Earth Observation

India’s PSLV launches with two Singaporean satellites

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Saturday. Credit: ISRO An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off Saturday and flew to an altitude of more than 360 miles (580 kilometers) to deploy two Singaporean satellites, one for all-weather radar imaging surveillance and another for technology demonstrations. The …

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Watch live: SpaceX counting down to launch of Intelsat satellite with NASA air quality sensor

Watch our live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Intelsat 40e communications satellite, which also hosts NASA’s TEMPO air quality monitoring instrument. Follow us on Twitter. SFN Live SpaceX is counting …

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NASA air quality sensor ready for launch with Intelsat satellite

Artist’s illustration of the TEMPO instrument’s scan of air quality across North America. Credit: NASA A $210 million NASA mission to improve air pollution monitoring over North America is set to launch Friday with an Intelsat communications satellite blasting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, …

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Israel launches radar spy satellite into retrograde orbit

Israel’s Ofek 13 radar spy satellite lifted off aboard an Israeli-built Shavit 2 launch vehicle. Credit: Israel Ministry of Defense Israel’s military launched a radar spy satellite March 28 from an air base south of Tel Aviv, adding an all-weather observation sentinel to the country’s fleet of intelligence-gathering spacecraft. A solid-fueled Shavit 2 launcher delivered …

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Tyvak smallsat launched by SpaceX to validate miniature space debris telescope

File photo of a Tyvak-built 6U CubeSat being placed Ito its launch dispenser. Credit: Tyvak Tyvak, a manufacturer of small satellites, disclosed new details Monday about an experimental spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday, revealing plans to validate compact optical telescopes that could offer a new way to monitor space traffic and …

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China launches military observation satellite

A Long March 4C rocket lifts off with the Yaogan 34 military observation satellite. Credit: Xinhua China launched an optical Earth observation satellite April 30, beginning a mission designed to provide detailed reconnaissance imagery to the Chinese military. The Yaogan 34 spacecraft lifted off on top of a medium-class Long March 4C rocket at 3:27 …

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Chinese Long March 6 rocket delivers nine small satellites to space

A Long March 6 rocket lifts with April 27 with nine satellites. Credit: CASC Nine small Chinese satellites, including a technology experiment to test out ways to capture space debris, rode a Long March 6 rocket into orbit April 27 on a rideshare mission managed by China Great Wall Industry Corp., the government-owned enterprise charged …

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Spy satellite successfully launched from California military base

A Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifts off Monday from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: National Reconnaissance Office A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket climbed into orbit Monday from a military base northwest of Los Angeles, delivering to space a classified U.S. government spy satellite as large as a school bus …

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Photos: Delta 4-Heavy rocket awaits liftoff from historic SLC-6 launch pad

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket is awaiting liftoff with a classified U.S. government spy satellite at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s historic Space Launch Complex-6, a picturesque rocket facility that was once intended to support launches of military astronauts and space shuttles. These photos show the triple-body rocket, clad in orange thermal insulation, standing …

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One of ULA’s four remaining Delta 4 rockets set to launch from California

A Delta 4-Heavy rocket stands on Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance ground crews on California’s Central Coast are gearing up to send a classified U.S. government spy satellite into orbit as soon as Monday — weather permitting — aboard one of the company’s …

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