When is the next launch from California? When, where to see SpaceX rocket lift off
Yet another SpaceX rocket should soon be visible in the Southern California skies as it gets off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
For the sixth time in May, Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company is planning to launch a Falcon 9 rocket bearing a batch of Starlink satellites for delivering to Earth's orbit. The liftoff is targeted for the afternoon of Saturday, May 31.
The mission would be the latest to deliver internet-beaming Starlink satellites into what's called low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly.
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:
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket could get off the ground as early as 1:10 p.m. PT Saturday, May 31, with backup opportunities available until 4:51 p.m., according to a launch alert from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available staring at 12:39 p.m. PT on Sunday, June 1.
The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver 27 Starlink satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.
Following the delivery and deployment of the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage 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.
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 in Vandenberg, California, 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, has 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.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., more widely known as SpaceX, is an astronautics company owned and co-founded by Elon Musk, the world's richest man.
The commercial spaceflight company is contracted with NASA and the Department of Defense to use many of its spacecraft to help launch government missions. SpaceX also conducts many of its own rocket launches – most using its two-stage Falcon 9 rocket – including for private crewed missions and to deliver communication satellites to orbit.
Established in 1941, the Vandenberg Space Force Base, previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a site for both military, civil and commercial space launches.
Agencies like NASA and companies like SpaceX routinely launch spacecraft from Vandenberg, a site where missile testing also takes place. Just recently, for instance, Texas spaceflight company Firefly Aerospace attempted to launch prototype satellites into orbit for Lockheed Martin from the base.
Owned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Starlink is a constellation of more than 6,700 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world.
SpaceX, a commercial spaceflight company, has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from 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.
This article has been updated to add new information.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California rocket launch: When, where to see SpaceX Falcon 9 take off
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk's xAI facility brings ‘opportunity' to Memphis, mayor says
(NewsNation) — The mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, believes Elon Musk's xAI supercomputer facility will help 'a community that is desperately in need of investment,' though some residents say otherwise. The project will occupy an empty Electrolux factory located on the city's south side. It runs gas turbines, which release chemicals like formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides, in the process of powering his AI chatbot, Grok. Some Memphians have said the tech facility is polluting the air and water in a historically Black, working-class neighborhood and have joined the NAACP to call for its closure. 'We are urging you again to ensure that xAI stops operating its unpermitted turbines in violation of clean air and open meeting act laws and to order xAI to pay penalties for operating in violation of the law,' the NAACP told county officials in a letter. President Trump, Palantir's possible partnership: What to know But Memphis Mayor Paul Young sees it as an 'opportunity for us to benefit as a city.' The project is forecasted to generate $15 to $20 million in property taxes annually and is expected to create more than 300 jobs. 'It's in a community where 75 of the properties on the list for condemnation are located in that community — the second highest in our city,' Young told NewsNation. '[There's] one grocery store. So, there are some conditions in that community that require investment.' Those unpermitted turbines, according to Young, are a work in progress. 'Well, they have 365 days to get the temporary turbines permitted, and they filed for the permits in January,' Young said. 'They're expected to have those permits by September.' Utah lawyer sanctioned for court filing that used ChatGPT Musk also wants to build a second, even more powerful data center about 10 miles away. Young told NewsNation he welcomes the investment, even with the billionaire's controversial name attached. 'My goal is to separate the project from the person and really look at what the value proposition is for our community,' Young said, adding: 'I certainly believe that the visibility that he has contributes to a lot of the pushback that we're seeing.' In February, a man was arrested and charged with an act of terrorism for saying he was 'going to burn down' the facility. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk criticism of Trump bill sparked by EV tax credit, Starlink
(NewsNation) — Billionaire Elon Musk attacked President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' for reasons including the elimination of the electric vehicle tax cut and circumstances around his departure from Washington, D.C., a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NewsNation. Musk had developed a close relationship with the president, contributing substantially to his election campaign and serving as a close adviser to Trump, often appearing alongside the president at critical meetings and in the Oval Office. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was also given broad authority to make cuts to federal agencies and programs, with the stated goal of weeding out fraud and abuse. Trump admin pushes for final trade offers as tariff pause nears end Recently, Musk took to X to blast the signature legislation, which he called a 'disgusting abomination.' The root of Musk's displeasure appears to be rooted in the lack of special treatment he received in the plan, with four major issues prompting his ire. Musk had advocated for the administration to retain an electric vehicle tax credit intended to encourage the adoption of more environmentally friendly vehicles. Tesla, owned by Musk, has suffered financially since Musk became heavily involved in politics, with Musk facing pressure to turn things around for the company. While Musk received a friendly send-off from Trump at the end of his 130-day limit as a 'special government employee,' a designation that allowed the administration to side-step Senate confirmation required for high-level roles, Musk wanted to continue. However, he was informed by White House officials that he was unable to stay. Live: Army secretary says US isn't prepared for drone attack Musk also wanted to use his Starlink satellite as part of efforts to update air traffic control systems amid a flurry of aviation accidents and troubles with air traffic control staffing and technology. The administration declined because it would appear to be a conflict of interest. Trump also withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator Saturday. Isaacman, a Musk ally, would have led an agency that has substantial contracts with Musk's businesses. Musk and Trump reportedly maintain a friendly relationship, though the president is said to be irritated by Musk's public criticism. Musk's spokesperson didn't comment when asked by NewsNation about his criticism of the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
42 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump's early-term momentum has hit a wall. Here's why.
