SpaceX rocket launch in California: What time does Falcon 9 lift off from Vandenberg?

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites launches June 23, 2024 from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base over the Pacific Ocean.

Update: The launch is now scheduled for 1:36 p.m. PT (4:36 p.m. ET) Friday, May 23, the Vandenberg Space Force Base said in an updated launch alert. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Saturday, May 24 starting at 1:14 p.m. PT.

A SpaceX satellite launch in California could provide quite a show for spectators eager to see a rocket soaring toward orbit.

For the fourth time in May, Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company is preparing to send a Falcon 9 to deploy a batch of Starlink satellites into orbit following liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Vandenberg, California.

SpaceX's famous two-stage rocket will likely get off the ground Thursday, May 22, to deliver more of the internet-beaming satellites into what's called low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly.

SpaceX always provides livestreams of its Starlink missions for the public to follow along, but for some in California, seeing the rocket launch may be as easy as stepping outside and looking up.

Here's what to know about the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, as well as when and where to watch it:

What time is the SpaceX rocket launch from California?

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is slated to get off the ground as early as 3:03 p.m. PT (6:03 p.m. ET ) Thursday, with backup opportunities available until 5:51 p.m. PT, according to a launch alert from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. If SpaceX opts to scrub the launch, additional liftoff opportunities are available beginning at 1:36 p.m. PT Friday, May 23.

The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver the Starlink satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.

Following the delivery and deployment of the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage 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 could hear sonic booms, according to an alert from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Sonic booms are brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound.

How to watch SpaceX Starlink rocket launch from Vandenberg, California

SpaceX said it will provide a livestream of the launch on its website beginning about five minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X.

Where to watch the Starlink launch in California

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 Vandenberg Space Force Base in Vandenberg, California, 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 California to catch the launch in person:

• 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, the 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
• Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, the only location where the public can view the ignition and liftoff of rockets from Complex 4.  Public access is at the Amtrak Surf Station parking area, but the area is closed in the case of back-to-back launches.

The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, has this list with additional viewing locations:

• Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, 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, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where both the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff.
• Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs.

What is SpaceX?

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., more widely known as SpaceX, is an astronautics company owned and co-founded by Elon Musk, the world's richest man.

The commercial spaceflight company is contracted with NASA and the Department of Defense to use many of its spacecraft to help launch government missions. SpaceX also conducts many of its own rocket launches – most using its two-stage Falcon 9 rocket – including for private crewed missions and to deliver communication satellites to orbit.

What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California?

Established in 1941, the Vandenberg Space Force Base, previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a site for both military, civil and commercial space launches.

Agencies like NASA and companies like SpaceX routinely launch spacecraft from Vandenberg, a site where where missile testing also takes place. Just recently, for instance, Texas spaceflight company Firefly Aerospace attempted to launch prototype satellites into orbit for Lockheed Martin from the base.

What is Starlink?

Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 6,700 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world.

SpaceX, a commercial spaceflight company, has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California.

While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up. That allows Starlink's satellites to have lower latency and data time between user and the satellite, improving performance of things like streaming, online gaming and video calls.

(This article has been updated to add new information.)

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: SpaceX rocket launch in California: What time does Falcon 9 lift off from Vandenberg?