SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch from Vandenberg April 15
VANDENBERG, Calif. – The Vandenberg Space Force Base is set to launch a National Reconnaissance Office mission (NROL-85) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Friday, April 15.
The rocket will blast off from Space Launch Complex-4 East at the base sometime between 5:59 a.m. and 7:25 a.m., according to Vandenberg Space Force Base officials.
The NROL-85 is the first National Reconnaissance Office mission to reuse a SpaceX rocket booster. The NROL-87 launched only two months ago, and it was the first NRO launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was intended to be reused for a future mission, officials said.
Space Launch Delta 30 commander Col. Rob Long will be the launch decision authority.
After the rocket is launched, it will return to land on Landing Zone 4 at the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Local residents and spectators from San Luis Obispo County to Ventura County can expect to hear multiple sonic booms as the rocket breaks the sound barrier and returns to land, officials said.
