Ready for liftoff? What could be the final rocket launch of August in California is due up overnight.
SpaceX is targeting an early-morning launch window – so early, most people are likely to be asleep – for its next Starlink internet satellite deployment from the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
If you're willing to brave being awake at the wee hours, you may be treated to a striking sight as the Falcon 9 rocket blazes into space with no sun visible to outshine it. Luckily, California is home to plenty of popular locations for spectators.
Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch.
In the meantime, here's what to know about
the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it.
Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from California
SpaceX is working toward a Wednesday, Aug. 26, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 2:27 a.m. PT.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
Where is liftoff? What to know about Vandenberg Space Force Base
The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E,) which SpaceX leases as a launch site for its Falcon 9 rocket at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
What's the mission? SpaceX to launch Starlink satellites
SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company founded by Elon Musk, will deliver 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit – a region closer to Earth's atmosphere. SpaceX's famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, will be used to deliver the payload.
Weather favorability: Here's the forecast during the launch window
The night going into Aug. 26 is forecast to be mostly cloudy during the launch window for Santa Barbara County, where the Vandenberg Space Force Base is located, according to the National Weather Service.
The below graphic from the NWS shows the potential for clouds during the targeted window, with blue shading indicating clear skies and areas with gray shading and higher percentage numbers indicating a higher chance for clouds.
What is the trajectory?
The rocket will fly at a southeastern trajectory.
Photos of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in California, US
Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County
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, maintains this list with additional viewing locations:
- Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, 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, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff.
- Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, 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 California rocket launches in Ventura County
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 Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California.
- Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101.
- Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view.
- San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier.
- 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 vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg
- Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public
- Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky
- Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg.
Other cities in California where rockets 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
- Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site
- Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site
Where is the booster landing? What to know about booster re-entry
Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights.
Will there be sonic booms?
Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said.
The sonic booms – brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound – could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added.
That's because the booster falls back through the atmosphere still traveling at supersonic speeds and, as it slows down, generates shock waves that sound like one or more loud booms on the ground.
Meanwhile, "areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg also warns before launches.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Final Vandenberg rocket launch of August could light up night skies
