Rocket Launches Draw Crowds to Manhattan Beach Pier
Jun 24, 2024 11:05PM ● By Jeanne and Dave Fratello
Closeup of a rocket launch seen from the Manhattan Beach Pier.
Forget movies; the big blockbusters that everyone is coming out to see this summer are the rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base... best viewed from the Manhattan Beach Pier.
There has been a dramatic uptick in launches from Vandenberg over the past few years, mostly (but not exclusively) by the South Bay firm SpaceX. Locals follow social media groups and apps that inform them of upcoming launches, then rush to the coast when the launches promise to be most visible and dramatic.
When all systems are "go," you'll find crowds of space fans waiting breathlessly at the Manhattan Beach Pier for a spectacular sight in the nighttime sky.
There has been a dramatic uptick in launches from Vandenberg over the past few years, mostly (but not exclusively) by the South Bay firm SpaceX. Locals follow social media groups and apps that inform them of upcoming launches, then rush to the coast when the launches promise to be most visible and dramatic.
When all systems are "go," you'll find crowds of space fans waiting breathlessly at the Manhattan Beach Pier for a spectacular sight in the nighttime sky.
The most recent launch, on Sunday night, drew more than 100 spectators (including some who didn't know it was coming, and were treated to the unexpected show).
Gazing at a sky that was dotted with clouds, rocket enthusiasts lined the pier, cheering after lift-off when the first fiery light appeared. The zig-zagging jet stream, lit by strong sunlight miles above the earth, made a wild pattern that lingered in the darkened sky well after the rocket had disappeared.
Gazing at a sky that was dotted with clouds, rocket enthusiasts lined the pier, cheering after lift-off when the first fiery light appeared. The zig-zagging jet stream, lit by strong sunlight miles above the earth, made a wild pattern that lingered in the darkened sky well after the rocket had disappeared.
Rocket Viewing
So where and when can you see the rockets?
A current international rocket launch schedule can be found here (with the caveat that launches may be canceled at any time). The "Next Spaceflight" smartphone app provides info and notifications about upcoming launches – although its data is worldwide, not specific to Vandenberg. The app also provides livestreams (when available) of the launches to help you track the countdown, and even watch the rockets from the launch pad and from cameras onboard the rockets themselves.
The next few announced Vandenberg launches are as follows:
Wednesday, June 26: (Firefly) Alpha | Noise of Summer. 9:03 p.m.
Saturday, June 29: (SpaceX) Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Mission. Time TBA.
Monday, July 8: (SpaceX) Falcon 9 Block 5 | Transporter 11. Time TBA.
Of course, the rocket launch schedules are tentative, and any number of conditions could cause last-minute cancellations, but in good weather, recent launches seem to have stuck close to schedule.
What to Watch For, and Where
Several recent SpaceX launches have seemed to be almost perfectly timed for maximum enjoyment by civilians on the ground, and at the pier.
Launches timed for the post-sunset period provide a dusky or dark background, while vapor trails remain highly illuminated throughout a rocket's trajectory into space.
Watching from the Manhattan Beach Pier, look northward toward Malibu. Seconds after launch, you will see a bright light right on the horizon that quickly climbs up overhead. If the vapor trail is lit, you can easily trace the rocket's path upward and southward.
As the rocket rises in the sky to a point just above the elevation where you might commonly see jetliners out of LAX, you will soon see the process of separation of the first booster and the rest of the rocket. There may be a "pause" in the vapor trail as the second stage kicks in. (The actual height of the rocket at this point is far, far higher than aviation altitudes.)
As the rocket appears to sail south across the sky, the plume behind it grows, and most observers in Manhattan Beach can see bright "dots" that appear to fall away from the main rocket in a SpaceX launch.
In those launches, the "dots" are the Stage 1 booster (which returns and lands on a barge or platform) and the "fairings" (two pieces of the nose cone of the rocket, which also return to earth under some control and are recovered). Each part has its own control jets, which account for the occasional bright bursts from the "dots."
Sunday night, the Stage 1 booster shone a strong, orange flame for a few seconds deep in the southern skies, appearing to be just over the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In fact, though, the booster was landing near San Diego.
Launches timed for the post-sunset period provide a dusky or dark background, while vapor trails remain highly illuminated throughout a rocket's trajectory into space.
Watching from the Manhattan Beach Pier, look northward toward Malibu. Seconds after launch, you will see a bright light right on the horizon that quickly climbs up overhead. If the vapor trail is lit, you can easily trace the rocket's path upward and southward.
As the rocket rises in the sky to a point just above the elevation where you might commonly see jetliners out of LAX, you will soon see the process of separation of the first booster and the rest of the rocket. There may be a "pause" in the vapor trail as the second stage kicks in. (The actual height of the rocket at this point is far, far higher than aviation altitudes.)
As the rocket appears to sail south across the sky, the plume behind it grows, and most observers in Manhattan Beach can see bright "dots" that appear to fall away from the main rocket in a SpaceX launch.
In those launches, the "dots" are the Stage 1 booster (which returns and lands on a barge or platform) and the "fairings" (two pieces of the nose cone of the rocket, which also return to earth under some control and are recovered). Each part has its own control jets, which account for the occasional bright bursts from the "dots."
Sunday night, the Stage 1 booster shone a strong, orange flame for a few seconds deep in the southern skies, appearing to be just over the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In fact, though, the booster was landing near San Diego.
