The exhaust plume from a SpaceX rocket could be seen all around Southern California Monday March 18, 2024.
A SpaceX rocket launched Thursday morning from the California coast and carried a weather satellite into low-Earth orbit.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off around 7:30 a.m. SpaceX said people in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties might hear one or more sonic booms during the landing of the rocket's first stage booster back at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Stream Los Angeles News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HEREClick here to watch live coverage from SpaceX.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning with NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP The mission for the United States Space Force is an effort to improve space-based environmental monitoring with use of the Weather System Follow-on–Microwave (WSF-M) satellite. The satellite can capture real-time data on sea ice, surface winds, tropical cyclone intensity, snow depth, soil moisture and more.
Launches just after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun's rays with a dark sky in the background. Sunrise is at 6:27 a.m. Thursday.
