SpaceX has been contracted to launch the Sentinel-6B satellite into orbit on a civil mission to observe sea levels. The nighttime launch window should make the Falcon 9 widely visible.
Nearly halfway into November, SpaceX is preparing to launch its second rocket of the month from Southern California.
The commercial spaceflight company’s two-stage Falcon 9 rocket is preparing to get off the ground on a government-contracted mission from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
The launch, scheduled for the weekend, would be the first in California since a federal curfew went into effect restricting commercial launches between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time. Though the mandate was meant to ease the strain of the since-ended government shutdown, it still remains in effect under an updated Nov. 12 order from the Federal Aviation Administration.
It’s possible, though, for launch service providers to obtain exemptions from the FAA if needed, as happened with Blue Origin’s recent launch of its New Glenn rocket from Florida.
“We treat every mission as critical to the national architecture – while ensuring rigorous public safety and scheduling flexibility,” Col. James Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30, which oversees Vandenberg, said in a statement to the USA TODAY Network. “We will continue to collaborate closely with the FAA while ensuring the alignment of our efforts with national security priorities.”
Want to see the upcoming launch in person? Keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch.
In the meantime, here’s what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg, as well as some suggested locations where you might be able to watch it.
Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg
SpaceX is working toward a 9:21 p.m. PT Sunday, Nov. 16, launch of its Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to a launch alert.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory
The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
Like most launches from Vandenberg, the rocket will fly at a southeast trajectory.
What is the next mission? SpaceX to deploy government satellite
SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver a government weather satellite into orbit.
Developed by NASA and known as Sentinel-6B, the satellite will measure sea levels and record of atmospheric temperatures. The spacecraft will take over the work of its predecessor twin satellite, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which SpaceX propelled to orbit in 2020.
The data it gathers is meant to protect coastal infrastructure, improve weather forecasting and support commercial sea activities.
Where to watch rocket launches in Santa Barbara County
Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches.
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.
Note that in the case of launches in which the booster returns back to the base, as is the case for the NAOS mission, Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, is closed.
Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person:
- 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches
- Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the “viewing site for SLC-6” (space launch complex-6)
- Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park
- Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4.
The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city’s tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations:
- Ocean Park, 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, 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, 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.
Where to watch launches from Vandenberg in Ventura County
Visit Ventura, 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:
- Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California.
- Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101.
- Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view.
- San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier.
- Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura
Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County
SLO CAL, 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:
- Avila Beach, 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 city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg
- Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public
- Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky
- Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos’ south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg.
Other cities in California where rockets may be visible
Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead – particularly after sunset and before sunrise – as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include:
- 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 California
- Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California
- San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California
- Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley
Will there be sonic booms?
Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County could hear sonic booms, according to SpaceX.
“Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off,” Vandenberg has said before.
Sonic booms are brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound.
What to know about re-entry
Following the launch and stage separation, the Falcon 9 rocket’s booster will aim to return to the launch site to land at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights.
What is SpaceX?
Billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002.
The commercial spaceflight company 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.
SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, 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 on the Dragon – the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.
The most recent of SpaceX’s private human spaceflights, a mission known as Fram2, took place in April 2025. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.
SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California.
Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it’s a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX.
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.
Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network; Paris Barraza, Palm Springs Desert Sun
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com