Friday, October 5, 2018

SpaceX Aims At 7:21pm Landing Sunday

Hawthorne-based SpaceX confirmed late Friday afternoon that it plans to attempt the first, West Coast land landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday evening, shortly after 7:21pm. According to SpaceX, it is targeting launch of the SAOCOM 1A mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at 7:21pm PDT, and will attempt to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a new pad, Landing Zone 4. That was the former site of Space Launch Complex 4W, which formerly launched Titan rockets. SpaceX said that residents of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo may hear a sonic boom during the landing. SpaceX previously had been landing those first stages out in the Pacific, with return to Long Beach. Image: A prior Falcon 9 first stage returning to Long Beach after a successful landing at sea.

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