Dozens of spacecraft, ranging from those testing technology to one carryng human cremains, will share a ride to orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Wednesday.
Liftoff of the Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, rocket will occur between 10:31 and 11 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-4 on South Base, weather permitting.
Clearing the way for the launch to proceed was a completed static fire test at Vandenberg. The test involves conducting a countdown and firing the engines while the rocket remains earthbound, a milestone SpaceX completes before each mission.
Days later, SpaceX representatives announed a delay for the planned Nov. 19 blastoff, and later confirmed Nov. 28 as the newest targeted departure date.
On board the Falcon rocket awaiting launch will be the Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries’ SmallSat Express, made up of 64 spacecraft from 34 organizations.
“To say this is a historic milestone in the history of Spaceflight and for the commercial small sat industry would be an understatement,” Spaceflight CEO Curt Blake said in a blog post on the company website.
“There is no other mission that has supported so many disparate hopes and dreams of all sorts of organizations; from startups to established businesses, from space agencies to universities, all of whom need to prove their technologies and business models, to take their organizations to new heights.”
The flight will include 15 microsats and 49 cubesats from both commercial organizations and government agencies. The customers represent 17 countries including the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
“These spacecraft range in size from a refrigerator to ones as small as a cell phone, and their missions are even more diverse,” said Jeff Roberts, Spaceflight’s SS0-A mission director. “We have cutting-edge technology demonstrators for communications and Earth observation, advanced propulsion systems, formation flying spacecraft, university experiments, high school projects, art, and even tomatoes!
“Each spacecraft is the culmination of people’s aspirations to use the advantages of space to improve life here on Earth, or sometimes just to do cool stuff to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, businessmen and explorers.”
One spacecraft will carry a set of cremated human remains, bringing back space burials to Vandenberg. San Francisco-based Elysium Space announced that Star II Mission will involve lifting into orbit a representative sample of cremains for 100 people from all backgrounds.
The company touts its memorial spacecraft as the first dedicated satellite ever launched for space burials. But Elysium is not the first to offer the service. Houston-based Celestis Inc. conducted several space burials, many involving rockets prepped at or launched from Vandenberg.
As a daylight departure, the Falcon 9 rocket’s flight isn’t expected to create a celestial show like the one during an Oct. 7 twilight liftoff.
Additionally, SpaceX reportedly does not intend to land the rocket at Vandenberg, but will aim for a touch down on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean. For this mission, the droneship may be positioned closer to Vandenberg than previous launches.
For safety reasons related to the launch, Jalama Beach County Park, south of Vandenberg, will be evacuated from 5 to 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Vandenberg officials previously said members of the public may view this launch from the Hawk’s Nest on Azalea Lane off of Highway 1, a half-mile south of the base’s main gate. The Hawk’s Nest gates will open at 9 a.m. and close no later than 10:15 a.m.
As a reminder, the public is asked not to bring or consume alcohol, smoke, nor have any open fires or barbecues. Campers, RVs, trailers and weapons also are not allowed.
Additionally, the use of small unmanned aerial systems, or drones, within 5 miles of any active runway, such as Vandenberg’s, is prohibited.
However, several other locations around the Lompoc Valley also offer views of Falcon rocket launches, including the peak of Harris Grade Road and the western end of Highway 246.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
