[Launch Alert] Falcon 9 Launched

[Launch Alert]

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying two German military satellites lifted off this morning (December 24) from Vandenberg SFB, Calif. The vehicle left south base at 5:11 a.m. PST (13:11 UTC), the start of an 83-minute launch window. The Falcon then headed towards the south-southeast and paralleled the coast as it carried the SARah-2 and SARah-3 Earth-imaging spacecraft into orbit.

The launch will complete a system of three satellites that will collect high-resolution images by bouncing radar signals off the Earth's surface. Using radar will allow the system to gather images day or night and to see through clouds.

The launch produced a nice visual display that was probably visible to the unaided eye over a wide area. The vehicle's exhaust plume emerged late in the first stage burn. The plume was apparently illuminated by the Sun at high altitude during the second-stage burn and produced long rays of semi-transparent white light similar in shape to the light rays on the Arizona state flag.

If you saw the launch, please provide a report.