Look to the skies this weekend for another SpaceX rocket launch - Los Angeles Times
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Look to the skies this weekend for another SpaceX rocket launch

The launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, leaving contrails across the sky at dusk.
The launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is visible from Huntington Beach at dusk on March 18. The rocket, carrying Starlink satellites, took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Early last week, Southern Californians stared bemused at the streak of light above Los Angeles at sunset. Was it a UFO? A missile? A space laser?

Now you can be the know-it-all who tells them what’s happening: Another SpaceX rocket launch is scheduled to light up the night sky this weekend.

In a statement, SpaceX announced that the private spacecraft manufacturer headquartered in Hawthorne would attempt a “Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.”

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The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday and has been delayed three times. Citing “unfavorable weather,” SpaceX announced that it was “standing down” from its most recently scheduled launch attempt Saturday night.

“Vehicle and payload remain healthy,” the company said on X. “Teams continue to keep an eye on the weather as they work toward the next best opportunity for liftoff — we will announce a new launch date once confirmed on the Range.”

The company had previously said a backup launch window would open at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Earthlings from Southern California to Phoenix were treated to a spectacular, albeit brief, show as night fell and the light illuminated the sky.

March 18, 2024

The launch would be SpaceX’s 11th this year from Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to a company post on X.

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Those interested can watch a livestream of the launch on X, or simply look to the sky.

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