SpaceX launch lights up Arizona skies. Here's how you can see the next launch
Arizonans were treated to a special show on Monday night as a SpaceX launch in California lit up the sky over metro Phoenix.
Elon Musk's company SpaceX launched the rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit, the company posted on its website.
This is not the first time one of the company's launches have been visible in Arizona. In the past, the launches from Vandenburg Air Force Base have caught residents' attention and caused an uproar on social media.
Here's what to know about the SpaceX launch, including its connection to Starlink and when the next launch will be.
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, more widely known as SpaceX, is an astronautics company owned and co-founded by multimillionaire Elon Musk.
The company manufactures spacecraft and launches communication satellites to space intending to deliver broadband internet services.
More: Biggest astronomical events 2025: Everything you can see in Arizona
According to the SpaceX website, Falcon 9 is the first orbital-class reusable rocket. The two-stage rocket transports people and payloads — the portion of the spacecraft that produces mission data and then relays it back to Earth —into space and back.
Falcon 9's reusability allows SpaceX to "refly the most expensive parts of the rocket". According to the website, this will allow space access to become more affordable.
Starlink is a satellite constellation that uses a low Earth orbit to function. According to the SpaceX website, Starlink is the first and largest satellite constellation to travel in a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet across the globe.
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 orbit the planet at about 341 miles.
The low orbit nature of Starlink's satellites lowers latency and data time between user and the satellite, which improves the performance of high data rate activities like streaming, online gaming and video calls.
Starlink also aims to eliminate cell service dead zones through its Direct to Cell program. Like a cell tower in space, Direct to Cell will allow access to texting, calling, and browsing in traditionally remote areas.
SpaceX does not have information about the next California launch listed on its website. However, a launch may happen at the end of February, depending on weather conditions, according to Space Flight Now, which keeps a log of planned space launches.
More: When is the full moon in February 2025? How to see the Snow Moon in AZ
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SpaceX launch visible in Arizona: How to see the next launch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Elon Musk backtracks on Trump criticism. How will the tech world react?
Days after a fiery online feud seemed to signal an end to the relationship between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, the tech billionaire has backtracked. In a social media post early on Wednesday, Musk expressed regret for the very public feud, saying he went 'too far.' Musk also shared he thinks it was 'worth it' to have his net worth drop while he worked with the Trump administration on the Department of Government Efficiency. After becoming one of the leading voices of the MAGA movement before and after the 2024 election, the dispute between the president and Musk shocked their Republican supporters. While Trump has made a few comments about the fight on social media and to the press, including firing off a few warnings Musk's way, he's mostly sidestepped questions from reporters. Now, Musk seems ready to reconcile, but whether Trump is ready to repair the relationship is less clear. The relationship between Musk and Trump, and Trump and other tech industry titans, seemed to indicate the political maturation of Silicon Valley as they work to shape public policy to their benefit. But Musk's rise and fall is also a warning to those same titans, a clear example of the risks of engaging in the messy world of politics. Musk's posts come just days after the president told NBC News that the former DOGE leader was 'very disrespectful to the office of the president.' During their spat, Trump threatened that Musk's company SpaceX could face a termination of government contracts and potentially other retribution. It's unlikely that Trump will cancel SpaceX's contracts 'anytime soon,' Dan Grazier, a senior fellow at a national security think tank, told NPR. Musk in response threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, but later walked it back. The feud began over Musk's displeasure with the Trump-backed 'big, beautiful bill,' which cleared the House last month. The bill would cut electric vehicle credits and could hurt his other company, Tesla. But John Helveston, a professor at George Washington University, told NPR the end of federal EV credits may not hurt Tesla as much as its competitors. Musk, a multibillionaire serial entrepreneur, spent much of the last several months positioned beside the president. His role in the Trump administration sparked concern among critics over what sway he had over Trump's decision-making, but hope among those who thought the duo could change the way Washington works. Peter Loge, a public affairs and political communications professor at George Washington University, said it may have seemed like Musk's influence on the president was 'higher and different' than other advisers, but, in reality, there's historical precedence. In the past, railroad titans, industrialists and shipping magnates have all sought to have power over government and its policymaking. Now, it's the tech sector, Loge said. 'It's a small collection of really rich people who get a lot of attention and who think they know best; they try to exert their force over public policy,' he told the Deseret News. Trump's inauguration ceremony was striking, as a string of powerful tech CEOs from Silicon Valley, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Musk, sat behind the president during his address. This growing influence comes at a time of significant change for the industry. 'A lot of these companies like crypto and AI are new to Washington and are new to trying to influence public policy. They could ignore Washington and do their own thing, and they discovered what Google, Microsoft and every other organization coming out of Silicon Valley discovered in the past decades, which is that you ignore Congress at your own peril,' Loge said. Pundits have also pointed to other tech giants who may step in to replace Musk, including venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who already has a relationship with Trump. Thiel has long been in Trump's orbit, endorsing his 2016 campaign and signaling the relationship between the tech world and Trump-era politics. There's a spiderwebbing impact that stems from Thiel, as Fortune highlighted in a report. Musk may now rely on his relationships in the tech world and with others in the administration, like Vice President JD Vance, to try to get back into Trump's favor. Meanwhile, the tech world will need to decide how far to lean into their political relationships. 