Is there a rocket launch today? How to see SpaceX mission in Arizona
Here's how you can watch the first rocket launch of June from Vandenberg all the way in Arizona. Get ready, Arizona: SpaceX is planning its first West Coast rocket launch of June, and it'll be early. The spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground first thing in the morning on yet another mission to deliver Starlink broadband internet satellites to Earth orbit. If you're willing to set an alarm to see the launch, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can often be seen in Arizona. Of course, you can also watch the mission remotely via a SpaceX livestream. Keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. If you're going to try to spot the rocket launch, check back with azcentral.com for any updates on the mission. In the meantime, here's what to know about the launch from neighboring California, as well as when and where to potentially see the rocket in Arizona. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Wednesday, June 3, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Will SpaceX rocket launch be visible in Arizona? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E), which SpaceX leases as a launch site for its Falcon 9 rocket at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Because the rocket is due to fly at a southern trajectory, it may not be easily visible from Arizona. How to watch SpaceX launch livestream Fortunately for those in Arizona interested in watching the launch, SpaceX also provides a live webcast of its missions. The launch will be available to stream on the company's website and its new X TV mobile app, beginning about five minutes before liftoff. SpaceX may also provide updates on social media site X. What is the Vandenberg rocket launch? Falcon 9 to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 24 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch SpaceX Falcon 9 in Arizona Because of Arizona's proximity to the launch site, there's a good chance people there can see the spacecraft streak across the sky, especially at night or very early morning. Here's a list of some possible viewing locations compiled by The Arizona Republic, a USA TODAY Network publication. Dobbins Lookout, South Mountain, 10919 S. Central Ave., Phoenix, Arizona Papago Park, 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona Fountain Hills, a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, which in 2018 was designated a Dark Sky Community with little light pollution Superstition Mountains, located 40 miles from metro Phoenix in Arizona Cave Creek, a town in Maricopa County about 30 miles north of Fountain Hills, Arizona Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 3400 Sky Harbor Blvd., Arizona, which has a parking garage that is popular for plane-watching Black Canyon City, an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona Any mountain park in Arizona Estrella Mountain Regional Park, 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear, Arizona Skyline Regional Park, 2600 N. Watson Road, Buckeye, Arizona White Tank Mountains, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, Arizona San Tan Mountain Regional Park, 6533 W. Phillips Road, Queen Creek, Arizona Monument Hill, a 150-foot slope on 115th Avenue, in Arizona Casa Grande, a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson Avondale, a city in Maricopa County bordering Phoenix to the west Queen Creek, a suburb of Phoenix Photos of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Arizona, US 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 Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With nearly 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible.