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How to watch a launch in So Cal [1]
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Date: 2025-06-17
It only happens a few times a year. The weather has to be clear. There is about a 20 minute window after sunset. The flight path needs to be southerly. But sometimes, everything lines up and from San Diego to Arizona to LA, we all get a wonderful show.
This is the Space X launch from last night out of Vandenburg. Just a normal phone camera. No zoom. I was at the beach in San Juan Capistrano. You can see the Dana Point harbor just in the corner. Launch was at 8:36. Sunset was 8:03. Not a cloud anywhere. Some tacos on the table made from leftover Costco rotisserie chicken.
For the space geeks, Vandenburg is used for polar launches. The California coastline allows for range safety to the south. If you do this from Florida, you land rocket parts on Miami, which is generally frowned upon. Then again, Florida is better for “normal” launches. The Earth’s rotation makes it easier to get to orbit, in case you wondered why all launches seem to be toward the East. It’s also why Ariane Space uses the norther coast of South America, it’s closer to the equator. Nothing political, just the physics of getting to orbit. If Ecuador had more stable politics, someone would launch from the Andes. Diesel on a rail line to 13,000 feet is a lot cheaper than rocket fuel, but I digress. Maybe we should invade, it would be more useful than Greenland. /s
If you are a die hard, you can drive to Lompoc. Up close, you really hear the roar. If you are really lucky, there are a few launches that return the booster to Vandenburg so you get a double show, but the StarLink launches needs the extra juice so they land on the barge (drone ship) off the coast of San Diego. Unfortunately, it is far enough off shore to be just over the horizon, but you can see the boost back burn pretty easily
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