Vandenberg Air Force Base – Spaceflight Now

NASA’s InSight lander inside one month to launch toward Mars

April 8, 2018

NASA’s InSight Mars lander will be buttoned up for launch in the coming weeks at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, in preparation for its hoisting atop an Atlas 5 rocket for blastoff in the predawn hours of May 5.

Iridium messaging network gets another boost from SpaceX

March 30, 2018

Ten more satellites for Iridium’s commercial communications network flew into orbit Friday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, raising the total number of upgraded Iridium spacecraft launched to 50 and clearing the way for liftoff of a SpaceX supply ship Monday from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station.

Watch a replay of SpaceX’s fifth launch for Iridium

March 30, 2018

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher rocketed into orbit Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, climbing away from a hillside launch complex just after sunrise with 10 Iridium communications satellites.

Launch timeline for Iridium’s fifth launch with SpaceX

March 30, 2018

Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit with the fifth set of 10 next-generation satellites for Iridium’s voice and data relay fleet.

Photos: Falcon 9 rocket stands vertical at Vandenberg

March 30, 2018

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to loft the fifth batch of Iridium Next mobile communications satellites stands vertical on Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with fifth set of Iridium Next satellites

March 30, 2018

SpaceX’s fifth launch for Iridium’s upgraded mobile communications network occurred at 7:13 a.m. PDT (10:13 a.m. EDT; 1413 GMT) Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The Falcon 9 rocket flew with a reused first stage, but SpaceX did not intend to recover the booster after Friday’s launch.

Iridium boss senses shift in SpaceX rhythm with another launch set for Friday

March 29, 2018

On the eve of the Iridium’s fifth launch with SpaceX, the mobile telecom satellite operator’s chief executive says he no longer waits for SpaceX’s rockets to be ready. Instead, Iridium’s satellite team is racing to keep pace churning spacecraft off their assembly line.

Ground equipment problem slips next Falcon 9 launch to Friday

March 27, 2018

Trouble with a piece of ground equipment used for testing of the 10 Iridium communications satellites aboard the next Falcon 9 rocket launch has forced a 24-hour delay in the mission to Friday, officials said Tuesday.

Atlas 5 rocket assembled for first Mars mission launch from Vandenberg

March 23, 2018

Ground crews at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California raised a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on its launch pad earlier this month in preparation for liftoff May 5 with NASA’s InSight lander heading to Mars.

Launch preps advance in California for next Falcon 9 flight

March 20, 2018

SpaceX’s fifth launch of replacement spacecraft for Iridium’s global voice and data communications network is set for March 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a flight that Iridium hopes will signal the start of a brisk pace of West Coast missions to complete deployment of the telecom company’s initial 75-satellite constellation this summer.