The U.S. Space Force has approved the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Twilight mission to dusk-dawn sun-synchronous orbit with a return-to-base landing, Sunday, January 11, 2026, between 5:19 – 6:16 a.m. PT from Space Launch Complex 4 East.
Residents near Vandenberg SFB will hear one or more sonic booms approximately 8–10 minutes after liftoff as the Falcon 9 first stage returns and lands at Landing Zone 4 on the spaceport.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch at https://www.spacex.com/
There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
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Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 1st ‘Twilight’ rideshare mission:
https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/01/10/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-1st-twilight-rideshare-mission/
…is scheduled for 5:20 a.m. PST (8:20 a.m. EST / 1320 UTC) on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwOksb3l0Lc
Looked up weather to see what kind of winds were predicted 6~8 mph, everything else ATM looks good (Partly Cloudy ~ 43 °F – feels like 39 °F)? Slightly dark out as the Sunrise is @ 7:11AM
I can tell ya right now IF there is a “Sonic BOOM” I won’t hear it (hearing’s that bad).
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I like 520am. Let’s hear and see it! Hey, what do you think about this big rocket deal Vandenberg is about to get into? This next phase looks like something totally different.