December is here, and SpaceX shows no signs of slowing down its California operations as 2025 draws to a close.
Want to watch a rocket launch before the year is out?
Odds are looking that you’ll have plenty of chances to catch a Starlink mission from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. The missions are to deploy the internet satellites to the commercial rocket company’s growing orbital constellation.
And after the first California launch of the month, the second could be on its way as early as Thursday, Dec. 4.
Those in Palm Springs are the surrounding Riverside County don’t have far to travel to potentially see the rocket get off the ground. Of course, you can also just stay home and watch a SpaceX livestream of the mission.
Here’s everything to know about the latest SpaceX Starlink mission, and how to watch a webcast of the Falcon 9 launching.
Is there a rocket launch today? Next liftoff from California
SpaceX is working toward a Thursday, Dec. 4, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 10:12 a.m. PT. The launch will take place from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX Falcon 9 to deploy Starlink
SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world’s most active, to deliver 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, a lower altitude where they’re able to circle Earth quickly.
How to watch SpaceX Starlink launch livestream
Californians, of course, have plenty of opportunities to see a rocket in person both near the launch site as it lifts off, and further away as it soars overhead.
But SpaceX also provides a live webcast of its missions for those who prefer to watch from home.
As with most SpaceX missions, the launch will be available to stream on the company’s website and its new X TV mobile app, beginning about five minutes before liftoff. SpaceX may also provide updates on social media site X.
What is SpaceX?
Billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, founded SpaceX in 2002.
The commercial spaceflight company is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city.
SpaceX conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket, from California and Florida. That includes a regular cadence of deliveries of Starlink internet satellites into orbit, and occasional privately funded commercial crewed missions on the Dragon – the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.
SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is SpaceX’s lucrative satellite internet business.
Owned by Musk, Starlink has grown into a constellation of more than 8,700 satellites that provide internet service to customers around the world. SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both Florida and California.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Is there a rocket launch today? Watch SpaceX Falcon 9 liftoff in California
