A satellite launch planned for the Central Coast has been bumped back a day. Vandenberg Air Force Base officials say the Falcon 9 liftoff set for Saturday night has been rescheduled to Sunday night, with a window starting at 7:21 p.m. No problems are being reported with the rocket, or its satellite payload. The delay is to have more time for pre-flight inspections.
The launch is drawing extra attention because for the first time, SpaceX will attempt to not only use the Falcon 9 rocket to launch the satellite into orbit, but to then land the launch vehicle back at the base. Air Force officials say it could create sonic booms on the Central and South Coasts during the landing process. In the past, SpaceX has been landing rockets used for its West Coast launches on an offshore barge.
The payload is an environmental monitoring satellite for Argentina.
