SpaceX Rocket Ready to Launch Transporter-8 Mission From Vandenberg Space Force Base | Local News
Small payloads sit stacked for flight before placement aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the Transporter-8 mission. Credit: Contributed photo
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying dozens of small payloads, some sporting quirky names such as Blackjack Aces or Spacebees, will aim for launch on Monday afternoon from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
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From which launch site did the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink satellites launch?
Liftoff from Space Launch Complex-4 will occur during a 57-minute window set to open at 2:19 p.m.
If needed, Space Exploration Technologies says a backup launch opportunity exists on Tuesday during the same time period.
The first-stage booster previously has flown eight missions from Vandenberg and will return to the base to land less than eight minutes after liftoff.
A return to the launch site means residents in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties may hear sonic booms signaling the first-stage booster's return as the vehicle breaks the sound barrier en route back to Vandenberg.
Sonic booms stem from the shock waves created by an aircraft or launch vehicle traveling faster than the speed of sound. The booms have been likened to an explosion or a clap of thunder, but sound at various locations can depend on weather conditions and other factors.
The Transporter-8 launch will be the eighth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission for SpaceX and the second from the West Coast.
The rocket will carry 72 payloads, including CubeSats, MicroSats, a re-entry capsule and orbital transfer vehicles carrying spacecraft to be deployed at a later time, according to SpaceX.
Deployment of the satellites will start approximately one hour after the rocket's liftoff and finish nearly 30 minutes later.
The Vandenberg SpaceX team's first dedicated rideshare mission, dubbed Transporter-7, departed in April.
On the West Coast, SpaceX rocket launches and landings typically attract onlookers to the Lompoc Valley.
Vandenberg has restricted access, but several locations around the Lompoc Valley provide views of the launch and landing sites, which are south of West Ocean Avenue/Highway 246.
The locations include west of Lompoc, the peak of Harris Grade Road, and near the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads.
Providence Landing Park, at 699 Mercury Ave. in Vandenberg Village, also is a popular gathering spot, along with West Ocean Avenue west of the Lompoc's city limits.
A live broadcast of the mission can be found on the SpaceX website or its YouTube channel and will start 15 minutes before the planned liftoff.