This California rocket launch may be visible in Arizona this weekend. Here's how to see it
Arizonans may again be treated to a special celestial sight this weekend as SpaceX plans to launch another rocket and deploy a batch of Starlink satellites into orbit.
The launch is scheduled to take place Saturday, May 3, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows. Backup launch opportunities are possible for Sunday, May 4.
Because of Arizona's proximity to the launch site, there's a good chance you can see the craft move across the sky. Here's everything Arizonans need to know about the upcoming SpaceX launch, including where the launches happen and how to watch it from home.
A four-hour launch window for SpaceX to launch a new batch of Starlink satellites into orbit opens at 11:13 a.m. PT (2:13 p.m. ET) Saturday, May 3, according to rocketlaunch.org.
The launch, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver the satellites, will take place from Launch Complex 4E from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County in California.
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.
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The launch in California will create a light display over many parts of Arizona, so you can actually see the spacecraft from the comfort of your own backyard. Just watch the sky around the launch time to see the event.
SpaceX often provides livestreams of its launches on its website, along with updates on the social media site X. However, details for a webcast for the upcoming Starlink launch have not been announced as of Friday, May 2.
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.
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.
Former Arizona Republic reporter Brenna Gauchat contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SpaceX rocket launch may be visible from Arizona. How to watch
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