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Raumfahrt - Start von Atlas-V mit DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 Earth Imaging Satelliten

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14.07.2016

Built by Lockheed Martin, the WorldView-4 satellite will expand DigitalGlobe’s industry-leading constellation of high-accuracy, high-resolution satellites, and double the availability of 30 cm resolution imagery for commercial and government customers around the globe.
Sunnyvale, July 13, 2016 – Final preparations are underway at Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to ship DigitalGlobe’s (NYSE:DGI) WorldView-4 earth imaging satellite to Vandenberg Air Force Base for a Sept. 15 launch.
The Lockheed Martin team is completing final satellite testing and checkout before shipment. Testing includes calculating the weight and center of gravity of WorldView-4, completing a health check of major systems, and testing out image collection and downlinking capability.
“The high resolution and high accuracy images taken by WorldView-4 will support DigitalGlobe’s worldwide customer base,” said Carl Marchetto, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Commercial Space. “DigitalGlobe’s smart imagery serves hundreds of thousands of end-users charged with the safety and security of nations, and enables the maps and geospatial applications relied on by billions of consumers.”
“Only the DigitalGlobe constellation, with the addition of WorldView-4, offers the highest quality, and most comprehensive global coverage of our changing planet through 2030, so our customers can be confident they will have the information to make critical decisions,” said Dr. Walter Scott, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, DigitalGlobe. “WorldView-4 will help us continue to transform the way we see the world, and advance our mission of keeping our planet and its people safe and secure.”
Once launched, WorldView-4 will double DigitalGlobe’s coverage of the world’s highest resolution imagery and increase the rate at which it grows its 15-year library of time-lapse high-resolution imagery. WorldView-4 will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, traveling 17,000 miles per hour and capturing more 680,000 square kilometers of the Earth’s surface daily (19.5 terabytes) the equivalent of the land area of Texas.
With an orbit approximately 400 miles from Earth, the satellite will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that – with the addition of Sikorsky – employs approximately 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
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.
Quelle: Lockheed Martin
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Update: 29.07.2016
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Countdown to Launch: WorldView-4 Earth Imaging Satellite Arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base for Sept. 15 Launch

Built by Lockheed Martin, the WorldView-4 satellite will double DigitalGlobe’s availability of 30 cm resolution imagery. 
Vandenberg Air Force Base, July 28, 2016 – After a more than 250-mile road trip in a cleanroom-on-wheels, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) delivered DigitalGlobe’s (NYSE: DGI) WorldView-4 satellite to Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The Lockheed Martin-built WorldView-4 was transported by truck in a special container that mimics the environment of the cleanroom where the satellite was manufactured. The route is planned by a vehicle outfitted with LIDAR technology that can detect low overpasses, branches and other hazards.
Before shipping, the satellite passed a full suite of environmental, functional and performance tests and was declared ready for integration with the rocket that will carry it to an altitude of nearly 400 miles in space.
The rocket, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 401 provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, has a four meter fairing to safely hold the satellite as it accelerates to 17,000 miles per hour during launch – more than seven times faster than the top speed clocked by the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet plane ever.
WorldView-4 is the latest in a series of imaging and data satellites built by Lockheed Martin for customers around the world. The satellite is outfitted with a camera so accurate it can discern the make and model of a car, advanced star trackers to ensure precision pointing, and antennas that share the collected information back to Earth.
Once launched, the satellite will more than double DigitalGlobe’s coverage of the world’s highest-resolution imagery and increase the rate at which it grows its 15-year library of time-lapse high-resolution imagery. WorldView-4 will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, traveling 17,000 miles per hour and capturing more than 680,000 square kilometers of the Earth’s surface daily (18 terabytes) - the equivalent of the land area of Texas.
Quelle: Lockheed Martin
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Update: 2.08.2016
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Satellite lands at Vandenberg Air Force Base

An earth-imaging satellite arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base July 28 in preparation for a September launch.

The WorldView-4 Satellite arrived at Vandenberg after being shipped 250 miles in a rolling mobile cleanroom from Sunnyvale. Lockheed Martin built the satellite, which will launch at about 11:30 a.m. Sept. 15 from Vandenberg’s launch pad SLC-3E.

The United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space and Security, will launch the rocket. DigitalGlobe, a Colorado-based imaging and data company, will operate the satellite once it reaches orbit.

