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picture below.)
Delta II/COSMO-SkyMed Satellite Launch
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picture below.)
The Italian COSMO-SkyMed mission was launched on a Delta-II booster at 7:34 PM PDT on Thursday, June 7, 2007, the end of its thirteen minute launch window.
The Sun was a few degrees above the horizon and directly behind the ascending rocket for viewers along the south coast of Santa Barbara County.
The exhaust trail from the ascending rocket cast a shadow across the sky.
Burnout of the four solid fuel boosters. This version of the Delta-II does not have additional boosters that are ignited in flight.
2 minutes after launch
3 minutes after launch: The liquid fueled upper stage was faintly visible heading for the southern horizon. It is made more visible here through contrast stretching.
5 minutes after launch: Upper level winds twisted the exhaust trail of the rocket.
15 minutes after launch.
The Sun was distorted and reflected off the top of the marine layer as it set about 40 minutes after launch.
46 minutes after launch: the exhaust trail was faintly visible in silhouette against the fading sunset.
61 minutes after launch: A faintly glowing white cloud hung over the southern horizon.
More Vandenberg AFB
launch photography.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Photos of thirteen rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base:
Pegasus-XL/Wide-Field Infra-red Explorer (WIRE) March 4, 1999
Atlas-IIAS/Terra December 18, 1999
Delta II/Gravity Probe B, April 20, 2004
Minotaur/Streak September 22, 2005
Titan IV/National Reconnaissance Office satellite, October 19, 2005
Minuteman III, February 16, 2006
Minuteman III, April 2, 2008
Target Launch Vehicle, September 24, 2008
Delta-II/GeoEye 1, September 6, 2008
Delta II/Jason 2, June 20, 2008
Delta II/COSMO-Skymed, October 24, 2008
Taurus/Orbiting Carbon Observatory, February 24, 2009
Delta-II/Worldview 2, October 28, 2009
Put a copy of the Rocket Launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
The home page of the 
30th Space Wing
Brian Webb's Space Archive Page provides launch schedule and ham radio information.
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