When there’s a SpaceX or United Launch Alliance launch in California, rockets blast off from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
And if the launch window is in the middle of the night or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great Instagram post.
Depending on weather and cloud cover, visibility could extend hundreds of miles from Vandenberg, California.
For example, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch with 53 Starlink satellites on board lifted off Oct. 27, 2022, from Vandenberg and could be seen in Palm Springs, California (about 270 miles away). Another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch on June 18, 2024, from Vandenberg clearly streaked across the dark blue-gray sky in Coachella Valley. Maps show Vandenberg Space Force Base is about 285 miles from Indio, California, the site of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Sometimes, a rocket launched from Vandenberg can be seen in another state.
A photo gallery and video with this story show SpaceX and United Launch Alliance rocket launches in Vandenberg, California, visible in Phoenix, Arizona (about 530 miles away) and Fairbanks, Alaska (about 3,200 miles away), amid the aurora borealis or Northern Lights on April 18, 2023.
Stunning rocket launches: Photos show what liftoff looks like from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Vandenberg, California
Below are photos of SpaceX and United Launch Alliance rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base and what liftoff looks like in California.
Photos of California rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Station
Videos show SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg, California, visible in Phoenix, Arizona, and Fairbanks, Alaska, during Northern Lights
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: SpaceX rocket launch photos from Vandenberg, California, and Phoenix
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