Originally planned for the spring of 2013 and named GeoEye-2, the satellite’s launch was delayed three years because of a merger between two competitors. In January 2013, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye merged operation of the independent fleets of imaging satellites.

At the time though both companies were developing similar imaging satellites, so the company had to effectively wait until the market demanded more imaging services from DigitalGlobe.

After the merger, the company decided to launch DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-3 satellite because it also was designed with short-wave infrared bands that can penetrate airborne particulates like fog, haze, dust or smoke.

Once in its 400-foot high orbit, WorldView-4 will map an area of 263,000 square miles each day, which will double the area of WorldView-3 maps. The satellite is also designed to see objects just 1-foot wide.

WorldView-4 will also be carried into orbit by a rocket once destined for Mars. In March, the Atlas V Rocket, known as AV-062, sat on the pad at Vandenberg in December, waiting to haul the Insight Lander to Mars.

The Insight Lander, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, intended to land on Mars and drill into the planet to study Mars’ geological evolution.

NASA planned to launch the Insight Lander from Vandenberg in mid-March, and the probe arrived at Vandenberg as preparation for the mission continued. A last-minute vacuum leak in the probe’s seismometer pushed the launch back to May 2018, when the next launch window to Mars opens.

Launch delays are expected to cost about $100 million.

Quelle: PCBT

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Update: 13.09.2016

Atlas V rocket carrying imaging satellite to launch Friday from VAFB

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A satellite that is expected to provide high-resolution images of Earth is scheduled to blast into orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket Friday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The Atlas V 401 rocket, provided by United Launch Alliance, will carry a WorldView-4 satellite, which was built by Lockheed Martin for DigitalGlobe Inc. The launch window will open from 11:30 to 11:44 a.m. at VAFB’s Space Launch Complex-3.

The launch is the first of two planned for the next seven days. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is slated to carry 10 mobile communications satellites on either Sept. 19 or 20, according to SpaceFlightNow.com.

 
The 30th Space Wing at VAFB will be responsible for range safety and operations for Friday’s launch. Col. Chris Moss, the wing’s commander, will be the launch decision authority.

“Team V is excited to launch the Atlas V WorldView-4 mission from Vandenberg's Western Range,” Moss said in a release provided by VAFB Public Affairs. “The combined 30th Space Wing and United Launch Alliance team has spent months preparing to ensure this launch is both safe and successful. We have a very strong partnership with ULA, and we're proud to have teamed with them on this fantastic mission.”

 

The launch will be the first of a rocket at VAFB in more than seven months. The most recent was Feb. 10, when an Atlas IV rocket carrying a secret payload for the National Reconnaissance Office blasted off from VAFB.

 

Since then, the base has hosted a handful of unarmed missile tests but no rocket launches. The range also was closed entirely for six months this year as operations were transferred to a new facility.

WorldView-4 is the latest in a series of imaging and data satellites built by Lockheed Martin for customers around the world. The satellite is outfitted with star trackers that enable extremely precise pointing for its imaging system, which is so advanced that it can discern the make of a car from its orbit in space.

WorldView-4 will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, traveling about 17,000 mph. It is expected that it will be able to capture as much as 680,000 square kilometers — or roughly 262,549 square miles — of the Earth’s surface each day. That acreage is equivalent to the total land area of Texas.

An ideal off-base location to view the launch is from the “Hawk’s Nest” off Highway 1 about a half-mile south of VAFB’s main gate.

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Quelle: LOMPOC RECORD

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Update: 14.09.2016

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WorldView-4 Satellite Sits Atop Atlas 5 Rocket For Launch From Vandenberg AFB

While United Launch Alliance mission remains on track, SpaceX confirms return-to-flight won't happen before November

Built by Lockheed Martin, DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 satellite is enclosed earlier this month in the 4-meter fairing that was placed atop an Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday morning.Click to view larger
Built by Lockheed Martin, DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 satellite is enclosed earlier this month in the 4-meter fairing that was placed atop an Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday morning. (Lockheed Martin/United Launch Alliance photo)

An Earth-imaging satellite boasting a new high-resolution camera to snap detailed pictures from space sits atop an Atlas 5 rocket awaiting blastoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday morning.

The window for the 189-foot-tall rocket’s departure from Space Launch Complex-3 East on South Base opens at 11:30 a.m. and closes at 11:44 a.m.

