SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday night, once again creating a light show for Southern California and even those
hundreds of miles away
.
The company
posted on X
the launch of the rocket carrying 26 Starlink satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
The rocket lifted off at 8:36 p.m. from its launchpad at the California base and reached low Earth orbit about 8½ minutes later, according to reporting by
Space.com
.
The company said it was the third flight of the mission’s first stage booster, which — following separation — would plunk down on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship moored in the Pacific.
SpaceX is known around the Southland for its highly visible vapor trails as well as its sudden booms.
A loud boom and rattling were reported last month across a broad swath of the region due to a
sonic boom from a SpaceX cargo vessel
.
