United Launch Alliance is scheduled to launch an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday, September 27.
The rocket will carry NASA's Landsat 9 satellite into orbit.
The Landsat program, a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, has been ongoing for nearly 50 years, providing a record of Earth's changing landscapes.
Every Landsat satellite has been launched from Vandenberg since the program started in 1972.
Meet #Landsat 9
— NASA Landsat Program (@NASA_Landsat) September 23, 2021
{A new blog post from NASA Earth Expeditions}https://t.co/PEQVCyiNUW pic.twitter.com/ZS4JSUEViQ
Landsat 9 will replace Landsat 7, which was launched in 1999, and together with Landsat 8, will collect images of Earth's forests, farms, cities, lakes, and coastlines.
According to NASA, Landsat 9 can take more than 700 images of Earth per day.
Once L9 is in orbit, a series of @USGS ground stations capture the transmitted data which is then sent to @USGS_EROS to be processed.
— USGS Landsat Program (@USGSLandsat) September 23, 2021
Learn about the different elements of the ground station system at https://t.co/VQIlnhY4GI#CountdownToLaunch #Landsat pic.twitter.com/JhKKaiMMpN
Monday's launch is scheduled to take place at 11:11 a.m.
United Launch Alliance plans to offer a livestream of the launch. Live coverage will also be available starting at 10:30 a.m. on NASA Television.
Check out the mission profile video to watch a preview of what you can expect during the #AtlasV rocket's flight to deliver the #Landsat 9 spacecraft and multiple CubeSats into near-polar orbits.
— ULA (@ulalaunch) September 23, 2021
Watch the full video on YouTube: https://t.co/S1ERAwc68K pic.twitter.com/pSGc8ZU1Es
Several events to celebrate "Landsat 9 Launch Week" are taking place in Lompoc leading up to Monday's launch:
- Earth As Art Exhibit in the Lompoc Library's Grossman Gallery, Thursday, Sept. 23 - Thursday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day
- Family Fun Day at the Lompoc Aquatic Center, Sunday, Sept. 26, noon to 1:30 p.m.
- Landsat Week Proclamation and Wall Mural Ceremony at Ocean Avenue and I Street, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2 p.m.
- Landsat for Climate Event: Talk about Landsat and Climate at Montemar Wines, Sunday, Sept. 26, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Raising a Glass in Wine Country to Better Water Management at Montemar Wines, Sunday, Sept. 26, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Landsat 9 Launch Viewing and Public Exhibits at Lompoc Airport, Monday, Sept. 27, 9 a.m. to noon
- Ladies of Landsat: Power of the Pixel from 1972 to 2021 at Montemar Wines, Monday, Sept. 27, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Landsat Collage Workshop at Lompoc Library, Monday, Sept. 27, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
More information about each event can be found on the Explore Lompoc website.
For the next year, people can also participate in a GeoTour called "The History of Landsat in Lompoc." It includes nine different geocaches that guide participants through the city and history of the Landsat program.
The first 500 people to complete the GeoTour will receive a commemorative geocoin.
Click here for information on how to participate.
