Author Topic: Vandenberg Space Force Base - Missile Test notices  (Read 139901 times)

Online catdlr

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #140 on: 04/25/2018 11:09 pm »
CORRECTION

Launch Alert
12:29 PM

Thus far, I haven't received any observations of this morning's Minuteman III launch or of the launch aftermath.

Earlier I erroneously implied that the KSBY TV news story had video of the launch. That video was actually from a previous test. However, KMPH TV has an online story about the launch and video. Go to:

http://kmph.com/news/local/watch-bright-light-flashes-across-the-sky-in-fresno

For background regarding this launch, refer to veteran reporter Janene Scully's story at:

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/minuteman_iii_missile_test_planned_amid_unusual_secrecy
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Online catdlr

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #141 on: 04/26/2018 03:46 am »
Minuteman III Operational Test - GT-226GM

UPDATE: 04/29 - The following video was pulled.
UPDATE: 04/30 - Steve found someone that reposted the original:  https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39426.msg1816001#msg1816001

« Last Edit: 04/30/2018 09:38 am by catdlr »
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Offline russianhalo117

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #142 on: 04/29/2018 07:10 pm »
The initial video was apparently pulled.  No press releases on the 30th SW web site.  Now we have no information about test number and launch silo.

 - Ed Kyle
PR and Social Media announcements from MDA and VAFB were pulled. This tends to only happen when a failure occurs.

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #143 on: 04/29/2018 11:22 pm »
The initial video was apparently pulled.  No press releases on the 30th SW web site.  Now we have no information about test number and launch silo.

 - Ed Kyle
GT-226GM was the flight number. even news sites deleted their articles.

Online Steven Pietrobon

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #144 on: 04/30/2018 06:14 am »
Here's the video which someone fortunately copied.

Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #145 on: 05/12/2018 05:18 am »
Launch Alert
10:11 PM


The Noozhawk website reports a Minuteman III missile is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg AFB on Monday morning, May 14 during a 1:21 a.m. to 7:21 a.m. launch window.

For more information, go to:

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/minuteman_iii_missile_test_launch_scheduled_at_vandenberg_afb_20180511
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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #146 on: 05/14/2018 11:14 pm »
Launch Alert
9:44 AM

Media sources report this morning's scheduled Minuteman III missile launch from Vandenberg AFB took place at 01:23 PDT.

For more information, refer to:

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/vandenberg_afb_conducts_minuteman_missile_test_launch1
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Offline MATTBLAK

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #147 on: 05/15/2018 02:26 am »
Would one of the reasons for these tests be to evaluate how some of the 'legacy' missile's motor propellants are holding up after years of sitting around?
« Last Edit: 05/15/2018 02:28 am by MATTBLAK »
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Online Steven Pietrobon

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #148 on: 05/15/2018 06:07 am »
Here's the video on Youtube. Mission was GT-224GM.

Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #149 on: 05/19/2018 09:47 pm »
LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                  [email protected]
                        www.spacearchive.info

                                  2018 May 19 (Saturday) 10:51 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                      TUESDAY VANDENBERG LAUNCH

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying several satellites is scheduled for launch
from south Vandenberg AFB on Tuesday afternoon at 12:47:58 PDT.

Following lift-off, the rocket will climb vertically for several
seconds before it begins a gradual turn and heads south. If the launch
is successful, the Falcon 9 will place several Iridium NEXT
communications satellites and two GRACE Follow-on scientific
satellites into orbit.

Weather permitting, the bright orange flame from the rocket's first
stage could be visible to the unaided eye as far away as Big Sur,
Bakersfield, and Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

People in very quiet locations in coastal Santa Barbara and Ventura
Counties and the western Santa Monica mountains may hear a distant,
muffled rumble from the launch sometime between T+4 and T+12 minutes.

Some launch enthusiasts may be planning gather to watch the event from
west of Lompoc near highway 246 (west Ocean Avenue) and Union Sugar
Road.

However, if you intend to view the launch near the coast, be advised
there is a real possibility the event will be obscured by low clouds
or fog.

For the best view in outlying areas, get above the haze or marine
layer and find a place with an unobstructed horizon towards the launch
site and Channel Islands.

Regardless of where you plan to go to view the launch, allow yourself
enough time to get there well before liftoff. After you arrive, be
aware of your surroundings and possible hazards such as traffic.



