The SpaceX rocket is scheduled to launch Friday evening from the coast of Santa Barbara County.
The launch is scheduled to take place at 8:14 pm from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The rocket will rise south along the coast carrying a payload National Reconnaissance OfficeThe agency builds and operates the U.S. spy satellite fleet.
The first stage of the rocket will land on a drone ship at sea.
The rocket may be visible from all over Los Angeles, but it’s unlikely to deliver the dramatic spectacle of previous launches under darker skies unless it launches later in the two-hour launch window. The sun is set at 8:08 p.m. Friday in Los Angeles, just a few minutes before sunset. Launch window opens.
Sometimes it’s the rocket and its exhaust plume Visible hundreds of miles away As it rises along the coast, if the sky is clear and dark enough. Launches after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against a dark sky background.
Susan Strauss
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket seen in Orange County.
Jim Parker
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket viewed from Agoura Hills.
Harold Shaffer
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is seen flying over Toluca Lake.
Patty Wonderlich
Hawthorne-based SpaceX has launched 96 successful Falcon rocket missions in 2023, surpassing its previous annual record of 61 orbital launches in 2022.
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