The United Launch Alliance-built rocket will carry the WorldView-4 satellite into space, more than doubling the capacity of the DigitalGlobe fleet.

 

WorldView-4, built by Lockheed Martinfor DigitalGlobe, will capture detailed images for commercial, government and international customers.

Earlier this month, crews at Vandenberg tucked the 5,700-pound-class satellite into the rocket’s nose cone prior to the trip to the launch pad, where it was placed atop the Atlas.

"Encapsulation is the last time people will ever lay eyes on this satellite before it launches to space," said Steve Skladanek, president of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services. "Our Atlas rocket is ready to provide WorldView-4 a smooth ride and precise delivery into orbit.”

WorldView-4 helps the company expand a 16-year library of time-lapse, high-resolution imagery. 

While in space, WorldView-4 will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, traveling 17,000 mph and capturing as much as 262,550 square miles of the Earth's surface daily or 18 terabytes – the equivalent of the land area of Texas.

WorldView-4's sibling, WorldView-3, also hitched a ride aboard an Atlas rocket to reach orbit in 2014. 

Vandenberg officials said community members can view the launch from the Hawk’s Nest, the former mobile home park site on Highway 1, a half mile south of Vandenberg’s main gate. 

Other popular viewing spots for South Base launches include the peak of Harris Grade Road, near the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads, and on Ocean Avenue west of Lompoc.

The Atlas 5 launch facility is visible on the horizon looking south of Ocean Avenue to the white gantry. 

"The combined 30th Space Wing and United Launch Alliance team has spent months preparing to ensure this launch is both safe and successful. We have a very strong partnership with ULA, and we're proud to have teamed with them on this fantastic mission," said Col. Chris Moss, 30th Space Wing commander and launch decision authority.

For safety reasons, Jalama Beach County Park campers and visitor will be evacuated from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Friday. 

Surf and Ocean beaches also are expected to be closed due to the launch.

The Atlas 5 blastoff will mark the second launch from Vandenberg this month, following a Minuteman 3 missile test on Labor Day.

Meanwhile, another rocket launch once planned for September will not occur this month.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for Space Exploration Technologies confirmed that the next Falcon rocket launch likely won’t occur until November, but the company has not decided whether that return-to-flight mission will be from Vandenberg or Florida.

SpaceX was rocked by a catastrophic explosion Sept. 1 while the rocket sat on the launch in pad in preparation for a static fire test of its engine at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida.

The investigation into the mishap continues.

“Still working on the Falcon fireball investigation. Turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years,” company founder Elon Musk said on Twitter Sept. 9.

Quelle: NOOZHAWK

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Update: 15.09.2016

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Atlas V WorldView-4 Mission Overview

Rocket/Payload:
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 configuration rocket will launch the WorldView-4 mission for DigitalGlobe. The Atlas V is provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services.


Date/Site/Launch Time:Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The launch window is 11:30-11:44 a.m. PDT.

Live Broadcast: ULA’s live launch broadcast will begin at 11:05 a.m. PDT.

Mission Description: WorldView-4, a multispectral, high-resolution commercial imaging satellite owned and operated by DigitalGlobe, will help customers around the world see more of our changing planet. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company and will provide 31-centimeter panchromatic resolution and 1.24-meter multispectral resolution—the same resolution offered by the WorldView-3 satellite. This industry-leading resolution provides the sharpest view of vital details on the ground, to give customers confidence when making critical decisions.

Launch Notes: WorldView-4 marks ULA’s 9th launch of 2016 and 112th since the company was founded in 2006. ULA also launched WorldView-3 on Atlas V in 2014. 

Go Atlas! Go Centaur! Go WorldView-4!

Quelle: ULA

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Update: 16.09.2016 / 18.45 MESZ

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Start von Atlas-V mit DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 Earth Imaging Satelliten

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Atlas 5 Rocket on Track For Friday Blastoff from Vandenberg AFB

WorldView-4 mission will place Earth-imaging satellite into orbit

Workers install an Atlas 5 rocket payload fairing, with the WorldView-4 satellite tucked inside, at Space Launch Complex-3 on south Vandenberg Air Force Base in anticipation of Friday’s launch.Click to view larger
Workers install an Atlas 5 rocket payload fairing, with the WorldView-4 satellite tucked inside, at Space Launch Complex-3 on south Vandenberg Air Force Base in anticipation of Friday’s launch. (United Launch Alliance photo)

An Atlas 5 rocket and its commercial cargo — a satellite about the size of a Ford F-150 pickup truck — have cleared the final reviews to start counting down toward blastoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base late Friday morning.