----------------------------------------------------------------------

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Online catdlr

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #150 on: 06/05/2018 12:09 am »
LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                  [email protected]
                        www.spacearchive.info

                                    2018 June 4 (Monday) 16:09 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

                     Launch
                   Time/Window
  Date              (PST/PDT)               Vehicle           Pad/Silo
--------        -----------------        --------------       --------

Mid-JUL         TBD                      Falcon 9             SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 56-65

AUG             TBD                      Falcon 9             SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 66-75

SEP             TBD                      Falcon 9             SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch several SSO-A satellites

SEP 12          05:46-08:20              Delta II             SLC-2W
Vehicle will launch the ICESat-2 spacecraft

SEP 26          To be announced          Delta IV Heavy       SLC-6
Vehicle will launch the NROL-71 payload for the U.S. National
Reconnaissance Office

The above schedule is a composite of unclassified information
approved for public release from government, industry, and other
sources. It represents the Editor's best effort to produce a schedule,
but may disagree with other sources. Details on military launches are
withheld until they are approved for public release. For official
information regarding Vandenberg AFB activities, go to
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil.

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00,
11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.).

The dates and times in this schedule may not agree with those on other
online launch schedules, including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule because different sources were used, the information was
interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different
times.

NET: No earlier than

TBD: To be determined

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

----------------------------------------------------------------------

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Launch Alert does not intentionally publish sensitive, potentially
sensitive, or inside information. All information comes from open
sources or is approved for public release.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2018, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
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source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.
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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #151 on: 06/17/2018 07:21 pm »
LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                  [email protected]
                        www.spacearchive.info

                                   2018 June 17 (Sunday) 09:42 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

                     Launch
                   Time/Window
  Date              (PST/PDT)               Vehicle          Pad/Silo
--------        -----------------        -------------       --------

JUL 20          05:12                    Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 56-65. The first stage's
bright flame could make the early portion of this launch visible for
more than 120 miles. Liftoff occurs 54 minutes before Vandenberg AFB
sunrise and may create an interesting visual display if the rocket's
exhaust is illuminated at high altitude by the sun

AUG             TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 66-75

SEP             TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch several SSO-A satellites

SEP 12          05:46-08:20              Delta II            SLC-2W
Vehicle will launch the ICESat-2 spacecraft

SEP 26          To be announced          Delta IV Heavy      SLC-6
Vehicle will launch the NROL-71 payload for the U.S. National
Reconnaissance Office

The above schedule is a composite of unclassified information
approved for public release from government, industry, and other
sources. It represents the Editor's best effort to produce a schedule,
but may disagree with other sources. Details on military launches are
withheld until they are approved for public release. For official
information regarding Vandenberg AFB activities, go to
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil.

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00,
11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.).

The dates and times in this schedule may not agree with those on other
online launch schedules, including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule because different sources were used, the information was
interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different
times.

TBD: To be determined

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                          MARTIAN DUST STORM
                             by Brian Webb

Earth-based observers may be able to see a dust storm on Mars without
a telescope. If the current storm grows and intensifies, naked-eye
observers may see the normally orange-red planet take on a dusky
yellow hue. To find Mars, go outside just before dawn and look towards
the south. The planet should be shining brightly at magnitude -1.7
approximately 35 degrees above the horizon.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                           SECURITY POLICY

Launch Alert does not intentionally publish sensitive, potentially
sensitive, or inside information. All information comes from open
sources or is approved for public release.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2018, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
newsletter may be used without identifying Launch Alert as the
source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.
Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Online catdlr

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #152 on: 07/01/2018 02:54 am »
LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                  [email protected]
                        www.spacearchive.info

                                 2018 June 30 (Saturday) 15:52 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

                     Launch
                   Time/Window
  Date              (PST/PDT)               Vehicle          Pad/Silo
--------        -----------------        -------------       --------

JUL 20          05:12                    Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 56-65. The first stage's
bright flame could make the early portion of this launch visible for
more than 120 miles. Liftoff occurs 54 minutes before Vandenberg AFB
sunrise and may create an interesting visual display if the rocket's
exhaust is illuminated at high altitude by the sun

NET SEP         TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch several SSO-A satellites

NET SEP         TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Argentina's SAOCOM-1A satellite

SEP 12          05:46-08:20              Delta II            SLC-2W
Vehicle will launch the ICESat-2 spacecraft

SEP 26          TBD                      Delta IV Heavy       SLC-6
Vehicle will launch the NROL-71 payload for the U.S. National
Reconnaissance Office

OCT-NOV         TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 66-75

NOV             TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch three RADARSAT earth imaging satellites satellites
for Canada

The above schedule is a composite of unclassified information
approved for public release from government, industry, and other
sources. It represents the Editor's best effort to produce a schedule
but may disagree with other sources. Details on military launches are
withheld until they are approved for public release. For official
information regarding Vandenberg AFB activities, go to
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil.

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00,
11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.).

