What: Falcon 9 rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.

When: Between 5:19 a.m. and 6:19 a.m. Sunday, according to SpaceX. If needed, the team has a backup opportunity during the same 57-minute window Monday.

Where: Space Launch Complex-4 on South Base.

Landing: The first-stage booster, making its fifth flight, will return to Landing Zone 4, west of the launch site, on South Base a little more than seven minutes after liftoff. 

Residents in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties will hear one or more sonic booms approximately 8-10 minutes after liftoff with the sound depending on weather and atmospheric conditions.

Why: To deliver the Twilight mission, another rideshare opportunity made up of assorted small payloads including another satellite from Santa Barbara-based Umbra. 

NASA also accounts for more than one craft aboard the rocket including its Pandora satellite designed to characterize exoplanet atmospheres and their host stars. During its yearlong operation, Pandora is expected to observe at least 20 different planets.

The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), a small space telescope about the size of a cereal box, is part of the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative to help educational institutions and nonprofit organizations get their craft into orbit.

Watch: A live webcast of the mission is scheduled to begin about 15 minutes before liftoff at spacex.com/launches and on X @SpaceX.

To watch the liftoff in person, the Lompoc Valley has multiple locations offering views of the launch pad. Those include the peak of Harris Grade Road, west of Lompoc’s city limits and around Vandenberg Village, including near the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads. 

Vandenberg launches close to sunset or sunrise can be especially picturesque. If skies are clear, the rocket’s departure might be visible from elsewhere around California and, under certain conditions, other Western states.