A SpaceX rocket with more than two dozen Starlink internet satellites on board is set for launch Tuesday afternoon from the Santa Barbara County coast.
The Falcon 9 launch, scheduled for 5:43 p.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base, will usher 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. Backup launch opportunities are available until 8:39 p.m.
If needed, another launch window will open Wednesday at 4:16 p.m.
After separation, the first stage booster landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific. People in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms.
The rocket and its exhaust plume are sometimes visible for hundreds of miles as it soars along the coast, if skies are clear and light conditions are right.
The launch will be too early to produce the spectacular sights of launches closer to sunrise and sunset. Launches just after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against the backdrop of a darkened sky.
A SpaceX rocket soars of LA June 24, 2024.
SpaceX has a Starlink constellation of satellites orbiting Earth about 340 miles up, shuttled into space by the company’s rockets. The Starlink network is designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere around the globe.
If light conditions are right, the satellites appear in a train as they parade across the night sky. The satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sundown and before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight.
Use the FindStarlink tracker to find the best upcoming viewing times.
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