'I'm heartened to see that we have, over the past two decades, seen a significant increase in terms of our political influence and engagement and we hope it continues to grow,' Ahmed Thomas, the CEO of the nonpartisan business association Silicon Valley Leadership Group, said. However, Thomas noted that going forward, he believes the tech industry should focus on emerging technologies, workforce development opportunities and be less dependent on the loudest voices in the room. 'I think for so many people, there's a focus not on opportunity, but rather where we have … more personalities and conflict,' he said. Regardless of whether Trump cuts out Musk entirely, or shifts his attention to another major tech player, Loge noted that Musk's dramatic rise and fall in the Trump administration is representative of a larger conversation about the relationship between wealth and political power. 'I think that, even as we wrestle with this new question, right, 'What about Elon Musk? What about crypto? What about AI?' It's important to remember that these are in many ways, very old questions about the connection between truth, persuasion, power and democracy,' Loge said.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brazil's top court votes to hold social media platforms accountable for user posts
By Ricardo Brito BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that social media companies must be held accountable for some types of content published by users on their platforms in the country, but details on the decision have yet to be resolved. Six of the 11 Supreme Court judges voted to hold platforms responsible for third-party content seen as illegal, in a decision that could result in fines against social media companies for not removing some users' posts in the country. The decision could impact the business of platforms including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, Elon Musk's X and other internet giants, such as Alphabet's Google, in a market of more than 200 million people. Only one justice so far voted to not change the current law on the matter, which says that the companies can only be found responsible for third-party content on their platforms if the firms do not comply with a legal decision ordering the content removal. Writing for the majority, Justice Gilmar Mendes said current Brazilian law represents "a veil of irresponsibility for digital platforms." "Even if they are informed of the occurrence of crimes on their platforms, they (currently) cannot be held responsible for damages caused by keeping this content online, except in the case of a court order," he said. Asked to comment, Meta sent a 2024 statement where it had said that a decision holding platforms responsible could make them "liable for virtually all types of content even without having been notified." In a statement sent before the vote which gave the court a majority, Google said the current Brazilian law regarding social media can and should be improved, "as long as procedure guarantees and criteria are set to prevent legal uncertainty and the indiscriminate content removal." TikTok and a representative of X in Brazil did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The court did not agree on the scope of the decision, such as what types of content would be considered illegal. The court's head, Luis Roberto Barroso, said he will work with the court members to find a consensus. Four judges still need to vote in the trial, which has been rolling over for months. Votes previously cast can still be changed, although that is not common. The trial is set to resume on Thursday.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Is there a rocket launch today? Upcoming SpaceX liftoff should be visible in California
The third rocket launch of June from California could be about a day away, and (as usual) it should be widely visible across southern portions of the state. SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, is preparing to launch its Falcon 9 rocket on the latest Starlink satellite delivery from the West Coast. The Starlink missions have become by far the most frequent and common rocket launches from Southern California – having comprised all six spaceflight missions in May from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The two-stage 230-foot-tall rocket, one of the world's most active, has become crucial in regularly deploying batches of internet-beaming Starlink satellites into what's called low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly. The good news for Californians is, they have plenty of opportunities to see the Falcon 9 rocket soaring after it gets off the ground. But it's important to keep in mind that rocket launches can be – and often are – scrubbed or delayed due to any number of factors, including poor weather conditions or unexpected issues with spacecraft. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending rocket launch. 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: California rocket launches: Here's a look at the upcoming schedule from Vandenberg A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests SpaceX is targeting the launch for as early as Friday, June 13, with backup opportunities Saturday, June 14. However, multiple websites that track rocket launches suggest the launch window could open at 6:46 p.m. PT Thursday, June 12. Neither the Vandenberg Space Force Base, nor SpaceX have yet officially confirmed the launch. The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver the Starlink satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Following the delivery and deployment of the satellites, 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. 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. SpaceX provides a livestream of the launch on its website beginning about five minutes before liftoff, along with updates on social media site X, which Elon Musk also owns. 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 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, even maintains this list with additional viewing locations: , 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. , 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. , 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. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002. 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 both 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 most recent of SpaceX's private human spaceflights, a mission known as Fram2, took place in April. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024. SpaceX also benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads. 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. Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 7,000 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both 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. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California rocket launch today: Where to see SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off
