Latest news with #TRACERS
Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
SpaceX launch set for tomorrow after widespread power outage scrubs mission at last minute
A SpaceX rocket launch planned for Tuesday afternoon at Vandenberg Space Force Base was forced to take a rain check after a widespread power outage scrubbed the liftoff, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. The power outage in the Santa Barbara region disrupted telecommunications at the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center, creating a 'no-go condition for launch,' the National Aeronautics and Space Association said in post. The control center manages air traffic over 177,000 square miles of airspace including California's coast from L.A. to San Luis Obispo, the Ventura area and into the Pacific for about 200 miles, according to the FAA. The decision came just 45 seconds before the rocket was set to launch, with a SpaceX official calling, 'Hold, hold, hold. ... We have aborted launch today due to airspace concerns.' 'The FAA took this action to ensure the safety of the traveling public,' the administration said. The FAA also issued a ground stop at the Santa Barbara Airport on Tuesday due to the outage, the airport said in a statement. Flights were diverted and delayed. Power at the airport hadn't been restored as of about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a spokesperson, who said that the ground stop would be lifted once power was restored to the area. In addition, the outage disrupted 911 service throughout Santa Barbara County, according to KTLA. As for the SpaceX launch, the rocket and its payloads were still in good shape, NASA said. Aboard the rocket were two twin satellites, a part of NASA's TRACERS mission — Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites. The two satellites will study Earth's magnetosphere by determining how magnetic explosions send solar wind particles into Earth's atmosphere, and how those particles affect space technology and astronauts . The launch was rescheduled to Wednesday at 11:13 a.m., NASA said. It will take place at Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg. Last month, a SpaceX launch that took off from the same location lit up the night sky across Southern California.
UPI
20 hours ago
- Science
- UPI
SpaceX set to launch NASA TRACERS mission
July 22 (UPI) -- NASA's TRACERS mission is set to launch on Tuesday on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California. The TRACERS mission aims to "help understand magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth's atmosphere." The mission's launch window opens at 11:13 a.m. PDT with a 57-minute window from the Vandenberg Space Force Base's Space Launch Complex 4 East. "About eight minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage will land on SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California," said a release from SpaceX. "There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions." NASA will also send three payloads, the Athena EPIC, the Polylingual Experimental Terminal and the Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss with the mission. There is also a backup opportunity for the launch on Wednesday at the same time.
Time of India
a day ago
- Science
- Time of India
Elon Musk's SpaceX launch could trigger sonic booms across Southern California, officials warn
Officials have issued a warning that residents in California's Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms roughly eight minutes after SpaceX 's Falcon 9 launch on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. The loud, thunder-like sounds are expected as the rocket's first stage makes its high-speed return to Earth and attempts a landing at SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. While potentially startling, the booms are harmless and a routine feature of SpaceX's reusable rocket system. The launch, scheduled for 11:13 a.m. PDT, will carry NASA's TRACERS mission and three additional payloads into orbit during a 57-minute launch window. SpaceX to launch NASA's TRACERS mission aboard Falcon 9 from Vandenberg The upcoming mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Falcon 9 will carry NASA's TRACERS satellites (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites), designed to study the interaction between solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere. This data is expected to improve scientific understanding of space weather and its effects on satellite communications and Earth's atmosphere. Alongside TRACERS, three smaller research satellites will also hitch a ride into orbit. Why Falcon 9's return causes sonic booms by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Are you 18-79 with no funeral insurance? Talk to NZ Seniors today NZ Seniors Get Quote Undo Sonic booms occur when a vehicle travels faster than the speed of sound, creating shock waves that reach the ground as loud, abrupt noises. In SpaceX launches, the Falcon 9 booster separates from the upper stage shortly after liftoff and performs a controlled descent back to Earth. As it slows down and lands vertically at Landing Zone 4, it breaks the sound barrier, resulting in one or more sonic booms. These booms may vary in intensity depending on weather conditions and flight trajectory. Residents advised not to panic Officials have emphasized that these sounds are expected and are no cause for concern. The booms are not harmful and are a byproduct of SpaceX's innovative reusable rocket technology, which has become a standard part of its missions. Past launches have triggered similar public alerts to avoid alarm when sonic booms occur. How to follow the launch of TRACERS mission NASA and SpaceX will provide live coverage of the launch event on their respective websites and social media platforms. Local authorities may also issue real-time updates or reminders to residents in affected areas. In the event of a delay, a backup launch window is available on Wednesday, July 23, at the same time. As Southern California braces for a brief rumble from above, the mission marks yet another step forward in understanding the space environment that surrounds our planet.
