What: Falcon 9 rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Station in Santa Barbara County.
When: Between 5:19 a.m. and 6:19 a.m. Sunday, according to SpaceX. If necessary, the team has a backup opportunity during the same 57-minute window on Monday.
Or: Space Launch Complex-4 at the southern base.
Landing: The first stage booster, making its fifth flight, will return to Landing Zone 4, west of the launch site on the South Base, a little more than seven minutes after liftoff.
Residents of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties will hear one or more sonic booms approximately 8 to 10 minutes after takeoff, with the sound depending on weather and atmospheric conditions.
For what: To carry out the Twilight mission, another rideshare opportunity made up of small assorted payloads, including another satellite from Santa Barbara-based Umbra.
NASA also has more than one craft aboard the rocket, including its Pandora satellite designed to characterize the atmospheres of exoplanets and their host stars. During its one-year activity, Pandora is expected to observe at least 20 different planets.
The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), a small space telescope about the size of a cereal box, is part of NASA’s CubeSat launch initiative to help educational institutions and nonprofit organizations put their craft into orbit.
Watch: A live webcast of the mission is expected to begin approximately 15 minutes before liftoff at spacex.com/launches and at X @SpaceX.
To watch the liftoff in person, Lompoc Valley has several locations with views of the launch pad. These include the top of Harris Grade Road, west of the Lompoc city limits and around the village of Vandenberg, including near the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads.
Vandenberg launches near sunset or sunrise can be particularly picturesque. If skies are clear, the rocket launch could be visible elsewhere in California and, under certain conditions, in other Western states.
