11-02-2025
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.
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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.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SpaceX launch visible in Arizona: How to see the next launch
