
Look upābut make sure you do it quickly. The worldās fastest rocket, United Launch Allianceās Atlas V, is launching into space this afternoon, and you can watch it happen at 2:30pm EDT.
The last time we watched an Atlas V launch a satellite, it was delivering a secret payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office. This time, though, we know exactly what is going up from Californiaās Vandenberg Air Force Base this afternoon. Itās a new high-resolution imaging satellite, the WorldView-4, which will return pictures of our own planet back to us.
Ten years ago, an Atlas V broke the speed record for fastest rocket launch when the rocket carrying NASAās New Horizons spacecraft hit 47,000 miles per hour. Todayās rocket launch wonāt quite reach that speed, but it should give us a pretty spectacular look at one of the worldās fastest and most powerful rockets as it sends a new satellite up into space.
The broadcast will start just after 2pm, but the launch window doesnāt open up until 2:30pm. Then, the rocket has fourteen minutes to make it up into space before the window closes. You can watch it happen right here:
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