Latest news with #VandenbergSpaceForceBase
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
NC man's cremated remains lost in the Pacific Ocean after memorial spaceflight
A memorial spaceflight that promised to carry a Fuquay-Varina man's ashes into low-Earth orbit and retrieve them as a keepsake malfunctioned on its re-entry, crashed into the Pacific Ocean and scattered his remains at sea. The experience deeply disappointed Karin Nielson, who paid more than $3,000 to give her sci-fi fanatic husband a posthumous tribute. But she and her son Andrew feel happy Steve Nielson at least got his long-awaited trip to space, despite a portion of his remains being lost. 'Honestly, I'm not surprised this happened,' she said Tuesday, still in California for the space experience. 'I'm just glad the rocket didn't blow up in front of Andrew.' Steve Nielson died in November of 2023 after fighting a long string of illnesses, and his family wanted to celebrate his avid sci-fi fandom, which was so intense that he appreciated 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' equally. The Celestis Memorial Spaceflight promised to launch him posthumously into space along with 165 other cremated travelers aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, circling the Earth at 17,000 mph. Nielson gave Celestis only about a gram of her husband's remains before traveling to California for the launch this week. 'I know space travel has inherent risks,' she said. 'I was not going to be stupid enough to give them all the remains and not gotten them back.' The launch got delayed several times, and when it came time for liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base, the families had to watch from an athletic field several miles away. 'There was a little league team practicing,' Nielson said. Then Monday, Nielson got an email from Celestis CEO Charles M. Chafer, which was nearly identical to a posting on the company's website. 'We regret to share that an anomaly occurred during reentry, specifically, the parachute system failed, resulting in the Nyx capsule impacting the Pacific Ocean and dispersing its contents at sea,' Chafer wrote. 'As a result of this unforeseen event, we believe that we will not be able to recover or return Stephen G. Nielson's flight capsule. We share in your disappointment, and we offer our sincerest gratitude for the trust you placed in us.' Chafter praised the bravery and ambition of all involved, and noted this was the first Celestis flight designed to return from orbit. 'We also recognize that no technical achievement replaces the profound personal meaning this service holds for you and your family,' he continued, adding, 'Though we currently believe that we cannot return your loved one's capsule, we hope you find some peace in knowing they were part of a historic journey, launched into space, orbited Earth, and are now resting in the vastness of the Pacific.' Nielson plans to return to North Carolina Wednesday after what she called 'without a doubt one of the weirdest trips of my life.' 'It's unfortunate,' she said. 'But he made it to space and that's what he wanted. Yes, the remains weren't returned. We're just ecstatic and excited that he was able to go to space.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX rideshare mission carried more than 160 capsules of human remains: Here's why
The remains of more than 160 deceased people reached orbit on a spacecraft that hitched a ride on a SpaceX rocket. And it's not the first time that a company from Texas has worked with a launch provider like billionaire Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company to provide cosmic memorial services to those who may not favor a traditional burial. Since 1994, Celestis has offered about two-dozen memorial spaceflights to transport the remains of loved ones beyond Earth's atmosphere. This time, though, the mission that got off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California was designed to return from orbit in a major first. While an "anomaly" prevented the spacecraft bearing the memorial capsules from making a gentle landing, the payload did indeed make it to orbit – and even twice circled Earth. Here's what to know about Celestis' memorial spaceflights, as well as its latest mission to transport human remains to orbit. California rocket launches: Here's a look at the upcoming SpaceX schedule from Vandenberg Celestis is a company based in Houston, Texas specializing in transporting human remains to space for cosmic memorials. Capsules containing DNA and human remains are included as payloads on spacecraft launched into orbit by other companies, including SpaceX. Celestis' services allow for families to pay for cremated remains in capsules or DNA to be launched into space, where they can either return intact or remain until they reenter Earth's atmosphere, "harmlessly vaporizing like a shooting star in final tribute," the company says on its website. In another offering, the company facilitates the transportation of memorial capsules to interplanetary space well beyond the moon. Celestis' most recent payload of memorial capsules was included in a SpaceX rideshare mission known as Transporter 14. The mission got off the ground Monday, June 23 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket then delivered 70 total payloads, including small satellites, for paying customers to a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning they matched Earth's rotation around the sun. For its most recent mission, a total of 166 individual Celestis memorial capsules were on board a Nyx spacecraft manufactured by Europe-based The Exploration Company (TEC,) which hitched a ride on the Falcon 9. Among those whose remains on board the flight was Wesley Melvin Dreyer, an aerospace engineer selected by NASA to be on the team that investigated the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986. The launch, Celestis' 25th overall mission since it was founded in 1994, was meant to be Celestis' first-ever to return from an altitude high enough to be considered Earth's orbit. The Nyx module reached low-Earth orbit, where it traveled for three hours at about 17,000 miles per hour and completed two full orbits around Earth. But instead of safely reentering Earth's atmosphere to land in the Pacific Ocean as planned, the Nyx spacecraft experienced a parachute failure that resulted in it crashing into the sea. As a result, a team was unable to recover the capsules to return them to their families, Celestis co-founder and CEO Charles M. Chafer said in a statement. "We believe that we will not be able to recover or return the flight capsules aboard. We share in the disappointment of our families, and we offer our sincerest gratitude for their trust," Chafer said in a statement provided to the USA TODAY Network. "We hope families will find some peace in knowing their loved ones were part of a historic journey, launched into space, orbited Earth, and are now resting in the vastness of the Pacific, akin to a traditional and honored sea scattering." Celestis previously made headlines in January 2024 when its plans to land human remains on the moon's surface attracted some controversy. The plan was for the remains and DNA of more than 70 deceased people to be included on a lunar lander bound for the moon. That included remains from 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. But Navajo Nation, the largest tribe of Native Americans in the United States vehemently opposed the lunar burial, penning a letter decrying the plans as "a profound desecration." Ultimately, though, the remains never made it to the moon's surface anyway. Pittsburgh-based aerospace company Astrobotic's Peregrine lander fell short of its destination when it began leaking a "critical" amount of propellant – instead burning up in Earth's atmosphere after launch. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Company sends human remains to orbit for SpaceX launch from California
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX launch scheduled Sunday in California. Will it be visible from Palm Springs?
