe chief executive officer, said during quarterly earnings conference call Oct. 25
ULA also launched WorldView-3 on Atlas V in 2014 from Vandenberg.
The WorldView-4 mission will marks ULA’s ninth launch of 2016 and 112th since the company was founded in 2006.
In addition to the WorldView mission, ULA had another Atlas V rocket launch scheduled for November from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, to lift a weather satellite into orbit. The rocket will carry the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) mission for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
On Thursday, ULA officials said the same problem that delayed Vandenberg's launch is also affecting the Florida mission.
"The team is actively working towards a resolution. A new launch date will be released once it is established," a ULA statement said.
GOES-R, which will be dubbed GOES-16 once it reaches orbit, is the first of four satellites to be launched for NOAA in a new and advanced series of spacecraft. The GOES craft will assist in various ways including providing short-term forecasts and severe storm watches and warnings, maritime forecasts, seasonal predictions, drought outlooks and space weather predictions.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
| DigitalGlobe Announces the Successful Launch of WorldView-4 |
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WESTMINSTER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 2016-- DigitalGlobe, Inc. (NYSE: DGI), the global leader in earth imagery and information about our changing planet, today announced the successful launch of WorldView-4, the company’s newest high-accuracy, high-resolution commercial imaging satellite. DigitalGlobe acquired signals from the satellite indicating its proper position and health 45 minutes after its launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The Lockheed Martin-built WorldView-4 satellite will more than double DigitalGlobe’s capacity to collect the world’s highest-resolution 30 centimeter commercial satellite imagery and will accelerate the growth of DigitalGlobe’s 80-petabyte, 16-year time-lapse image library. The fifth active satellite in DigitalGlobe’s industry-leading constellation, WorldView-4 will enhance global transparency and security, power location-enabled applications and services, support the response to global humanitarian crises, and much more. "WorldView-4 dramatically extends DigitalGlobe's position as the industry leader in earth imagery, and insight into our changing planet," said Jeffrey R. Tarr, Chief Executive Officer of DigitalGlobe. "The importance of today's success to our customers and shareowners is evidenced by the unprecedented pre-launch demand for this new capacity. This expansion of the DigitalGlobe constellation will accelerate our efforts to build out the digital globe and enable our customers to derive new insights and make critical decisions with confidence.” “Lockheed Martin is proud of today’s successful launch and our longstanding partnership with DigitalGlobe,” said Rick Ambrose, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “From the world’s first high-resolution commercial imaging satellite, IKONOS, to the state-of-the-art WorldView-4, Lockheed Martin and DigitalGlobe have an unparalleled legacy of innovation in remote sensing.” The WorldView-4 satellite was built by Lockheed Martin, and its imaging payload was developed by Harris Corp. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch that delivered the satellite to orbit was provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services. To learn more about WorldView-4, please visit WorldView4.DigitalGlobe.com About DigitalGlobe DigitalGlobe is a leading provider of commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions that help decision makers better understand our changing planet in order to save lives, resources and time. Sourced from the world's leading constellation, our imagery solutions deliver unmatched coverage and capacity to meet our customers' most demanding mission requirements. Each day customers in defense and intelligence, public safety, civil agencies, map making and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure management, navigation technology, and providers of location-based services depend on DigitalGlobe data, information, technology and expertise to gain actionable insight.
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