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Reserve Citizen Airmen support successful SpaceX rocket launch

By Senior Airman Cali Elliott, 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs / Published July 24, 2018

On Sunday, July 22, 2018, SpaceX, a commercial leader in aerospace, successfully launched the Telstar 19 VANTAGE satellite from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Prior to the launch, Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, took off in an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, to secure the Eastern Range ensuring there was no one in harm's way while the rocket lifted off. As the rocket was launching at 1:50 a.m., an additional Pave Hawk with the 920th's fleet, is shown parked on the PAFB tarmac. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Wes Henry)
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On Sunday, July 22, 2018, SpaceX, a commercial leader in aerospace, successfully launched the Telstar 19 VANTAGE satellite from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Prior to the launch, Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 920th Rescue Wing, nearby at Patrick Air Force Base, took off in an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter to secure the Eastern Range ensuring there was no one in harm's way while the rocket lifted off. As the rocket was launching at 1:50 a.m., an additional Pave Hawk with the 920th's fleet, is shown parked on the PAFB tarmac. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Wes Henry)

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PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --

Reserve Citizen Airmen get the job done every day, whether it’s on the ground, in the air, at sea, or in this case—in space.

On Sunday, July 22, 2018, SpaceX, a commercial leader in aerospace, successfully launched the Telstar 19 VANTAGE satellite from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

By launching this rocket, it provided an expanded broadband width to a variety of places, connecting and improving network performance worldwide, according to a SpaceX news release.

The 920th Rescue Wing assisted in the mission by sending out an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crew to clear the Eastern Range underneath the rocket trajectory.

 “We went up an hour before the launch to ensure the coastline beneath the rocket’s path was clear,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Deck, HH-60G pilot. “It’s always great to experience another successful launch and be able to support the mission.”

According to Deck, the 920th RQW is responsible for securing the Range by ensuring no mariners are in harm's way when the rocket lifts off, in case of an emergency.

According to SpaceX, the satellite is the latest in a new generation of Telesat satellites that are optimized to serve the types of bandwidth intensive applications increasingly in demand by users worldwide.

For more information on the 920th Rescue Wing, follow the wing on Facebook and Twitter.

TagSpaceX Tagrocket Taglaunch Tagspace coast Taghh60 TagReservists Tageastern range