SpaceX Launch Visible In Mother Lode

Photo by; Clay Peterson

Tuolumne, CA — At 6:07 am, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying over 20 Starlink mini-satellites took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base along the Central Coast, in Santa Barbara County.

Shortly after, several Mother Lode residents reported seeing a burst across the early morning skies, prompting questions as to what it was. The picture of the launch featured in this story was taken by Clay Peterson near his home in Tuolumne. There were also several reported viewings in neighboring Mother Lode and Central Valley counties.

The Falcon 9’s first stage booster, completing the initial part of the mission, returned back to earth in less than 10 minutes and touched down in the Pacific Ocean.