SpaceX delays Vandenberg rocket launch yet again. Here’s the next time it could lift off

Kaytlyn Leslie
·2 min read
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A SpaceX rocket set to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc was once again postponed on Wednesday, marking the second delay for the mission this week.

It was the latest in a string of delays that have plagued the aerospace company’s local launches in recent months.

The Falcon 9 rocket was originally expected to blast off Tuesday morning, but the launch was canceled less than an hour before blastoff with no explanation.

When the time came for the backup launch window, the aerospace company once again chose to delay the launch — this time just 16 seconds before liftoff.

“Standing down from today’s Falcon 9 launch of Starlink,” SpaceX tweeted Wednesday morning. “Vehicle remains healthy.”

The launch appeared to have been scrubbed due to “probability of landing failure,” according to launch officials.

SpaceX is now targeting a 6:40 a.m. launch on Thursday.

The Falcon 9 rocket will carry 46 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from the Launch Complex 4 East launchpad

The first-stage booster supporting the mission previously launched Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar FM15, ISI EROS C-3 and three Starlink missions, according to SpaceX.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

How to watch Vandenberg rocket launch

The SpaceX launch will likely be viewable from around the Central Coast, depending on the weather conditions and whether Vandenberg’s infamous fog makes an appearance.

There are several viewing areas around the Lompoc area for those interested in watching the spectacle live.

Cars often line up along Ocean Avenue, also known as Highway 246, with hundreds of spectators sitting on top of their vehicles or on the side of the road waiting for the rocket to come shooting up over the hills.

Other popular viewing sites include spots along Firefighter, Harris Grade and Santa Lucia roads.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff and is viewable at spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl3-5.