SpaceX is gearing up for its third rocket launch of 2026 from California, which you can watch either in person or via a livestream at home.
The company’s Falcon 9 is due to launch to deploy some reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office – an intelligence agency under the U.S. Department of Defense, renamed by executive order as the Department of War.
But what’s on board the Falcon 9 may not matter much to those watching from the ground who just want to see the 230-foot rocket thundering into the sky from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
While California residents have plenty of choices if they want to find a spot near the launch site to watch liftoff, SpaceX also always provides a livestream for those who prefer to stay home.
Here’s everything to know about the latest SpaceX mission, and how to watch a webcast of the Falcon 9 launching.
Is there a rocket launch today? Next liftoff from California
SpaceX is working toward a Friday, Jan. 16, launch from Southern California, with a 35-minute launch window opening at 8:18 p.m. PT, according to a launch alert. The launch will take place from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
What is launching from Vandenberg? Falcon 9 to deploy NRO satellites
The mission, known as NROL-105, is the 12th launch of the National Reconnaissance Office’s “proliferated architecture.” In simple terms, that means SpaceX is helping to deploy small reconnaissance satellites to a constellation closer to Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude low enough for them to circle Earth quickly.
SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver the satellites into low-Earth orbit.
How to watch SpaceX launch livestream
Californians, of course, have plenty of opportunities to see a rocket in person both near the launch site as it lifts off, and further away as it soars overhead.
But SpaceX also provides a live webcast of its missions for those who prefer to watch from home or for those viewing the launch locally and looking for updates in real-time.
As with most SpaceX missions, the launch will be available to stream on the company’s website and its new X TV mobile app, beginning about 10 minutes before liftoff. SpaceX may also provide updates on social media site X.
What is SpaceX?
SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO.
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 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 only U.S vehicle capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.
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 elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: SpaceX to deploy reconnaissance satellites in California launch. How to watch
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
