Rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base seen across Coachella Valley and California

A rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base was visible across much of Southern California, including the Coachella Valley, on Thursday night.

The takeoff at 7:27 p.m. was of by the private company Firefly Aerospace's Alpha launch vehicle, the space news site NSF reported.

The Space Force did not immediately announce the launch, but NSF reported the military branch contracted with Firefly to do the launch as part of a test of the nation's ability to put a satellite into orbit immediately in case of an emergency.

Vandenberg, a base on the California coast in Santa Barbara County, is about 150 miles west of Los Angeles and 300 miles from the Coachella Valley.

According to news reports and social media posts, the rocket could be seen from Arizona and the Las Vegas area, too.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base seen across California