Satellite launch from California is delayed

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. —

A SpaceX satellite launch from California that could create a spectacular aerial display has been delayed.

The Falcon 9 rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite for Spain had been scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday, nearly 20 minutes before sunrise.

But the launch was pushed back to early Wednesday due to the need for more inspections.

A spectacle occurred on Dec. 22 when a Falcon 9 lifted off shortly after sunset in exceptionally clear weather and reached an altitude where its expanding plume was illuminated by sunlight.

The startling sight caused a sensation as far away as Phoenix.

Spain's PAZ satellite carries an instrument to make radar images of the Earth for government and commercial purposes.

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