The dates and times in this schedule may not agree with those on other
online launch schedules, including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule because different sources were used, the information was
interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different
times.

NET: No earlier than

TBD: To be determined

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 A NEW TELESCOPE EXPANDS BIG BEAR SOLAR OBSERVATORY'S VIEW OF THE SUN
                 New Jersey Institute of Technology

NEWARK, N.J., June 28, 2018 - A solar telescope that captures images
of the entire disk of the Sun, monitoring eruptions taking place
simultaneously in different magnetic fields in both the photosphere
and chromsphere, is now being installed beside the Goode Solar
Telescope (GST) at NJIT’s California-based Big Bear Solar Observatory
(BBSO).

The telescope, SOLIS (Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the
Sun), collects images from three separate instruments over years and
even decades, rather than minutes or hours, giving scientists a
comprehensive view of solar activity such as flares and coronal mass
injections over the long-term. It will complement the GST, which
gathers high-resolution images of individual explosions at such detail
that researchers are beginning to unveil the mechanical operations
that trigger them.

“With this important addition, BBSO becomes a comprehensive observing
site that offers not only high-resolution solar observations, but also
global data of our star,” notes Wenda Cao, an NJIT professor of
physics and BBSO’s director. “By monitoring variations in the Sun on a
continuing basis for several decades, we will better understand the
solar activity cycle, sudden energy releases in the solar atmosphere,
fluxes in solar irradiance, or brightness, and their relationship to
global change on Earth.”

Earlier this month, BBSO received a $2.3 million grant from the
National Science Foundation (NSF) that will fund continuing scientific
study of the Sun using the 1.6-meter GST at Big Bear, which is
currently the highest resolution solar telescope in the world.

“GST will continue to play a crucial, leading role in advancing solar
studies until the end of this decade and beyond. We will obtain,
analyze and interpret the highest resolution solar data ever taken,
while developing and applying analytical tools to attack a number of
critical, leading-edge problems in solar research,” says Cao, the
grant’s principal investigator. “This NSF grant is extremely
important; it allows us to maintain telescope operations, the current
talented engineering team and advanced research at BBSO and on the
NJIT campus. Along with other grants, it will provide the vital
backbone funding to enable all of the science, instrumentation and
education associated with the facility.”

“The addition of SOLIS at the Big Bear Solar Observatory greatly
benefits the broader space weather community,” adds Andrew Gerrard,
the director of NJIT’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, which
operates BBSO, the Owens Valley Solar Array near Big Pine, Calif., the
NASA Van Allen Probes RBSPICE instrument, and geospace instruments
around the world. “The data from this cluster of instruments will
support both space weather forecasts and fundamental solar physics,
which provide important components of the 2015 National Space Weather
Action Plan.”

SOLIS, which was developed by the National Solar Observatory (NSO), an
academic research consortium with backing from the NSF, is moving to
Big Bear from its current site in Tucson, Ariz., because the
organization is relocating from its facilities in New Mexico and
Arizona to new locations in Hawaii and Colorado. Big Bear was deemed
an ideal location for SOLIS, because the lake suppresses ground-level
atmospheric turbulence caused by heating thermals, offering
exceptional “seeing” for long periods per day on its more than 286
sunny days per year.

SOLIS is a suite of three innovative instruments that greatly improve
ground-based synoptic solar observations. The 50-cm vector
spectromagnetograph is a compact, high-throughput vector-polarimeter
with an active secondary mirror, an actively controlled grating
spectrograph and two high-speed cameras with
silicon-on-CMOS-multiplexer hybrid focal plane arrays. It will measure
the magnetic field strength and direction over the full solar disk
within 15 minutes. The 14-cm full-disk patrol takes full-disk images
of the Sun in various colors at a high cadence through liquid-crystal
tuned birefringent filters. The 8-mm integrated sunlight spectrometer
uses a fiber-fed spectrograph to measure minute changes of the
spectrum of the Sun as if it were a distant star. A high degree of
automation and remote control provides fast user access to data and
flexible interaction with the data-collection process.

“SOLIS continues a 45-year record of data on the behavior of the Sun’s
magnetic field that originally began at Kitt Peak, Arizona. It is also
the longest consistent provider of data on the direction of the
magnetic field in the photosphere, stretching back to 2003. SOLIS now
uniquely provides observations of the strength and direction of the
magnetic field in the chromosphere, an important layer of the solar
atmosphere where the magnetic field abruptly changes direction from
primarily vertical to mostly horizontal,” says Frank Hill, associate
director of the NSO.

