Massive Rocket Scheduled to Launch from Vandenberg

Weather permitting, Vandenberg Air Force Base is scheduled to launch a massive rocket Thursday evening that will deliver a National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite into orbit and offer spectators an earth-rumbling show of sound and light. The Atlas V 541 rocket, with its 2 million pounds of thrust, will be one of the most powerful ever shot from the West Coast. The take-off window begins at 7:17 p.m. and reportedly doesn’t extend past 8 p.m. The best places to watch the launch are from the peak of Harris Grade Road or the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads in Vandenberg Village.