SpaceX launch set for Thursday morning from Vandenberg

Start the countdown — Hawthorne-based SpaceX will launch the Maxar 1 mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday, May 2, with a 14-minute window for the launch opening at 11:36 a.m.

If needed, a backup opportunity for the launch will be available at the same time on Friday, May 3.

About eight minutes after lift-off, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg and there is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara...