PHOENIX — SpaceX is scheduled to launch another round of Starlink satellites on Saturday from a California military base.
The launch was originally scheduled for Friday night, but was scrubbed because of bad weather, SpaceX said.
The Falcon 9 rocket will now launch Saturday night between 7:25 p.m. and 11:17 p.m. Arizona Time and will be visible in Arizona skies.
The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on the droneship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ in the Pacific Ocean, SpaceX said
Rockets are launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in southern California.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is "the world's first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more," according to the service's website.
The "constellation" of satellites consists of thousands of satellites that orbit Earth at an altitude of about 550 km, or 341 3/4 miles.
The satellites connect to antennas that users set up at their home to provide internet access.
What SpaceX launches look like in Arizona
Launches happen regularly out of California and create a light display over Arizona.
Dr. Vishnu Reddy, a scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, studies space situational awareness and basically ... knows a lot about space.
He told 12News the reason the SpaceX rockets light up the sky is not because the engines burn brightly (although they do), it's because of something called the Twilight Phenomenon.
"The sun might have set for us here in Arizona, but it hasn't set in California," Reddy said. "So it's catching that sunlight and reflecting off."
Basically, the rocket launches far away, in California. but it goes so high that we can see it in Arizona. And when we see it, it's not in the shadow of nightfall, even though Arizona is. The "glow" is sunlight hitting the exhaust trail, even while we perceive the sky to be black.
"If you are at the top of a mountain, you can see the sunset much longer than people at the base of the mountain," Reddy said. So, think of the rocket as the top of the mountain while you're at the bottom.
April 1, 2024 SpaceX Launch as seen over Arizona
Watch a SpaceX launch
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