The next rocket launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base will be a little different from the typical SpaceX Starlink satellite deployment.
For the first time since January, a SpaceX mission from California will end with the commercial spaceflight company attempting to land the booster stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back at the Santa Barbara County launch site. The feat is far from unheard of for SpaceX, but the method of recovering the lower stage of the rocket is far less common for the company than its typical procedure: landing the booster on a barge in the Pacific Ocean and towing it back to shore.
The booster recovering method, often referred to as a “return-to-base” landing, also comes with a few caveats: First, it may cause sonic booms that will be extra loud for residents, and it requires closing a popular area for spectators to watch launches from Vandenberg.
If you plan to watch the launch, keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending mission.
In the meantime, here’s what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it.
Vandenberg Space Force Base: California ends 2025 with record number of rocket launches. What’s next?
Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California
SpaceX is working toward a launch from Southern California, with a short 37-minute launch window open from 11:59 p.m. Saturday, May 2 to 12:36 a.m. PT Sunday, May 3.
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? What to know about trajectory
The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory.
What is CAS500-2? SpaceX to launch rideshare mission
SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, on a rideshare mission to deploy multiple satellites, including an Earth-imaging CAS500-2 satellite to low-Earth orbit for South Korea’s Korea AeroSpace Administration.
Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County
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 the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
Important note: In the case of launches in which the booster returns back to the base, as is the case for the CAS500-2 mission, Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, is closed.
Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person:
13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a 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.
The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city’s tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations:
Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, 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.
Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket’s tip can be seen before liftoff.
Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs.
Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County
Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county:
Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California.
Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura
Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County
SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site:
Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans.
Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg
Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky
Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos’ south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg.
Other cities in California where rockets may be visible
Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead – particularly after sunset and before sunrise – as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include:
Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California
Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California
San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California
Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley
Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site
Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site
What to know about booster re-entry, booster recovery
Following the launch and stage separation, the Falcon 9 rocket’s booster will aim to return to the launch site to land at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. While SpaceX most often has boosters land on its drone ship offshore, this method still allows personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights.
Will there be sonic booms?
Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms when the booster returns for a landing, SpaceX has said.
The sonic booms – brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound – could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added.
In the case of a booster returning for a landing back at Vandenberg closer to populated areas – rather than on a drone ship in the ocean – the sonic boom could be even more noticeable. That’s because the booster falls back through the atmosphere still traveling at supersonic speeds and, as it slows down, generates shock waves that sound like one or more loud booms on the ground.
Meanwhile, “areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off,” Vandenberg also warns before launches.
Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company
SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO.
SpaceX 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.
As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military.
For the Department of Defense, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule – the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California?
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.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: SpaceX to return booster to base. What to know about launch, sonic booms