Earth-Observing Satellite Launching Today: How to Watch Live

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WorldView-4 Satellite Prepped for Launch
The WorldView-4 satellite and its Atlas V rocket being prepped for liftoff at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (Image credit: ULA and Lockheed Martin/Jeff Spotts)

A sharp-eyed Earth-observing satellite is launching today (Nov. 11), and you can watch all the spaceflight action live.

The WorldView-4 satellite is scheduled to lift off today at 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. You can watch the liftoff live here at Space.com, courtesy of ULA.

You can also view the launch directly via ULA, at ulalaunch.com.

WorldView-4 is a commercial imaging satellite owned and operated by the Colorado-based company DigitalGlobe. The spacecraft has some of the sharpest eyes in the business; WorldView-4 will be capable of determining the make of a car from orbit, DigitalGlobe representatives have said.

The satellite will become the fifth spacecraft in DigitalGlobe's Earth-observing constellation, joining WorldView-1, -2, -3 and GeoEye-1.

Seven cubesats will also hitch a ride on the Atlas V today. These tiny spacecraft are all technology demonstrations sponsored by the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that builds and operates the United States' spy satellites.

Today's launch was originally scheduled for Sept. 18, but a wildfire at Vandenberg pushed things back by nearly two months.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.