Community Corner

Strange Light Across Riverside County Sky: Vandenberg Launch

The launch of Firefly Alpha went off at 7:27 p.m. Thursday and the trail was visible across Southern California.

Thursday evening's sky as seen from Murrieta.
Thursday evening's sky as seen from Murrieta. (Toni McAllister/Patch)

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Did you see that squiggly light across Thursday evening's beautiful sky? It was the trail left by a launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to a report from Patch Editor Paige Austin.

The launch of Firefly Alpha — a small launch vehicle developed by the American company Firefly Aerospace — went off at 7:27 p.m. and the trail was visible across Southern California, according to Austin's report.

According to rocketlaunch.live, the mission was a "Responsive space mission for the USSF's Space Systems Command."