He added, “This data improves our models of the behavior of the solar
corona, particularly when flares occur. The data is also an important
input to models of the magnetic field direction inside a coronal mass
ejection (CME) when it strikes Earth’s magnetosphere; this is a
critical indicator of the strength of the subsequent geomagnetic storm
that can adversely affect our technology.”

The variability of the Sun, particularly its cycle of activity, is
increasingly important for life on Earth as society becomes ever more
dependent on technology in daily life.

Telecommunications, GPS navigation, satellites, space flights with
astronauts aboard, airline passengers and the power grid are all
vulnerable to damage and disruption caused by solar activity. The Sun
is also a driver of Earth’s climate, so its variability needs to be
observed. Some aspects of the Sun’s changes are predictable, such as
the 11-year sunspot cycle, but the details are not well modeled.

Last year, Haimin Wang, distinguished professor of physics at NJIT,
and his colleagues released some of the first detailed views from the
GST of the mechanisms that may trigger solar flares, colossal releases
of magnetic energy in the Sun’s corona that dispatch energized
particles capable of penetrating Earth’s atmosphere within an hour and
disrupting orbiting satellites and electronic communications on the
ground.

Earlier this year, a team of physicists led by NJIT’s Gregory
Fleishman discovered a phenomenon that may begin to untangle what they
call “one of the greatest challenges for solar modeling” — determining
the  physical mechanisms that heat the corona, or upper atmosphere, to
1 million degrees Fahrenheit and higher.

Invisible to the human eye except when it appears briefly as a fiery
halo of plasma during a solar eclipse, the corona remains a puzzle
even to scientists who study it closely. Beginning 1,300 miles from
the star’s surface and extending millions more in every direction, it
is more than a hundred times hotter than lower layers much closer to
the fusion reactor at the Sun’s core.

Wang said recent technical advances at Big Bear will permit
groundbreaking new measurements of the Sun’s magnetism.

“We have developed a way to process GST measurements of the Sun’s
magnetic fields using sophisticated software that gives us spectrum
profiles of the light emitted by atoms transitioning from one energy
state to another. When inverted, these profiles allow us to obtain the
strength and direction of magnetic fields,” notes Wang, adding, “Both
the BBSO and SOLIS observe the solar chromosphere through the spectrum
lines formed by excited hydrogen atoms, which allows us to monitor
solar activities such as filaments, sunspots, bright regions of the
Sun and flares. But the two instruments capture images of solar
structures in different wavelengths.”

Big Bear is open to scientists around the world, while a third of its
observation time is reserved for NJIT researchers and students. Data
from SOLIS will be posted on the Internet for all to view. Cao said he
expects the telescope to obtain first light this summer.

About New Jersey Institute of Technology:

One of only 32 polytechnic universities in the United States, New
Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) prepares undergraduate and
graduate students and professionals to become leaders in the
technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT’s
multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to
education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and
leadership skills. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on
the State of New Jersey, conducts approximately $140 million in
research activity each year, and is a global leader in such fields as
solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering
and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT is ranked #1 nationally
by Forbes for the upward economic mobility of its lowest-income
students and is among the top 2 percent of public colleges and
universities in return on educational investment, according to
PayScale.com.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                           SECURITY POLICY

Launch Alert does not intentionally publish sensitive, potentially
sensitive, or inside information. All information comes from open
sources or is approved for public release.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2018, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
newsletter may be used without identifying Launch Alert as the
source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.
Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #153 on: 07/14/2018 08:51 pm »
LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                  [email protected]
                        www.spacearchive.info

                                 2018 July 14 (Saturday) 13:10 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

                     Launch
                   Time/Window
  Date              (PST/PDT)               Vehicle          Pad/Silo
--------        -----------------        -------------       --------

JUL 25          04:39:26                 Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 56-65. The first stage's
bright flame could make the early portion of this launch visible for
more than 120 miles.

AUG-SEP?        TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 66-75

NET SEP         TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch several SSO-A satellites

NET SEP         TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Argentina's SAOCOM-1A satellite

SEP 12          05:46-08:20              Delta II            SLC-2W
Vehicle will launch NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft

SEP 26          TBD                      Delta IV Heavy      SLC-6
Vehicle will launch the NROL-71 payload for the U.S. National
Reconnaissance Office

NOV             TBD                      Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch three RADARSAT earth imaging satellites for
Canada

The above schedule is a composite of unclassified information
approved for public release from government, industry, and other
sources. It represents the Editor's best effort to produce a schedule,
but may disagree with other sources. Details on military launches are
withheld until they are approved for public release. For official
information regarding Vandenberg AFB activities, go to
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil.

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00,
11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.).

The dates and times in this schedule may not agree with those on other
online launch schedules, including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule because different sources were used, the information was
interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different
times.