The launch is set to occur between 11:30 and 11:44 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-3 East on South Base. Launch times are established to ensure the satellite gets placed into its proper place in space.

The 189-foot-tall rocket manufactured by United Launch Alliance will carry the WorldView-4 satellite, which was built by Lockheed Martin Corp. for DigitalGlobe, continuing a 17-year partnership for commercial Earth-imaging spacecraft.

 

“I think what we’re all going to witness tomorrow is all of that great experience coming to bear with a perfect launch and absolutely stunning images being delivered hours later,” Carl Marchetto, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Commercial Space, said Thursday afternoon. 

A launc-readiness review occurred Thursday morning to assess whether any issues remained to interfere with the launch, but the mission received the green light to proceed.  

Weather isn’t expected to be a problem for the mission’s departure, with just a 20-percent likelihood conditions will force the team to try a different day.

The concern centers on launch visibility, officials said, adding that conditions improve to 10 percent if the mission slips to Saturday.t

The West Coast Atlas launch comes a week after a similar rocket launched a NASAmission from Florida.

The Vandenberg rocket will mark the 66th Atlas 5 liftoff, officials said. Most of those, or 32, involved the basic Atlas 5 rocket without any boosters strapped on to the lower portion.

“That really is the workhorse of our whole Atlas 5 family,” said Vern Thorp, ULA program manager.

Vandenberg officials said community members can view the launch from the Hawk’s Nest, the former mobile home park site on Highway 1, a half mile south of Vandenberg’s main gate. 

Other popular viewing spots for South Base launches include the summit of Harris Grade Road, near the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads, and on Ocean Avenue west of Lompoc.

The Atlas 5 launch facility is visible on the horizon looking south of Ocean Avenue to the white gantry. 

Quelle: Noozhawk

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Foto: ULA

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Update: 20.10 MESZ : Start ist verschoben!

 

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WorldView-4 launch rescheduled for Sept. 17 pending resolution of the issue. Launch time is 11:30amPT; broadcast at 11:05amPT.

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Update: 17.09.2016

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UPDATE: Sept. 16, 2016, 5 p.m. PDT – The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying the WorldView-4 satellite is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18 to allow the team additional time to evaluate the cause of the ground leak anomaly experienced during propellant tanking. The launch window opens at 11:30 a.m. PDT. 

Quelle: ULA

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Atlas rocket launch delayed by pad hydrogen leak

An artist’s impression of DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 commercial imaging satellite in orbit.

 
 
 

Launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying a DigitalGlobe high-resolution commercial surveillance satellite was scrubbed Friday because of a “very small” hydrogen leak in a ground system that caused an unusual “ice ball” to develop on an umbilical.

ULA rescheduled launch the WorldView-4 satellite from complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EDT (GMT-4; 11:30 a.m. local time).

The countdown had just entered a planned 30-minute hold at the T-minus 4-minute mark Friday when ULA CEO Tory Bruno tweeted the launch would be delayed. The announcement followed the apparent resolution of an earlier problem that delayed the start of liquid hydrogen loading.

“Scrub,” Bruno tweeted. “Very small ground side LH2 (liquid hydrogen) leak. Forming an ice ball on the umbilical. Outside our history. Standing down attempt today to resolve.” He then added: “Always better to be on the ground, wishing you were in the air than the other way around.”

Quelle: CBS

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Update: 18.09.2016

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Atlas V WorldView-4 Mission Overview

Rocket/Payload:A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 configuration rocket will launch the WorldView-4 mission for DigitalGlobe. The Atlas V is provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services.

Date/Site/Launch Time:Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The launch window is 11:30-11:45 a.m. PDT.

Live Broadcast: ULA’s live launch broadcast will begin at 11:05 a.m. PDT.

Quelle: ULA

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UPDATE: 19.15 MESZ

Date/Site/Launch Time: No earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The launch window is 11:30-11:45 a.m. PDT.

Live Broadcast: ULA’s live launch broadcast will begin at 11:05 a.m. PDT.

