November 11, 2016

1 min read

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Watch an Earth-Observing Satellite Launch Today

After delays due to wildfires, the Worldview-4 satellite is finally headed to space

By Mike Wall & SPACE.com

NASA, GSFC

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A sharp-eyed Earth-observing satellite is launching today (Nov. 11), and you can watch all the spaceflight action live.

The WorldView-4 satellite is scheduled to lift off today at 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. You can watch the liftoff live here at Space.com, courtesy of ULA.

You can also view the launch directly via ULA, at ulalaunch.com.

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WorldView-4 is a commercial imaging satellite owned and operated by the Colorado-based company DigitalGlobe. The spacecraft has some of the sharpest eyes in the business; WorldView-4 will be capable of determining the make of a car from orbit, DigitalGlobe representatives have said.

The satellite will become the fifth spacecraft in DigitalGlobe's Earth-observing constellation, joining WorldView-1, -2, -3 and GeoEye-1.

Seven cubesats will also hitch a ride on the Atlas V today. These tiny spacecraft are all technology demonstrations sponsored by the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that builds and operates the United States' spy satellites.

Today's launch was originally scheduled for Sept. 18, but a wildfire at Vandenberg pushed things back by nearly two months.

Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mike Wall has been writing for Space.com since 2010. His book about the search for alien life, “Out There,” was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

More by Mike Wall

SPACE.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier.

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