Tag: California

SpaceX Falcon 9 Set to Launch from California Wednesday Night

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with another 20 Starlink satellites from California Wednesday night. The Starlink 9-11 mission will feature 13 satellites that include Direct to Cell capabilities. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base is set for 8:21 p.m. PST (11:21 p.m. EST, 0421 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Eutelsat Satellites from California

Reuters reports, “Eutelsat, the world’s third-biggest satellite operator by revenue, launched 20 satellites for its communications network on Sunday, using Elon Musk’s SpaceX in its first move since the merger of two European companies last year. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off with Eutelsat satellites from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 0513 GMT. ‘This is the first OneWeb launch of the satellites since the merger,’ CEO Eva Berneke told Reuters in an interview. ‘We will be launching more satellites over the coming years.’”
Full Story (Reuters)

Video

NASA’s Europa Clipper Launch (Launch at 1:06:40 mark)
(NASA; YouTube)

Launch of 22 Starlink Satellites from California Delayed

SPACE reports, “SpaceX has reset the launch of another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to no sooner than Friday evening (March 29). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft was set to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday (March 28), but the company called off the attempt before beginning to fuel the vehicle.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Boom’s XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator Takes Flight for First Time

Aviation Week reports, “Boom Supersonic flew its XB-1 demonstrator—the world’s first privately developed faster-than-sound civil aircraft—for the first time at Mojave Air & Space Port, California, on March 22.”  The successful flight “marks a step toward the development of the company’s planned Mach 1.7 Overture airliner later this decade.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

General Atomics’ XQ-67A Makes First Flight

Defense One reports, “General Atomics’ new air combat drone has flown, another step toward what the Air Force is calling the ‘first of a second generation’ of autonomous aircraft.”  First flight occurred February 28 from “General Atomics’ Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility near Palmdale California, AFRL officials announced.”
Full Story (Defense One)

 

Video

General Atomics introduces its XQ-67A
(General Atomics; YouTube)

 

NASA and Lockheed Martin Unveil X-59 “Quiet” Supersonic Demonstrator

Defense Daily reported that on January 12, NASA and Skunk Works “rolled out the X-59 ‘quiet’ supersonic demonstrator aircraft in Palmdale, Calif.” FlightGlobal reports that during the “roll-out ceremony at Lockheed’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, the sleek, single-engine jet was hailed by its developers as a potentially ‘revolutionary’ step forward that could unlock commercial supersonic flights over populated areas.” Pam Melroy, NASA’s deputy administrator, said, “As we unveil this technological marvel, it’s really important to understand the profound impact the X-59 holds for the aviation industry. … Today, supersonic flight brings a thunderous boom. It is restricted across populated areas for good reason. And the X-59 is going to break that barrier.”
Full Story (Defense Daily); More Info (FlightGlobal)

Virgin Galactic Aircraft Makes First Flight in Over a Year

Space News reports that Virgin Galactic’s carrier aircraft made its first flight in more than a year on Wednesday as the company looks to start commercial service. The VMS Eve left the Mojave Air and Space Port in California for a flight lasting more than two and a half hours before returning to the airport. This was the first flight for VMS Eve “since it flew to Mojave from Spaceport America in New Mexico in October 2021.” The company “performed an extensive overhaul of the plane while in Mojave, including replacing the center pylon where the SpaceShipTwo spaceplane is attached.”
Full Story (Space News)