Light streaking over the Santa Monica Bay was Rocket from Hawthorne
SpaceX rocket over the Santa Monica Bay. Photo by Jack Morse
SpaceX rocket over the Santa Monica Bay. Photo by Jack Morse
Video by Howard Thorn
What appeared to be a comet streaking over the Santa Monica Bay shortly after dark Friday evening was a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:27 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Times. SpaceX builds the rockets in Hawthorne. The rocket was carrying 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit. The satellites will be part of a constellation operated by Iridium Communications. All 10 satellites successfully deployed, with the last one deploying about 1 hour and 12 minutes after liftoff.