SpaceX is going to attempt a rare feat during its next California rocket launch.
For just the third time in 2026, the commercial spaceflight company plans to return a booster back to the Vandenberg Space Force Base for a landing shortly after liftoff. It’s a maneuver that SpaceX, which typically lands boosters from its Falcon 9 rocket on an off-shore drone ship, last pulled off at the beginning of May.
Californians, as always, have plenty of opportunities to catch the launch – though it is scheduled for the early morning hours when most people are sleeping. Because of the booster landing, they may also notice this time around more prominent sonic booms…