UPDATE (11:17 a.m.) - A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:12 a.m. on Monday. It was the base's 2,000th launch.
LIFTOFF of the United Launch Alliance #AtlasV rocket to continue to Landsat legacy of observing the changes of planet Earth. And the vehicle has cleared the tower! https://t.co/W859rlBbnv
— ULA (@ulalaunch) September 27, 2021
GO ATLAS! GO CENTAUR! GO LANDSAT 9!@NASA_LSP || @NASA_Landsat || @USGSLandsat pic.twitter.com/mhBuPusGc9
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(10:33 a.m.) - The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base is a go for Monday morning.
The launch is currently scheduled to take place at 11:12 a.m.
NASA TV is providing a livestream of the launch:
The Atlas V rocket will carry the Landsat 9 satellite into orbit.
The Landsat program, which is a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, provides a record of Earth's changing landscapes.
Landsat 9 will replace Landsat 7, which was launched in 1999, and together with Landsat 8, will collect images of Earth's forests, farms, cities, lakes, and coastlines.
According to NASA, Landsat 9 can take more than 700 images of Earth per day.
As #Landsat9 orbits Earth, it will capture scenes across a swath 115 miles wide (185 km). Each pixel in these images is 30 meters across, or about the size of a baseball infield, which allows resource managers to resolve most crop fields in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/myx1lZPAr0
— ULA (@ulalaunch) September 27, 2021
Every Landsat satellite has been launched from Vandenberg since the program started in 1972.
Not only is the Landsat program celebrating nearly 50 years, but this launch is a big milestone for Vandenberg. It marks the base's 2,000th launch.
It's also the 300th launch of an Atlas rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
In addition to the livestream, locals can view the launch from the Hawk's Nest on Highway 1, one-half mile south of the base's main gate.