CBS News
a day ago
- Science
- CBS News
SpaceX launch could create sonic boom in Southern California, officials advise
A SpaceX launch scheduled on Tuesday morning could create a large sonic boom heard across Southern California, officials advise. The Falcon 9 launch of NASA's TRACERS mission, which will take place at Vandenberg Space Force Base's Space Launch Complex 4 East, is scheduled at 11:13 a.m. with an 57-minute long launch window. "About eight minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage will land on SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 ... at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California," said a release from SpaceX. "There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions." If necessary, a backup launch date is scheduled for Wednesday at the same time. TRACERS, or Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, is a program that aims to "help understand magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth's atmosphere," according to NASA's website. Scientists will evaluate how weather in space affects the weather on Earth. In May, a sonic boom shook most of Southern California as SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere after a launch nearly a day earlier.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
Satellites launching from California could help scientists understand disruptive space weather
Two twin satellites — part of NASA's TRACERS mission — set to launch tomorrow at Vandenberg Space Force Base will help scientists better understand space weather. Researchers expect the mission to provide new insights into how charged particles from the sun plow into Earth's magnetic shield. Such interactions underlie the dazzling northern lights, like the brilliant light shows that swept large swaths of California in 2024. 'What we will learn from TRACERS is critical for the understanding and eventually the predicting of how energy from our sun impacts the Earth,' said Joe Westlake, director of NASA's heliophysics division, during a briefing July 17. 'It's going to help us keep our way of life safe here on Earth.' The explosion of energy can also wreak havoc on satellites and power grids. Data collected by the TRACERS mission could aid future aurora forecasts and also inform preparations ahead of damaging geomagnetic storms. Two identical satellites will capture data on how a steady stream of charged particles from the sun, also known as solar wind, enters the near-Earth environment. This process is known as magnetic reconnection. High solar wind speeds can bring geomagnetic storms while slow wind speeds bring calm space weather. Fast solar winds can also cause auroral displays. The most expansive displays, like those above California in 2024, are typically associated with coronal mass ejections, large expulsions of charged particles and magnetic fields from the sun. Solar winds carry the sun's embedded magnetic field, reaching speeds over one million miles per hour. Earth's magnetosphere, a region dominated by the planet's magnetic field, acts as a protective bubble deflecting the solar wind and shielding Earth from solar radiation. The twin satellites, each slightly larger than a washing machine,will fly through a narrow region in Earth's magnetic field known as a polar cusp, where solar wind funnels into Earth's atmosphere. Over a year, the spacecraft will make 3,000 passes through the northern polar cusp. The reason for two satellites, rather than just one, is to probe how magnetic reconnection occurs in space and time. The two TRACERS spacecraft will follow each other in orbit, creating closely spaced snapshots that will help scientists tease apart how quickly changes in plasma, or charged particles from the sun, occur. The two satellites carry scientific equipment provided by UC Berkeley, UCLA and other institutions. UC Berkeley's instruments sense electricity within the magnetized plasma of near-Earth space, said David Miles, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa and principal investigator of the TRACERS mission, by email. UCLA's instruments work like extremely sensitive compasses and measure the strength and direction of the local magnetic field. 'These instruments from Berkeley and UCLA are crucial for decoding the complex interactions in our planet's space environment and the magnetic reconnection process that couples in energy from the solar wind,' Miles said. Decoding such interactions is important for life closer to the surface. The historic storm in May 2024 that led to aurora viewings in California impacted air travel: Transoceanic flights were rerouted due to high-frequency radio loss, Westlake said. The event also caused roughly $500 million in economic losses in the agriculture sector, due to precision GPS issues, Westlake added. 'TRACERS joins the fleet of current heliophysics missions that are actively increasing our understanding of the sun and space weather and how to mitigate these impacts,' Westlake said.
