Here’s how to watch tonight’s historic SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg
When SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base late this evening, it’ll be launching a historic mission that could change the future of planetary defense.
The rocket will carry NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, also known as DART, which is meant to impact the asteroid Dimorphos sometime next year and see if it can change the path of the moonlet.
It’s a first-of-its-kind mission, one that seems more akin to summer blockbuster fodder than actual reality, so it’s no wonder the launch itself is drawing national attention.
SpaceX plans to livestream the launch, which is scheduled to take place at 10:20 p.m. from the Lompoc-area military base.
The feed is expected to go live around 10 p.m. on the SpaceX website at https://www.spacex.com/launches/index.html.
Meanwhile if you are hoping to watch the rocket light up the sky in person, you’ll want to stake out a spot at one of numerous unofficial viewing locations around the Lompoc area. The fiery path it blazes across the sky will also likely be visible from around the Central Coast.
Vandenberg’s normal official rocket launch viewing area, the Hawk’s Nest, will not be open to the public tonight however, due to a private event.
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