QUELLE: ULA

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Update: 19.09.2016

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Air Force Base Wildfire Postpones Hi-Res Satellite Launch 

A wildfire burning at a central California Air Force base on Sunday forced the postponement of a satellite launch, officials said.

An Atlas 5 rocket was to carry a satellite known as WorldView-4 into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The satellite is designed to produce high-resolution images of Earth from space.

The fire burning in a remote canyon didn't immediately threaten the space launch complex, Col. Paul Nosek said on the base's Facebookpage. But he said the blaze required firefighters to be redeployed from standing by at the launch.

Nearly 800 firefighters were trying to corral the fire that was nearly 2 square miles in size.

The launch will be postponed until at least Sept. 26, according to United Launch Alliance, a joint venture by Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co.

The satellite is the latest in a series of imaging satellites built by Lockheed Martin. It is operated by Colorado-based DigitalGlobe, which provides images for government and private customers.

The satellite is designed to spot the make of a car from nearly 400 miles (643.71 kilometers) above Earth.

Quelle: abc-News

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Update: Wildfire on Vandenberg Air Force Base burns over 2,000 acres

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A wildfire that broke out Saturday evening at Vandenberg Air Force Base has scorched more than 2,200 acres as of Sunday evening.

Firefighters from Vandenberg Air Force Base, assisted by crews from Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service, are battling the Canyon fire on the South Base.

More than 250 firefighters are working to control the blaze that is still zero percent contained, fire officials said.

 

Engine crews are attacking spot fires directly, and Vandenberg and Santa Barbara County bulldozers are cutting new fire breaks, a base spokesman said.

Air tankers from Santa Maria Public and Paso Robles airports made “aggressive” fire retardant drops until darkness fell.

Vandenberg civil engineers are also working to restore power that was lost when the fire damaged power lines.

An evacuation warning was issued for about 50 homes in the Miguelito Canyon area, but the threat to that area was "minimal" as of 5:30 p.m., said Capt. Mike Zaniboni of the County Fire Department.

The fire broke out about 5:20 p.m. Saturday near Arguello and Santa Ynez Ridge roads and spread rapidly through heavy fuel, scorching 50 acres by 11 p.m., a County Fire spokesman said.

By 11 a.m. Sunday, it had grown to 500 acres, and by early afternoon it exceeded 1,200 acres.

Wayne Seda, incident commander from the Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department, said there is no estimated containment date, and the cause of the fire is undetermined.

Zaniboni said fire officials have requested additional help to fight the fire.

With additional crews arriving throughout the evening, on- and off-base residents are being directed to avoid the South Base area, a base spokesman said.

Until further notice, only mission-essential personnel, as designated by their commanders, will be granted access to South Base, the spokesman said.

Mission-essential personnel who work north of Mesa Road in the South Base area should use the South Base gate to enter the base, while mission-essential personnel who work at facilities along Coast Road should enter through the Coast Gate.

 

All others should contact their supervisory chain for reporting instructions, the spokesman said.

There are no restrictions on North Base activities, and personnel working in that area should report for duty using normal procedures.

Zaniboni said the fire is burning north to northwest toward two launch pads — Space Launch Complex-4, the SpaceX launch site, and SLC-3, where base officials scrubbed Sunday’s launch of an Atlas 5 rocket carrying the WorldView 4 satellite.

Although the fire did not pose an immediate threat to SLC-3 at the time, Col. Paul Nosek said it required the base to redeploy firefighters from stand-by at the launch site.

Air Force Lt. William Collette said no new date has been set for launching the WorldView 4 satellite, but United Launch Alliance officials said the launch will be postponed until at least Sept. 26.

WorldView 4 is the latest in a series of imaging satellites built by Lockheed Martin and designed to produce high-resolution images of Earth.

Officials said the satellite will be able to spot the make of a car from nearly 400 miles above Earth.

This story will be updated as soon as additional information becomes available.

Quelle: LOMPOC RECORD

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Update: 11.10.2016

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Launch of Atlas V Rocket Won’t Occur Until Late October or Early November

Liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base has been delayed due to Canyon Fire-related repairs

Workers install an Atlas 5 rocket payload fairing, with the WorldView-4 satellite tucked inside, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in September. The launch, which was postponed by the Canyon Fire on the base, is not expected to occur until late October or early November.Click to view larger
Workers install an Atlas 5 rocket payload fairing, with the WorldView-4 satellite tucked inside, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in September. The launch, which was postponed by the Canyon Fire on the base, is not expected to occur until late October or early November. (United Launch Alliance photo)
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Launch of an Atlas V rocket carrying the WorldView-4 spacecraft and assorted micro satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base won’t occur until late October or early November as Canyon Fire-related repairs continue.
 

