The 30th Space Wing successfully launched an Atlas V rocket carrying the DigitalGlobe Worldview-4 satellite from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., at 10:30 a.m. PST on Friday, according to a press release. The launch was the first from Vandenberg since wildfires delayed an Atlas V launch in September. Atlas V is a United Launch Alliance rocket, and Worldview-4 is a Lockheed Martin satellite that “captures map-accurate images with a new, high-resolution camera,” according to the company. The data it provides will serve both military and commercial users. The camera is “so advanced it can discern the make of a car from its orbit in space,” according to the Air Force.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.