RICHARD VOGEL/AP PHOTO
This Sunday I was strolling the grounds at the La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, CA when right around 1:15 PM I heard a tremendous clap. I observed this large contrail. Stupendous! This contrail was left when SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched carrying a set of communications satellites. It was launched at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on June 25, 2017.
I saw a lot of Tesla cars in town in Lompoc on Sunday--Elon Musk and friends, I assume. Elon Musk is the founder, CEO and lead designer at Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), where he oversees the development and manufacturing of advanced rockets and spacecraft for missions to and beyond Earth orbit. Founded in 2002, SpaceX’s mission is to enable humans to become a spacefaring civilization and a multi-planet species by building a self-sustaining city on Mars. http://www.spacex.com/elon-musk
From the SpaceX official webpage: "On Sunday, June 25 at 1:25 p.m. PDT, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the second set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT. Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 successfully landed on the droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean, despite challenging weather conditions."
I was amazed by the juxtaposition of the rocket to the primitive architecture and infrastructure of the peaceful mission where I was walking. Imagine if the original mission dwellers were startled by a rocket in the sky--it would amount to an incredible, unexplained, possibly frightening phenomena. The mission was founded in 1787. The La Purisima Mission land holdings once covered nearly 470 square miles. Bordered by the Santa Maria River in the North and the Gaviota coastline in the South, the land was home to the Chumash people and Spanish settlers. The mission was best known for its hides and blankets, and at its peak inhabitants herded as many as 24,000 cattle and sheep. I was lucky to simultaneously see two intriguing examples of our civilization that filled me with wonder.
Check out the webcast here: http://www.spacex.com/webcast
SpaceX Flickr gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex
Photo source: SpaceX
Background Information: Launch Facility
Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base has a long history dating back to the early 1960s. Originally an Atlas launch pad activated in 1962, SLC-4E was in active use until its last Titan IV launch in 2005. SpaceX’s groundbreaking was in July 2011, and the pad was completed just 17 months later in November 2012. SpaceX took advantage of some existing pad infrastructure, but implemented extensive modifications and reconstruction of the launch complex. Part of the renovation included tearing down a 30+ story mobile service tower and a 20+ story umbilical tower. 97 percent of these units were recycled.
SLC-4E consists of a concrete launch pad/apron and a flame exhaust duct. Surrounding the pad are fuel storage tanks and an integration hangar. Before launch, Falcon 9’s stages, fairing and the mission payload are housed inside the hangar. A crane/lift system moves Falcon 9 into a transporter erector system and the fairing and its payload are mated to the rocket. The vehicle is rolled from the hangar to the launch pad shortly before launch to minimize exposure to the elements.
Launch schedule: http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbsked.htm