Residents wonder about bright light seen over Southern California

A bright light moving over Southern California during the early morning hours Friday had many people wondering just what they were looking at.

“A lot of people could see it … even wondering what it is,” said KTLA’s Ginger Chan, who noticed a flurry of messages asking about what turned out to be a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

A Space-X Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 24, 2024. (KTLA)

Liftoff was scheduled for 6:08 a.m. and could be seen on KTLA’s Los Angeles International Airport camera at 6:11 a.m.

The rocket was carrying 23 Starlink satellites “to low-Earth orbit,” SpaceX stated.

“There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions,” SpaceX stated.

The full launch video has been made available on the Space X website.

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