Update: SpaceX is now targeting liftoff for Monday, April 6 with a four-hour launch window opening at 4:03 p.m. PT. No reason was given for the delay.
A whopping eight rocket launches took place in March from California, all but one of which was conducted by SpaceX.
Now, the commercial spaceflight company is planning its first mission of April from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. And you may be unsurprised to learn that once again, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 will be lifting off to deploy the company’s Starlink broadband internet satellites.
If you’re hoping to catch a sight of the 230-foot rocket as it thunders into the sky, plenty of places near and far from the launch site are popular among spectators.
Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch.
In the meantime, here’s what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it.
Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California
SpaceX is working toward a Thursday, April 2 launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 4:03 p.m. PT.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory
The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory.
What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites
SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth’s atmosphere where they’re able to circle the planet quickly.
Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County
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 the Vandenberg Space Force Base 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 Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person:
The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city’s tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations:
Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County
Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county:
Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County
SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site:
Other cities in California where rockets may be visible
Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead – particularly after sunset and before sunrise – as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include:
Will there be sonic booms?
Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said.
The sonic booms – brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound – could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added.
“Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off,” Vandenberg has also said.
What to know about booster re-entry
Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket’s 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.
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.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is SpaceX’s internet satellite business.
With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk’s business empire, serving millions of customers around the world.
SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California.
Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth’s atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California.
Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it’s a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX.
Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California rocket launch today. When, where to see SpaceX Falcon 9
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
