Citizen Airmen assist in successful rocket launch Published Dec. 18, 2017 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Citizen Airmen of the 920th Rescue Wing assisted in another successful launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Dec. 15, 2017 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.Aircrew aboard an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter worked diligently to clear the Test Range and ensure the coastline beneath the rocket’s path was clear of sea craft and mariners ahead of time.The Falcon 9 rocket launched a Dragon spacecraft carrying supplies, equipment and science investigations to include the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS-1 (a NASA instrument), and a fiber optic payload, according to the Kennedy Space Center website.Eight aircrew members flying two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters supported the launch.“I’ve been doing these missions for a while now and it’s always a good feeling to know I made a small contribution in the success of such an incredible program,” said Maj. Devin Sperling, 301st Rescue Squadron HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter pilot. “Everything went really smooth on our end. It was a great mission.”The next launch our of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for January, in which Space X’s new Falcon Heavy rocket, which can lift over double the payload as the next closest rocker, as it is designed for potential human spaceflight, according to the center’s website. Visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com for more information.