Vandenberg Rocket Launch

This is a Minotaur Rocket Launched from Vandenberg AFB on 2005-09-23 after sunset. This perspective was videotaped at +34.703100,-118.178625 Lancaster, CA. This footage was aired on the local Time Warner affiliate TV station.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Rocket
• Missle
• Launch

[sneakytikiman]

My vantage was at +34.703100, -118.178625 Lancaster, CA. look it up in Google Maps. I was atop the staircase leading to the projection booths behind the Cinemark movie theater.

[aremisasling]

Stunning stage 2 burn. At least that's what I presume it was. I tried to watch one from Monterey, CA when they launched a satellite. Reports said it should have been visible lower on the horizon that night. It was too cloudy and rainy that night, though. Bummer. The one time it rains in Monterey.

[sneakytikiman]

I know what you mean. I've been met with disappointment several times due to everything from bad weather to scrubbed launches.

[tregibbs]

I saw this in person while driving home in the Hollywood Hills. I though the world was ending! That final spray of fuel looked like something turned on a huge spotlight in the sky, while the glowing trail had all these amazing colors in it...

[sneakytikiman]

Some of my colleagues and I were observing another twilight launch when a neighborhood kid ran up to us and asked if we knew what that was. Before we could answer that it was a target rocket to test a missile defense system, she said, "It was an angel!"...she just might be right.

[TrickyGap]

This launch must be on youtube about twenty times from other locations - almost all of them saying it is a "UFO" in the sense that the little green men are here. Thanks for identifying it correctly.

[sneakytikiman]

No problem. I was informed of the launch just a few minutes before launch, so I had a few more details handy.

[RandyJ007]

Oh my god, it's an alien ship coming out of a wormhole!! LMFAO I gotta laugh at people who make that claim. But seriously, this is a good vid. beautiful launch = )

[jpetroschek]

What cracks me up is how many people see these clips under different titles and think (and fight over) whether this is a UFO or a comet or some sort of top secret aircraft.

[Aboodalnajjar201]

omg thats awsome

[jrmyscttwds]

I was on a plane headed for March AFB returning from a deployment to Iraq when I saw this out the window right as we were coming in to land. I thought to myself, 'Great, coming home from one war just to get in a new, intergalactic one.' I was pretty relieved to learn it was just a missile test...

[SplendorBrown]

I remember seeing this as I was getting off of the 110 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. I had just made a turn onto Figueroa St heading North. I was looking back towards the coastline. Brilliant colors as I was driving North on the 101 less than 4 minutes later! Great video!!

[Scrapheap71]

@upizdown i've lived next to Vandenberg for most of my life. The launches get boring after you've seen a couple dozen.

[TheEducatorIQ150plus]

@loonpolice1 i agree

[ecco1347]

@sneakytikiman if the rocket glowing its normal but the trail can not so long glowing without sunrise ore a some other lightray was give the trail so stron glowing..my english is so bad...its like a ionic dust ore something.in china the vidoe is the same like this.is this a eiscat sience missile??i dont now..

[williamwagener]

well done capture of launch.  Go See: "williamWagener, Think"

[upizdown]

@sneakytikiman do they have these launches often?..i would love to drive there to watch one of them!

[DEEHARDONE]

where did you film this at?