SpaceX has one final rocket launch on the books for 2025 from the West Coast, but it may be hard to spot the spacecraft from Arizona this time around.

For its final mission of the year, the commercial spaceflight company is taking a break from a slew of Starlink missions from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to deliver batches of its commercial satellites to its growing constellation in low-Earth orbit. Instead, SpaceX is contracted as the launch service provider for the Italian Space Agency, which selected the company to help deploy a satellite referred to as CSG-3 to observe Earth.

Regardless of what’s stowed away on the company’s Falcon 9, the two-stage rocket should look just as slick blasting off from the ground.

But for Arizona residents, it may be a bad prognosis, as the planned trajectory of the spaceflight may miss the state entirely.

What’s more, postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. If you’re going to try to spot the rocket launch, check back with azcentral.com for any updates on the mission.

In the meantime, here’s what to know about the launch from neighboring California, as well as when and where to potentially see the rocket in Arizona.

California rocket launches: SpaceX launches to increase in 2026 in California along with Falcon Heavy debut

What time is the SpaceX rocket launch?

SpaceX is working toward a launch from Southern California at 6:08 p.m. PT, Saturday, Dec. 27.

A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.

Where is the next launch from California? Will it be seen in Arizona?

The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.

Because the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory, it may not be possible to easily spot it from Arizona.

What is the next mission from Vandenberg? Falcon 9 to deliver satellite for Italy

SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver to low-Earth orbit the CSG-3 Earth observation satellite for the Italian Space Agency. The satellite is meant to replace Italy’s first generation COSMO-SkyMed system.

California rocket launch could be visible in Arizona: Where to watch

Because of Arizona’s proximity to the launch site, there’s a good chance people there can see the spacecraft streak across the sky, especially at night or very early morning.

Here’s a list of some possible viewing locations compiled by The Arizona Republic, a USA TODAY Network publication.

Dobbins Lookout, South Mountain, 10919 S. Central Ave., Phoenix, Arizona

Papago Park, 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona

Black Canyon City, an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona

Any mountain park in Arizona

Casa Grande, a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson

Avondale, a city in Maricopa County bordering Phoenix to the west

Queen Creek, a suburb of Phoenix

What is SpaceX?

SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO.

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 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 only U.S vehicle capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.

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 additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Final Falcon 9 launch of 2025 on West Coast. Will it be seen in Arizona?