SpaceX’s busy month in California will continue in the days ahead with its second non-Starlink launch of September.
The commercial rocket company founded by billionaire Elon Musk has already launched some military satellites into orbit this month for the Space Development Agency, a branch of the U.S. Space Force. Now, SpaceX is planning to deploy some reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office, an intelligence agency under the U.S. Department of Defense, renamed by executive order as the Department of War.
But for those watching from the ground, whether it’s commercial, civil or military satellites being transported to space might not matter too much. After all, it’ll be the same class of Falcon 9 rockets doing the tranpsporting.
Want to watch the rocket get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County? You may need to be relatively close on account of yet another daytime launch window that will make the rocket hard to spot once it’s in the air.
Another factor to keep in mind? Postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight, so don’t let that possibility spoil your rocket-viewing plans. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch.
In the meantime, here’s everything to know about the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, as well as when and where to watch it.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base? 4 things to know about California rocket launches
When is the next rocket launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California?
SpaceX is working toward a Monday, Sept. 22, launch of its Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. The one-hour launch window opens at 10:23 a.m. PT, according to SpaceX’s website.
SpaceX and a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggest a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
Where is the next launch from California?
The launch will take place from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Most launches from Vandenberg fly at a south or southeast trajectory.
What is the next mission launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to launch NROL-48, a reconnaissance satellite
The mission, known as NROL-48, is the 11th launch of the National Reconnaissance Office’s “proliferated architecture.” In simple terms, that means SpaceX is helping to deploy small reconnaissance satellites to a constellation closer to Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude low enough for them to circle Earth quickly.
SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver the satellites into low-Earth orbit.
How to watch SpaceX launch livestream
As with most SpaceX missions, the launch will be available to stream on the company’s website and its new X TV mobile app, beginning about 10 minutes before liftoff. SpaceX may also provide updates on social media site X.
Where to watch rocket launches in Santa Barbara County, California
Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches.
But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person:
13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches.
Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the “viewing site for SLC-6” (space launch complex-6.)
Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park.
Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4.
The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city’s tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, even maintains this list with additional viewing locations:
Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, which, while it doesn’t have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full.
Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where both the launch pad and rocket’s tip can be seen before liftoff.
Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs.
Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it’s open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don’t run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed.
Where to watch rocket launches from Vandenberg in Ventura County, California
Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county:
Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Boulevard, is known as the oldest pier in all of California.
Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura.
Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County
SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site:
Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans.
Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrarnt downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg.
Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky.
Other cities in California where rocket launches may be visible
Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead – particularly after sunset and before sunrise – as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include:
Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California.
Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California.
San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California.
Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley.
Will there be sonic booms?
Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County could hear sonic booms, according to SpaceX. No sonic boom should be heard over populated areas along the southern coast of California, Vandenberg added.
“Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off,” according to Vandenberg.
Sonic booms are brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound.
What to know about re-entry
Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket’s booster will aim to return back to the launch site for a landing nearby at Landing Zone 4. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights.
What is SpaceX?
Billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002.
The commercial spaceflight company is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city.
SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket, from California and Florida. That includes a regular cadence of deliveries of Starlink internet satellites into orbit, and occasional privately funded commercial crewed missions on the Dragon.
The most recent of SpaceX’s private human spaceflights, a mission known as Fram2, took place in April. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.
SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California.
Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it’s a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX.
Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base.
Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network; Paris Barraza, Palm Springs Desert Sun
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: In California, SpaceX rocket to launch a reconnaissance satellite