Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Allan
Were you able to see first stage separation and boost-back?
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I just watched the launch of SAOCOM 1A (
Satélite
Argentino de
Observación
COn
Microondas, Spanish for Argentine Microwaves Observation Satellite), which was built by the Argentine Space Agency CONAE (Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales).
I didn't have my camera with me, since I was watching from my front yard, which is a good distance from the launch site, so I didn't expect to see much, however, the launch was quite spectacular, especially compared to the two launches that I attended in person. This time I could see the first stage separation, boost-back, and watch the first stage return to the launch site. The first stage separation was actually more spectacular than what I saw on the official launch video. It created a large cloud which filled a large area of the sky. The launch was visible from as far away as Petaluma, Sacramento, and Lake Tahoe, California; western Nevada; Phoenix, Arizona; and northwest Mexico.