San Diego

SpaceX Rocket Launch Could Light Up San Diego Sky Again

If you see a beam of light across San Diego skies Sunday, don’t panic

Strong winds forced SpaceX to postpone its satellite launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Wednesday.

The rocket launch was scheduled for 6:16 a.m. but didn't happen.

When SpaceX does launch, it may deliver a sight similar to a launch in December that had San Diegans questioning a beam of light followed by a plume of smoke that flashed across the sky. 

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launch has been delayed several times over the last few days. It was originally set to launch on Feb. 17 then delayed to the following day. The date was moved once more to Wednesday to allow for inspections, according to the company.

The plan, when it happens, is to launch from the base just north of Santa Barbara for Paz Mission, which will deliver a satellite into earth’s orbit. The Paz satellite will generate images of space as it orbits earth about 15 times a day for the next five and a half years, according to SpaceX.

The advanced satellite will also be used for an experiment using polarimetric radio occultation, a new technique that aims to monitor heavy rainfall events. SpaceX, a private rocket company, says the experiment will be the first time occultation measurements will be taken from two polarizations.

The Falcon 9 rocket is part of company founder Elon Musk's push to reduce the cost of access to space and allow people to live on other planets. The rocket is one of the first capable of being reused.

Earlier this month, SpaceX blasted the most powerful rocket into the sky for its first test flight from Kennedy Space Center. The rocket launched a red Tesla sports car into orbit for endless trips past Mars. Two of the rocket’s boosters, both recycled from previous launches, returned minutes after liftoff and touched back down at Cape Canaveral.  

Share Your Photos: Do you have photos of the rocket launch? Email them to isee@nbcsandiego.com or submit here

A strange beam of light followed by a trail of smoke was seen across San Diego County and all of Southern California Friday. Here's what it looked like from the NBC 7 studio.
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