SpaceX rocket is launching from Vandenberg tonight — carrying 50 Starlink satellites
A Falcon 9 rocket will carry the next batch of Starlink satellites into orbit on Monday night, marking the first from the West Coast and the third launch in 11 days from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The Space Exploration Technologies rocket is aiming for liftoff at 8:55 p.m. from Space Launch Complex-4 on the South Base with the vehicle heading south from the Central Coast.
The mission has an instantaneous window so that the satellites can be placed into a precise orbit.
Falcon will carry a collection of Starlink spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, to join a constellation with hundreds of others launched from Florida to create satellite-based Internet.
After completing its task, the Falcon rocket’s first-stage booster will return to Earth, touching down on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship parked in the Pacific Ocean south of the Central Coast.
A landing at Vandenberg can be seen and heard because of sonic booms, but the droneship return most likely won’t create the same spectacle for Central Coast spectators.
It won’t be the booster’s first flight, having previously performed missions from both coasts.
The two segments of the rocket’s payload fairing, or nose cone, also have supported previous missions, according to SpaceX.
The rocket will carry about 50 Starlink satellites designed to deliver broadband Internet service across the globe with the new spacecraft joining more than 1,600 already in orbit following more than two dozen launches from Florida.
The Starlink constellation has attracted attention periodically as the “train of satellites” moves across the sky, prompting questions on social media about the sighting.
“These are V1.5 Starlinks with laser inter-satellite links, which are needed for high latitudes and midocean coverage,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said recently.
Starlink is one of several constellations designed to operate with hundreds of satellites, raising concerns about space debris in the industry.
While access to Vandenberg is restricted, the launch should be visible around the Lompoc Valley and the rest of the Central Coast as the rocket rises. Locations around the Lompoc Valley also offer views of the launch site, which is visible when looking south of Ocean Avenue (Highway 246).
Popular viewing sites include along Ocean and Central avenues west of Lompoc, the peak of Harris Grade Road, and near the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads in Vandenberg Village.
If the launch is delayed for 24 hours, the next liftoff would be at 8:56 p.m., according to SpaceX.
The West Coast’s last Falcon rocket launch occurred in November when the booster carried a NASA satellite into orbit.
A live webcast of the Starlink mission will begin about 15 minutes before the launch and can be found at www.spacex.com.
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 2:36 PM.