SpaceX to Launch Rocket for NROL-113 Mission

SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket for the NROL-113 mission on Thursday, according to the company’s website.

The launch is scheduled from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The launch window opens at 8:20 p.m. and this will be the 20th flight of the initial stage rocket supporting this mission.

After separating into parts, the initial structure is set to land on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

What is Starlink?

Starlink is “the world’s first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to provide broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls, and more,” according to the service’s website.

The satellite “constellation” consists of thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 550 kilometers, or nearly 343 miles.

The satellites connect to antennas that users install in their homes to provide internet access.

How SpaceX Launches Look in Arizona

Launches regularly happen from California, creating a light show over Arizona.

Dr. Vishnu Reddy, a scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who studies situational space awareness, explained why SpaceX rockets illuminate the sky.

“The reason the SpaceX rockets light up the sky is not because the engines are burning intensely (though they are), but because of something called the Twilight Phenomenon,” said Reddy.

In summary, the rocket launches far away in California but flies high enough to be visible in Arizona. When we see it, it’s not in the shadow of twilight even though Arizona is.

The “glow” is sunlight hitting the exhaust trail, even when we perceive the sky to be black.

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