SpaceX’s next delivery of satellites from California won’t be its own Starlink variety, but military satellites.
The commercial spaceflight company is gearing up to get its Falcon 9 off the ground once again from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. This time, the two-stage rocket is due to deploy 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 if you’re just interested in watching the liftoff, it may not matter to you what payload is aboard the 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket. In that case, Californians can either find a spot in person to watch the launch, or SpaceX will have you covered with a livestream.
Here’s everything to know about the latest SpaceX mission, and how to watch a webcast of the Falcon 9 launching in Santa Barbara County.
Is there a rocket launch today? Next liftoff from California
SpaceX is working toward a Monday, May 11, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 3:28 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 deliver recon satellites
The mission, known as NROL-172, is the 13th launch of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)’s “proliferated architecture” to low-Earth orbit. 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 to space.
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 five minutes before liftoff. SpaceX may also provide updates on social media site X.
Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company
SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO.
SpaceX 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.
As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military.
For the Department of Defense, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule – the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Rocket launch today at Vandenberg. When, how to watch SpaceX mission
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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