{"id":11756,"date":"2018-02-22T18:25:44","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T18:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/22\/spacex-launches-spanish-satellite-from-vandenberg\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:12:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:12:05","slug":"spacex-launches-spanish-satellite-from-vandenberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2018\/02\/22\/spacex-launches-spanish-satellite-from-vandenberg\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches Spanish satellite from Vandenberg"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A SpaceX rocket carrying a Spanish satellite created a brief light show over Southern California after blasting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base. (Tech. Sgt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

A SpaceX rocket carrying a Spanish satellite created a brief light show over Southern California after blasting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Falcon 9 rose above coastal clouds into the dawn sky Thursday and arced southward over the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Southern Californians had been hoping for a repeat of the spectacle that occurred Dec. 22 when a Falcon 9 lifted off at twilight during exceptionally clear weather<\/a>, triggering a social media storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a PAZ payload from Space Launch Complex-4 was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6:17 a.m. PST. (Tech. Sgt. Jim Araos\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after liftoff, Spain\u2019s PAZ satellite successfully entered orbit. The satellite carries an instrument to make radar images of the Earth for government and commercial purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondary test satellites for a proposed space-based internet system were to be released later.<\/p>\n\n\n\t