SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from California; trail seen in Coachella Valley
If you looked toward the skies a little after 8 p.m. on Thursday, you probably caught a glimpse of something going to the heavens. Or Earth orbit, anyway.
SpaceX, the spaceflight company founded by Elon Musk, launched a Falcon 9 rocket from a base on the California coast about 8:11 p.m. And it was visible from the Coachella Valley, as such launches often are.
Previously: Video of a 2022 SpaceX launch as it was seen from the Coachella Valley
The rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, which is along the coast between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obisbo. When measured as the crow (or rocket) flies, the base is about 240 miles from Palm Springs.
The rocket carried 22 Starlink satellites into a low-Earth orbit. The booster that will power the rocket, meanwhile, was scheduled to eventually detach from the rocket and land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship in the Pacific Ocean (it was taking its 19th flight and designed to be reused).
In case you’d rather get a closer up view next time, SpaceX livestreams its launches on its website, SpaceX.com, and its account on X, the social media site known as Twitter before Musk bought and rebranded it.
Paul Albani-Burgio (paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com) covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Eric Hartley (eric.hartley@desertsun.com) is a Desert Sun news editor.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launch seen from Palm Springs area
