A Falcon 9 rocket’s dawn departure from Vandenberg Space Force Base delivered a show in the sky along with inserting 23 Starlink satellites into

SpaceX is planning for another Falcon 9 rocket launch this week at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch is currently scheduled for 6:07 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 23. Following stage separation, about eight minutes after liftoff, SpaceX will aim to land the rocket's first stage booster on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean.

At the crack of dawn Friday, Shell Beach resident Erik Olson stood on his balcony to catch a glimpse of a scheduled rocket launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base as it painted the sky above San Luis Obispo County. Olson follows all the rocket activity from Vandenberg, but said this morning’s launch was “particularly impressive.”