SpaceX has its first Falcon 9 rocket launch planned for December from the Vandenberg Space Force Base.<\/p>\n
Thanksgiving has come to an end, Black Friday shopping is complete and you may be looking for something to do after the busy holiday week<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you live on the West Coast, perhaps consider catching a rocket launch from Southern California<\/a>.<\/p>\n SpaceX has its first flight on tap for December from the Vandenberg Space Force Base<\/a> in Santa Barbara County: a mission to deliver more Starlink internet satellites<\/a> into low-Earth orbit to add to its growing constellation.<\/p>\n Want to see the Falcon 9 rocket get off the ground<\/a>? Plenty of places around the region are popular among spectators<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star<\/a> for any updates on the impending launch<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the meantime, here’s what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg<\/a>, as well as some suggested locations where you might be able to watch it.<\/p>\n Vandenberg Space Force Base: SpaceX launches to increase in 2026 in California along with Falcon Heavy debut<\/a><\/p>\n Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg<\/p>\n SpaceX is working toward<\/a> a Monday, Dec. 1, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 6:10 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory<\/a>\u00a0suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.<\/p>\n Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory<\/p>\n The launch will take place from\u00a0Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base<\/a>\u00a0in Santa Barbara County.<\/p>\n Like most launches from Vandenberg, the rocket will fly at a southeast trajectory<\/a>.<\/p>\n What is the next mission? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites<\/p>\n SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9<\/a> rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver 27 Starlink satellites<\/a> into low-Earth orbit, a lower altitude where they’re able to circle Earth quickly.<\/p>\n Where to watch rocket launches in Santa Barbara County<\/p>\n Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches,\u00a0provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California<\/a>\u00a0to catch the launch in person:<\/p>\n 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launchesFloradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the \u201cviewing site for SLC-6\u201d (space launch complex-6)Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can parkSanta Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4.<\/p>\n The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city’s tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc,\u00a0maintains this list<\/a>\u00a0with additional viewing locations:<\/p>\n Ocean Park<\/a>, 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<\/a>, 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<\/a>, 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.Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it’s open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the\u00a0Amtrak Surf Station<\/a>, that visitors must cross. While trains don’t run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed.Where to watch launches from Vandenberg in Ventura County<\/p>\n Visit Ventura<\/a>, 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:<\/p>\n Ventura Pier<\/a>, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California.Emma Wood State Beach<\/a>, \u00a0located on the\u00a0Santa Barbara Channel\u00a0south of\u00a0U.S. 101.Serra Cross Park at Grant Park<\/a>, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view.San Buenaventura State Beach<\/a>, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier.Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, VenturaWhere to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County<\/p>\n SLO CAL<\/a>, 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:<\/p>\n Avila Beach<\/a>, 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>,\u00a0a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from VandenbergShell Beach<\/a>, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park<\/a> and Margo Dodd Park<\/a>, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park<\/a> (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the publicOceano Dunes<\/a>,\u00a0the\u00a0closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the skyMorro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city\u00a0Morro Bay<\/a>\u00a0and the town of\u00a0Cayucos<\/a>. Cayucos’ south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg.Other cities in California where rockets may be visible<\/p>\n Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead \u2013 particularly after sunset and before sunrise \u2013 as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include:<\/p>\n 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 CaliforniaLake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of CaliforniaSan Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of CaliforniaMerced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin ValleyWill there be sonic booms?<\/p>\n Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County\u00a0often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms<\/a>, SpaceX has said.<\/p>\n 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 said.<\/p>\n “Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off,” Vandenberg added.<\/p>\n What to know about booster re-entry<\/p>\n Following the launch, 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.<\/p>\n What is SpaceX?<\/p>\n Billionaire Elon Musk<\/a>, the world’s richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002.<\/p>\n The commercial spaceflight company is\u00a0headquartered at Starbase\u00a0in South Texas<\/a> near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests\u00a0of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship<\/a>, was recently voted by residents to become its own city.<\/p>\n SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches<\/a>, 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\u00a0on the Dragon \u2013 the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n The most recent of SpaceX’s private human spaceflights,\u00a0a mission known as Fram2<\/a>, took place in April 2025. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn\u00a0crewed commercial mission<\/a> in September 2024.<\/p>\n SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing\u00a0launch services for classified satellites and other payloads<\/a>.<\/p>\n What is Starlink?<\/p>\n Starlink is SpaceX’s lucrative satellite internet business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Owned by Musk,\u00a0Starlink has grown into a\u00a0constellation of more than 8,700 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit\u00a0with a regular cadence of rocket launches\u00a0from Florida and California.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n That means the satellites are equipped to make internet service accessible in rural areas and other regions that have been traditionally harder to reach.<\/p>\n Starlink missions: Why does SpaceX launch Starlink satellites from California?<\/a><\/p>\n What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California?<\/p>\n The Vandenberg Space Force Base\u00a0is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County<\/a>\u00a0in Southern California.<\/p>\n Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it’s a military base, the site also hosts\u00a0both civil and commercial space launches<\/a>\u00a0for entities like NASA<\/a> and SpaceX.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang<\/a>, USA TODAY Network; Paris Barraza<\/a>, Palm Springs Desert Sun<\/p>\n Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SpaceX has its first Falcon 9 rocket launch planned for December from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. 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