NET: No earlier than

TBD: To be determined

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                          MARS DUST STORM
                           by Brian Webb

A massive dust storm is currently enveloping the planet Mars. The
storm is so severe, the normally red-orange planet has taken on a
dusty-yellow color. What's especially interesting is you can see the
color change from earth without a telescope.

To catch a glimpse of this celestial chameleon, look low in the
southwest about 60 minutes before sunrise (4:52 a.m. as seen from Los
Angeles). Mars will be hard to miss because of its brightness and
distinctive dusty-yellow color.


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2018, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
newsletter may be used without identifying Launch Alert as the
source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.
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Online catdlr

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #154 on: 07/29/2018 09:51 pm »
Launch Alert
by: <[email protected]>
5:41 AM

A Minuteman III missile is scheduled for launch from Vandenberg AFB early Tuesday morning (JUL 31) during a 00:01-06:01 PDT launch window. For details, go to:

Air Force to Conduct Minuteman III ICBM Test from Vandenberg AFB Tuesday
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/air_force_to_conduct_minuteman_iii_icbm_test_from_vandenberg_afb

Vandenberg Air Force Base to host Minuteman III missile test launch Tuesday
https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/vandenberg-air-force-base-to-host-minuteman-iii-missile-test/article_d612d0bc-47a5-5a94-a681-69d375b74414.html
« Last Edit: 07/29/2018 09:52 pm by catdlr »
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Online catdlr

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #155 on: 07/31/2018 07:00 pm »
Launch Alert
By: [email protected]

9:33 AM

A Minuteman III missile was launched early this morning from Vandenberg AFB.  An anomaly occurred during flight and a command was sent to the vehicle at 4:42 a.m. to self-destruct.

For details, go to:

Minuteman III Missile Test Launch from Vandenberg AFB Ends in Failure
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/minuteman_iii_missile_test_launch_from_vandenberg_afb_ends_in_failure
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Online edkyle99

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #156 on: 08/01/2018 03:32 am »
First Minuteman 3 failure since 2011, after 21 consecutive successes, but the failure rate seems to have increased as the program has aged. 

Decade  Totals(Failures)
1960s         15(1)
1970s        124(1)
1980s         70(0)
1990s         37(2)
2000s         31(1)
2010s         27(2)
Total        305(7)


 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 08/01/2018 01:53 pm by edkyle99 »

Online Steven Pietrobon

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #157 on: 08/01/2018 04:25 am »
Does anyone know if this is GT-225GM? This launch was delayed from February this year.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #158 on: 08/01/2018 03:26 pm »
Does anyone know if this is GT-225GM? This launch was delayed from February this year.

Yup, that was it.

Online catdlr

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Re: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE - Missile Test notices
« Reply #159 on: 08/02/2018 04:20 am »
LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                  [email protected]
                        www.spacearchive.info

                                   2018 August 1 (Wednesday) 20:27 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

                     Launch
                   Time/Window
  Date              (PST/PDT)               Vehicle          Pad/Silo
--------        -----------------        -------------       --------

AUG-SEP?        Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Iridium NEXT satellites 66-75

NET SEP         Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch several SSO-A satellites

NET SEP         Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch Argentina's SAOCOM-1A satellite

SEP 12          05:46-08:20              Delta II            SLC-2W
Vehicle will launch NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft. Vehicle will use four
solid rocket motors

SEP 26          Unknown                  Delta IV Heavy      SLC-6
Vehicle will launch the NROL-71 payload for the U.S. National
Reconnaissance Office

NOV             Unknown                  Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch three RADARSAT earth imaging

The above schedule is a composite of unclassified information
approved for public release from government, industry, and other
sources. It represents the Editor's best effort to produce a schedule,
but may disagree with other sources. Details on military launches are
withheld until they are approved for public release. For official
information regarding Vandenberg AFB activities, go to
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil.

All launch dates and times are given in Pacific Time using a 24-hour
format similar to military time (midnight = 00:00, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00,
11:00 p.m. = 23:00, etc.).

The dates and times in this schedule may not agree with those on other
online launch schedules, including the official Vandenberg AFB
schedule because different sources were used, the information was
interpreted differently, and the schedules were updated at different
times.

NET: No earlier than

TBD: To be determined

PDT: Pacific Daylight Time

PST: Pacific Standard Time

SLC: Space Launch Complex

----------------------------------------------------------------------

                           SECURITY POLICY

Launch Alert does not intentionally publish sensitive, potentially
sensitive, or inside information. All information comes from open
sources or is approved for public release.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2018, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
newsletter may be used without identifying Launch Alert as the
source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.
Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

 

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