Coachella Valley residents could catch a glimpse of a SpaceX rocket streaking across the sky this weekend, with a Falcon 9 rocket launch tentatively scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The Transporter-14 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County will carry 70 payloads, including "cubesats, microsats, re-entry capsules, and orbital transfer vehicles," into Earth's lower orbit, according to SpaceX. While schedules can shift, the 57-minute launch window is slated to open at 2:18 p.m. Sunday. Backup opportunities are available at the same time Monday. The scheduled mission marks the latest of several SpaceX launches visible from the valley and across Southern California in recent years. A live stream of the rocket launches has typically been available on SpaceX's X account starting a few minutes before liftoff. Following the launch, part of the Falcon 9 rocket is planned to land on a drone station in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX will provide livestream of the launch on its website beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X. Tom Coulter is a reporter for The Desert Sun. Reach him at tcoulter@ This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: SpaceX launch scheduled Sunday in California. What to know
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Jellyfish cloud' soars over California during SpaceX launch
A massive cloud filled the sky over Southern California on Monday evening, taking the shape of a jellyfish with a long tail before slowly dissipating in the night. People across Los Angeles, San Diego and surrounding areas captured dramatic images of the unusual cloud, which was caused by a SpaceX rocket that blasted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base moments earlier. For rocket-created clouds to appear, conditions must be just right. A launch needs to occur shortly before daybreak or soon after nightfall, when it is dark on the ground. As the rocket ascends into space, it is eventually illuminated by sunlight, resulting in bright clouds that almost appear to glow. SpaceX rockets are not the only ones that can create the odd-shaped clouds. Similar clouds have been documented by other rockets, including the Space Shuttle, when conditions have been ideal. Monday evening's SpaceX launch lofted 26 Starlink satellites into orbit around the Earth.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
California rocket launch today: How, where to see SpaceX Falcon 9 on Starlink mission
Another SpaceX rocket is due to launch over the weekend from Southern California, but you'll most likely have to wake up pretty early if you want to see it. The commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground as early as Sunday, June 8, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. And according to SpaceX and Vandenberg, the rocket launch is targeted for early in the morning. The two-stage 230-foot tall rocket, one of the world's most active, has become crucial in regularly deploying batches of internet-beaming Starlink satellites into what's called low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly. But it's important to keep in mind that rocket launches can be – and often are – scrubbed or delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending rocket launch. Here's what to know about the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as well as when and where to watch it: California rocket launch schedule: Upcoming SpaceX missions from Vandenberg The SpaceX launch could happen as early as Sunday, June 8, with backup opportunities available Monday, June 9, according to a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory. A four-hour launch window opens at 6:34 a.m. PT Sunday,, according to a launch alert from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver 26 Starlink satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Following the delivery and deployment of the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County could hear sonic booms, according to an alert from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sonic booms are brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound. SpaceX provides a livestream of the launch on its website beginning about five minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X. Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Vandenberg, California, can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in California to catch the launch in person: 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, the public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the 'viewing site for SLC-6' (space launch complex-6) Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4 Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, the only location where the public can view the ignition and liftoff of rockets from Complex 4. Public access is at the Amtrak Surf Station parking area, but the area is closed in the case of back-to-back launches. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, has this list with additional viewing locations: , 6851 Ocean Park Road, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. , 1 Hancock Drive, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where both the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. , N A Street and McLaughlin Road, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002. The commercial spaceflight company is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket, from both California and Florida. That includes a regular cadence of deliveries of Starlink internet satellites into orbit, and occasional privately-funded commercial crewed missions on the Dragon. The most recent of SpaceX's private human spaceflights, a mission known as Fram2, took place in April. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024. SpaceX also benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads. Established in 1941, the Vandenberg Space Force Base, previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a site for both military, civil and commercial space launches. Agencies like NASA and companies like SpaceX routinely launch spacecraft from Vandenberg, a site where missile testing also takes place. Just recently, for instance, Texas spaceflight company Firefly Aerospace attempted to launch prototype satellites into orbit for Lockheed Martin from the base. Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 6,700 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX, a commercial spaceflight company, has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up. That allows Starlink's satellites to have lower latency and data time between user and the satellite, improving performance of things like streaming, online gaming and video calls. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: SpaceX rocket launch today? Where to see next California liftoff
