SpaceX rocket launch set for California coast – NBC Los Angeles

A SpaceX rocket set for launch Wednesday evening from the Southern California coast will carry 20 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The four-hour launch window at Vandenberg Space Force Base northwest of Santa Barbara is scheduled to open at 4:06 p.m. An additional launch window is scheduled for Thursday.

The rocket’s first stage will land on a droneship at sea. This will be the 12th flight for the first-stage booster.

The rocket and its exhaust plume are sometimes visible for hundreds of miles as it soars along the coast, if skies are clear. Launches just after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against the backdrop of a darkened sky.

Sunset in Los Angeles Wednesday is at 4:44 p.m.

Starlink is a satellite-based internet system that SpaceX has been building for years to bring internet access to underserved parts of the world.

SpaceX has a Starlink constellation of satellites orbiting Earth about 340 miles up, shuttled into space by the company’s rockets. The Starlink network is designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere around the globe.

If light conditions are right, the satellites appear in a train as they parade across the night sky. The satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sundown and before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight.

Use the FindStarlink tracker to find the best upcoming viewing times.