The Damsel and I went out in the courtyard at about six-forty P.M. to observe the waning sunset and the waxing crescent Moon. We were surprised to see what appeared to be a rocket trail to the west. A little research in the smart phone revealed that there was indeed a launch from Vandenberg in California which was clearly visible from our courtyard. I took the image above with the phone’s camera which seems to have done a pretty good job of recording what we were seeing. Clickable image.
Details from Grok:
SpaceX Starlink Group 11-21 Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base
On October 27, 2025, SpaceX conducted a successful Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California, deploying 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO) as part of Group 11-21. This mission marks the company’s sixth Falcon 9 launch from VSFB in October 2025 alone, contributing to a record pace of operations at the site. The launch highlights SpaceX’s ongoing expansion of its Starlink mega-constellation, aimed at providing global broadband internet coverage.
A live webcast was streamed on SpaceX’s official X account and website, starting about 5 minutes before liftoff, attracting thousands of viewers.
No anomalies were reported post-launch, and the mission was deemed a full success. SpaceX’s next VSFB launch is slated for October 30 at 1:06 p.m. PDT with another 28 Starlink satellites. For real-time updates, follow @SpaceX on X.
We have seen rocket trails in the past from various locations, but this was the first seen from our house in the desert.