DigitalGlobe announced the launch status Monday morning, days after Vandenberg officials revealed they were bringing in additional crews to help with the aftermath of the Canyon Fire which charred more than 12,500 acres last month.

A faulty valve postponed the departure of the United Launch Alliance rocket’s departure Sept. 16, with plans to try again Sept. 18.

 

However, the Canyon Fire sparked on South Base, foiling the second attempt and leaving the rocket grounded indefinitely.

DigitalGlobe’s announcement says the launch has been “delayed due to ongoing efforts to restore and test infrastructure at Vandenberg Air Force Base following last month’s wildfires.

“DigitalGlobe is working closely with the U.S. Air Force and United Launch Alliance to identify a new launch date, targeting late October or early November,” the statement said.

“The WorldView-4 satellite is safe and secure atop its Atlas V launch vehicle. The company continues to expect WorldView-4 to begin generating revenue in the first half of 2017.”

Last week, after ignoring requests for information and giving no updates regarding efforts to restore launch support equipment damaged by the fire, Vandenberg officials admitted they had requested additional crews to help with repairs. 

Members of the 85th Engineering & Installation Squadron from Keesler AFB, Mississippi were summoned to help Vandenberg crews with what base officials admitted involved “a large amount of work to be accomplished.”

WorldView-4 is the latest in a series of commercial high-resolution satellites providing data to 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.

Utilizing a routine rideshare program, Atlas also will carry a seven CubeSats sponsored by the National Reconnaissance Office and involving Cal Poly and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc.

The CubeSats are part of an unclassified technology demonstration program. 

Quelle: NOOZHAWK

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Update: 26.10.2016

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Atlas V Rocket Gets New Liftoff Date at Vandenberg Air Force Base

Mission to place commercial Earth-imaging satellite into orbit was delayed by last month's 12,500-acre Canyon Fire 

Built by Lockheed Martin, DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 satellite was enclosed last month in the 4-meter fairing that was placed atop an Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch that was scrubbed due to a vegetaton fire on base has been rescheduled for Nov. 6.Click to view larger
Built by Lockheed Martin, DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 satellite was enclosed last month in the 4-meter fairing that was placed atop an Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch that was scrubbed due to a vegetaton fire on base has been rescheduled for Nov. 6. (Lockheed Martin/United Launch Alliance photo)
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Liftoff from Space Launch Complex-3 on South Base is planned between 10:30 to 10:46 a.m., making a seven-week delay for the mission.

Launch time is an hour earlier that previous attempts due to the end of Daylight Saving Time, and the fact clocks will fall back an hour the same day.

 

A rocket's departure time is based upon where the satellite needs to be placed in space. 

The launch has been in limbo since Sept. 18, hours after a fire erupted on South Base.

Before being extinguished, the fire charred more than 12,500 acres, damaging multiple power poles and communication cables.

An initial countdown attempt on Sept. 16 was canceled approximately 30 minutes before blastoff due to a faulty valve.

During the lengthy delay, the WorldView-4 spacecraft, which was built by Lockheed Martin Corp., has remained perched atop the Atlas rocket at SLC-3, officials said.

DigitalGlobe representatives said they expected WorldView-4 to generate revenue in early 2017.

The rocket's primary passenger, a commercial Earth-imaging satellite, will continue adding to the firm’s library used by government, private and international customers once it reaches orbit.

Since the fire started, DigitalGlobe has been using sibling satellites, including WorldView-3, which launched from the site two years ago to capture images of South Base.

Those images have been provided to response teams on the ground, and reveal the fire was 2.5 kilometers, or 1.5 miles, from the launch pad, officials said.

The WorldView-3 satellite boasts a short-wave infrared sensor, which is able to pierce through smoke and see where fires are burning on the ground. 

In addition to WorldView-4, the rocket will carry several small spacecraft called CubeSats for the National Reconnaissance Office under an unclassified technology demonstration program.

Quelle: Noozhawk

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