Friday, December 22, 2017

SpaceX Targets Launch From Vandenberg At 5:27 p.m.

If you are anywhere along the Central Coast tonight, up near Santa Barbara, don't be surprised if you see a spectacular flame from the North, as Hawthorne-based SpaceX launches a payload of satellites into space just after sunset. According to SpaceX and military officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base, in Lompoc, SpaceX is slated to lift off 10 satellites from Iridium from Space Launch Complex 4E at 5:28 p.m. PST. Vandenberg officials said that the rocket's bright flame should be visible over a wide area, with the rocket lifting vertically before it makes a gradual turn heading south. The Iridium-4 mission is the fourth mission by SpaceX to deliver satellites into space for the satellite constellation operator, and will be the first to use a "previously flown" Falcon 9 booster rocket. A backup launch window for the mission is 5:21 p.m. PST on Saturday, if needed.