A Falcon 9 rocket will bolt into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc Saturday, producing a pre-dawn contrail that could be visible from San Diego County.
The Air Force says the rocket will lift off from Vandenberg at 6:17 a.m. on a mission to place Spain’s Paz earth imaging satellite into orbit. The launch could occur a bit later; 6:17 a.m. is the start of a launch window whose length hasn’t been specified.
The website Spacearchive.info says, “A computer simulation by Launch Alert contributor Rick Baldridge shows the rocket will exit the Earth’s shadow and climb into sunlight at T+2 minutes 10 seconds.
“That would make the launch especially interesting as the Falcon 9’s exhaust plume is illuminated by the sun while suspended in a semi-dark sky. Such a display could be visible from San Francisco to Baja California.”
A similar launch in December produced a contrail that was broadly visible across San Diego County.
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