Get ready, Arizonans: A rocket launch today from Southern California may become widely visible across the West Coast.
Firefly Aerospace, a spaceflight company based in Texas, has been working toward a crucial launch of its Alpha rocket for weeks from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. After poor weather in California forced a previous postponement, the rocket is now due to get off the ground March 9 on its first launch since an earlier mission in April 2025 ended in failure.
And despite the vehicle’s smaller stature just shy of 100 feet tall, Firefly’s Alpha rocket is projected to be widely visible beyond California, including in Arizona…