Falcon 9 Rocket Successfully Launches From Vandenberg Space Force Base
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE (CBSLA) — Workers taking their lunch breaks outside might have heard the sonic boom when SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday.
The launch was initially scheduled for 12:18 p.m. at the Central Coast military base. But about a half hour before launch, it was pushed about 15 minutes to 12:27 p.m.
New T-0 for today's Falcon 9 launch of the NROL-87 mission is 12:27 p.m. PT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 2, 2022
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried a classified payload from the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office that will be placed about 318 miles above the Earth. The mission's first stage will return to land on Vandenberg, and upon re-entry of the vehicle, spectators and residents in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties may be able to hear multiple sonic booms as the vehicle breaks the sound barrier.
If successful, it would be the NRO's first launch of the year. Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage will land on Landing Zone 4. The payload's booster rocket core, which is brand new, can also be reused for a future launch.
Wednesday's launch was one of three scheduled SpaceX launches this week.