The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket unleashes two million pounds of thrust at 7:19 p.m. to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on the NROL-35 mission.
Launching the commercial WorldView 4 Earth-imaging satellite for DigitalGlobe, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket thunders away from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base today at 10:30 a.m. local time (1:30 p.m. EST; 1830 GMT).
In preparation for liftoff Dec. 18 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, the powerful Internet-from-space broadcasting satellite called EchoStar 19 was encapsulated in the nose cone.
An Atlas 5 rocket rumbled into space Saturday evening after lifting off from Cape Canaveral with multiple U.S. Air Force communications and tech demo satellites, and brilliant clear skies made for ideal viewing conditions shortly before sunset.