The 30th Space Wing successfully launched an Atlas V rocket carrying the DigitalGlobe Worldview-4 satellite from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., at 10:30 a.m. PST on Friday, according to a press release. The launch was the first from Vandenberg since wildfires delayed an Atlas V launch in September. Atlas V is a United Launch Alliance rocket, and Worldview-4 is a Lockheed Martin satellite that “captures map-accurate images with a new, high-resolution camera,” according to the company. The data it provides will serve both military and commercial users. The camera is “so advanced it can discern the make of a car from its orbit in space,” according to the Air Force.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.