Trump's early-term momentum has hit a wall. Here's why. From Gaza to Ukraine and from federal judges to the Federal Reserve, President Donald Trump has seen his early White House successes take a back seat to emerging struggles. Show Caption Hide Caption Elon Musk slams Trump's big tax bill on X Days after leaving the White House, Elon Musk slammed President Trump's big tax bill on X. WASHINGTON − Governing? Harder than it looked. Just as Donald Trump is pushing to pass the centerpiece of his domestic agenda, former BFF Elon Musk is trashing his "big, beautiful bill" as "a disgusting abomination." The president's prediction that Vladimir Putin would heed his entreaties to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours is stretching into Month Five. Judges he appointed to the bench are daring to rule against him. From cutting federal spending to deporting illegal immigrants, from reaching a nuclear deal with Iran to negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza, Team Trump is running into roadblocks that are making it difficult to deliver on promises he confidently made before moving into the White House. More: Trump erupts when asked about 'TACO trade' ― a new nickname mocking his tariff approach There are some skid marks where the rubber has met the road. To be sure, some of Trump's problems come from a surplus of early successes and from the breadth of his ambitions. Through a flood of executive orders and actions, he has launched a transformation of the USA's approach to the world and the federal government's role in Americans' lives. Congressional Democrats are still struggling to craft a consistent and coherent strategy against him. But the pushback from other forces has become increasingly problematic for the White House − pushback from skeptical judges, foreign leaders with their own priorities, a steady-as-she-goes Federal Reserve and the reality of budget arithmetic. If Trump's first 100 days were a rollercoaster, the second 100 days, a span that ends on Aug. 8, are proving to be a bit of a slog. Ukraine: 'It'll be done within 24 hours' The question for Trump − as it was for many of his predecessors in the White House − is how he chooses to respond, whether he doubles down or adjusts his goals and tactics when obstacles loom. Consider Ukraine. In dozens of campaign speeches, candidate Trump said he would settle the war in Ukraine within a day of taking office, and perhaps even before he moved in. More: Russia's 'Pearl Harbor': What to know about Ukraine's audacious drone strike "I know Zelenskyy, I know Putin," he said at one Pennsylvania rally, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart "It'll be done within 24 hours, you watch. They all say, 'That's such a boast.' It will be done very quickly.'" But Putin has swatted away Trump's demands for a quick ceasefire, and Ukrainian forces have engineered a stunning drone assault on Russian military forces. An end to the war seems nowhere in sight. "I'm very disappointed," Trump said on May 28. What does he do next? More: Russia demands harsh terms at Ukraine peace talks Trump has threatened sanctions on Russia but is clearly loath to impose them. He has also suggested the United States may just walk away, leaving the conflict to the two warring parties and the Europeans to figure out. He faces similar calculations on tariffs, where he has delayed or reduced his most far-reaching threats to China and elsewhere when they seemed to rattle the stock markets. Does he follow through on his July 8 deadline for trading partners to make deals or be hit with the most stringent tariffs in close to a century? And on Gaza, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime ally, has resisted the administration's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire. "Get it over with and let's get back to peace and stop killing people," Trump had vowed during the 2024 campaign. But the region is still wracked by chaos and violence, in recent days over the distribution of food aid. For presidents, a familiar problem Trump is hardly the first president to find himself stymied by the realities of governing and the frustrations of the balance of power. Franklin D. Roosevelt was so enraged by Supreme Court decisions undercutting his New Deal that in 1937 he proposed packing the court with additional, and presumably friendlier, justices. That idea went nowhere, though the high court started to be more welcoming to his initiatives. More than a half-century later, Bill Clinton adopted a strategy of cooperation with the new Republican House speaker, Newt Gingrich, when Democrats lost control of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections. The policy, dubbed "triangulation," dismayed liberal Democrats but led to welfare reform and a balanced budget. More: Elon Musk slams President Trump's big tax and policy bill as a 'disgusting abomination' After Democratic setbacks in the 2014 midterms, Barack Obama said he still had the ability to deploy "the pen and the phone" − that is, to sign executive actions and to activate outside allies. Trump enjoys considerable political assets, including the discombobulation of Democratic leaders and the loyalty of congressional Republicans. More: Trump lashes out at Sen. Rand Paul over opposition to big tax bill That is being tested by the battle over the bill known as reconciliation. The sprawling measure would extend and expand tax cuts from Trump's first term, add billions of dollars for border security, and trim billions from Medicaid and clean-energy tax credits. It would also increase the national debt by a budget-busting $2.4 trillion over 10 years, according to the updated estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In previous showdowns, Trump has prevailed in Congress, in part because GOP members see their reelections at risk if an unhappy president backs primary challengers against them. He is lobbying for the bill as "arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country." But Musk, who until May 27 led Trump's DOGE budget-cutting initiative, has weighed in on the other side, warning the legislation would create a "crushingly unsustainable debt." His warnings are being cited by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and a handful of other GOP senators alarmed by the bill's impact on the federal budget deficit. The tech billionaire posted an electoral threat of his own on X. The social-media platform is a political asset, too, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars that the world's richest man has been willing to spend in the past on political campaigns. "In November next year," he proposed, "we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people."
