Tag: from California

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches On National Security Mission for NRO

Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with an undisclosed number of satellites on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The spacecraft, which are believed to be Starshield satellites, make up the third batch of what the NRO calls its ‘proliferated architecture.’”  Liftoff of the NROL-113 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base took place at 8:20 p.m. PDT.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from California on U.S. spy satellite agency mission (Launch at 00:30:29 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)

Wisk Aero Makes Autonomous eVTOL Flight from California Airport

Aviation Week reports Wisk Aero has started “conducting test flights of its autonomous air taxi out of Long Beach Airport, California, which the Boeing subsidiary believes is the first time an electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle has flown in Los Angeles.” Wisk’s fifth-generation Cora demonstrator is being used for the test flights. According to the article, Wisk’s purpose for the flights “is to capture learnings about conducting autonomous operations at a major commercial airport.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

SpaceX Launches 10,000th Starlink Satellite to Orbit

SPACE reports, “SpaceX notched two big milestones on a single Falcon 9 liftoff today (Oct. 19). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink internet satellites lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 3:24 p.m. EDT (1924 GMT; 12:24 p.m. local California time). Those 28 included the 10,000th Starlink spacecraft ever to reach orbit.”
Full Story (SPACE)