SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch on NASA satellite mission: Will it be visible in Arizona sky?
The next spacecraft scheduled to launch from California is a Falcon 9 rocket. But this time, the SpaceX vehicle won't be carrying a batch of Starlink satellites.
Instead, aboard the spacecraft will be twin NASA satellites that will orbit Earth in tandem while studying how the sun's powerful activity can disrupt our planet's magnetosphere.
But that information may not matter much to those on the ground who just want to see a rocket thundering high overhead after getting off the ground.
Visibility for those in Arizona may be tough: The next launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California, is scheduled for the daylight hours – making the Falcon 9 much more unlikely to be visible as it soars upward.
What's more, rocket launches can be – and often are – scrubbed or delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Check back with azcentral.com for any updates on the rocket launch.
In the meantime, here's what to know about the launch from Southern California, as well as when and where to potentially spot the rocket in neighboring Arizona:
What time is the SpaceX rocket launch from California?
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory indicates the launch is being targeted for Tuesday, July 22, with backup opportunities available the following day, if needed.
The Vandenberg Space Force Base has not yet provided an official launch alert.
Where is the next rocket 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?
An artist’s concept of the TRACERS mission, which will help research magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth’s atmosphere.
SpaceX will serve as the launch service provider for a NASA mission to launch twin satellites to study solar activity's effects on Earth. The TRACERS mission (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) will make use of the company's famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to get the satellites into orbit, where they will observe observe how solar wind interact with Earth's magnetosphere.
How to watch SpaceX Starlink launch livestream
SpaceX may provide a webcast of the Starlink launch close to liftoff time on its website, along with updates on social media site X. The company often retweets posts by its founder, Elon Musk.
California rocket launch could be visible in Arizona: Where to watch
Because of Arizona's proximity to the launch site, there's a good chance people there can see the spacecraft streak across the sky, especially at night or very early morning.
Here's a list of some possible viewing locations compiled by The Arizona Republic, a USA TODAY Network publication.
- Dobbins Lookout, South Mountain, 10919 S. Central Ave., Phoenix, Arizona
- Papago Park, 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona
- Fountain Hills, a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, which in 2018 was designated a Dark Sky Community with little light pollution
- Superstition Mountains, located 40 miles from metro Phoenix in Arizona
- Cave Creek, a town in Maricopa County about 30 miles north of Fountain Hills, Arizona
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 3400 Sky Harbor Blvd., Arizona, which has a parking garage that is popular for plane-watching
- Black Canyon City, an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona
- Any mountain park in Arizona
- Estrella Mountain Regional Park, 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear, Arizona
- Skyline Regional Park, 2600 N. Watson Road, Buckeye, Arizona
- White Tank Mountains, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, Arizona
- San Tan Mountain Regional Park, 6533 W. Phillips Road, Queen Creek, Arizona
- Monument Hill, a 150-foot slope on 115th Avenue, in Arizona
What is SpaceX?
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 both 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.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch on NASA satellite mission: Will it be visible in Arizona sky?
