Lompoc, California has suddenly become the center of rocket tourism in the US.
One by one , cars deplume into the desertedCentral California Amtrak stationparking slew where the route stop . Families toting beach blanket walk across the power train tracks and go down toward the sand below , their figures vanishing into the mist . Others take the air to the end of the caravan raceway , where the station lights stop . They , too , disappear into the darkness .
“ Is this your first clip ? ” a boy who looks about 12 asks me sky-high . We are standing at the mouth of the parking mass in the dark , the only place , I ’ve been recite , where a jail cell phone signal can glint through .
He ’s talking about the projectile launch , of course . Because that ’s why we ’ve made this midnight pilgrimage : We are “ distance partisan . ” Rocket chasers . Or , maybe , just people curious about what it ’s like to see a 1.2 - million - Cypriot pound vehicle blow into the sky like a massive mega - firework .
A rocket launch from Lompoc, California.|Photo by Charlie Anderson
The tiddler proceeds to tell me how he and his family drive three hours from Los Angeles to see the 12:24 am launch . It ’s their third time make the slip .
“ T Minus 30 seconds , ” say a vox from theSpaceX launching feedI’m broadcast medium on my phone . We wait excitedly in silence , and then the sky lights up .
Behind the fog , the rocket sends a flack of light into the thick clouds . We ca n’t see the 23 - story Eruca vesicaria sativa itself ( a fogless night would have been better ) , but we can hear it . It sounds like a roaring , scranch tip . It ’s the kind of rumble you feel in your chest .
Not a lot going on at the moment in Lompoc, California.|Photo by Melissa Heckscher for Thrillist
Lompoc , California : We have liftoff .
Move Over, Wine Country
Nestled into the Central California coastland and surrounded by vast acres of green farmland and lushvineyards , Lompoc(pronounced Lom - POKE ) does n’t have the Instagrammable quaintness of its more tourist - friendly neighbors likeSolvangorLos Olivos . Despite its colorfulflower fields , scattering ofwine - tasting rooms , and vivacious aggregation of murals depicting the region ’s heritage , Lompoc is , by and large , a town unnoticed . With a universe of around 44,000 and a “ Downtown ” mark by fast solid food restaurants and chain of mountains hotel , it is the sort of station you take through on your way of life to somewhere else .
But that ’s exchange , because this little township has something special : rockets .
Lompoc is dwelling toVandenberg Space Force Base , a key launch site for military , government , and commercial satellite as well as intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) testing . It ’s the second most dynamic launch site in the country ( next toKennedy Space Centerand its adjacent Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ) . In the retiring 10 year , launches from Vandenberg have gone from a monthly phenomenon to a near - hebdomadal occurrent . That frequency will likely increase now that SpaceX lately vowed tolaunch 90 rockets from Vandenberg by 2026 .
The train tracks at Central California Amtrak station, where space enthusiasts gather to watch rocket launches.|Photo by Melissa Heckscher for Thrillist
And , where there are arugula , there are multitude who love to watch them flee . Consequently , the orbit is speedily becoming a go - to name and address for anyone who want to know what it ’s like to see ( and feel ) a launch in person . They come from all over ; at Surf Beach , the aforementioned Amtrak stop , there were enthusiasts fromSwitzerland , Germany , Dubai , as well as droves more from across California .
“ infinite flight has been my hobby since I was a nestling ; I watch every SpaceX launching on livestream , ” said Andreas Loew , a 20 - something from Switzerland . “ While we are in the US , this is a must - do matter for me . ”
It ’s a buzz that is convey the aid of investors , who are rallying to work 82 Akko of Lompoc - owned nation into a $ 135 million amusement coordination compound by 2028 . The complex , dubbedSpace Base California , would rival the Kennedy Space Center ’s Visitor Complex in Florida .
Proposed renderings of Space Base California.|Photo courtesy Pale Blue Dot Ventures
The task is on the vote for Lompoc voters this November ; if approved , the complex will offer rides , high - tech simulators , educational opportunities , an all-night space camp , a quad - themed hotel , and a huge viewing area for Vandenberg rocket launching spectator .
Life in a Rocket Town
Of course , living near a skyrocket base has its challenge . The increased frequence of launches means more gust rumbling window and transonic boom startling residents from slumber .
“ I experience it , and I ’m always like , ‘ It ’s either an temblor , [ a foreign missile ] , or a launch , ’ ” jest a barista at local coffee bar South Side Coffee Co. “ Then I ’m wish , ‘ OK . Phew . It ’s just a launching . ’ ”
There are also traffic snarl . With no official place to watch launch ( Vandenberg is a military installation , so it does n’t allow the public on base ) , spectators must struggle to get as faithful to the launch sites as potential . This mean parking at Surf Beach when it ’s candid ( sometimes , officials end the beach during launching ) or on the side of Ocean Avenue , the main road that stretches out of townspeople toward the seashore .
A space-themed mural in downtown Lompoc.|Photo by Melissa Heckscher for Thrillist
" It have passing busy ; everybody ’s got their cameras and tripods out , and it gets hard to navigate through that space , " say Airbnb owner Megan Raff . She own threevacation rentalson her farm about five miles from Launch Complex 4 , where SpaceX establish its rockets .
But , she say , it ’s a small cost to pay .
“ I ’m not going to lie : Even when they ’re at like four in the morning , our whole fellowship gets up , ” said Raff . “ We set our alert and go outside with cover , and we check these launches every single time . ”
It does n’t pain stage business , either . Raff said she has seen an step-up in engagement in the past mates of years as launches have become more frequent . This persuasion is ring by local hoteliers .
“ you’re able to tell the town is buzzing more when there is a launching , ” tell Adrian Sarmiento , the general manager of theO’Cairns Inn & Suites , a family - own hotel that domiciliate infinite industry employees who come to Lompoc for poor - terminus assignments . “ There ’s a pile more dealings , and supermarket and restaurants are way more busy . ”
A rocket aficionado himself , Sarmiento record me a scaled model Firefly rocket given to him by Firefly Aerospace employee who have stayed at the hotel . Like a kid show off his baseball game menu collection , he scroll his phone to show me launches he ’s watched from the hotel ’s parking wad .
“ you’re able to get a really good view , ” he says proudly , adding that the hotel bar stay open for late - dark launches , its overhead TVs play live launching swarm the fashion other measure play sports broadcasts . “ It ’s really turning into something like the distance race from the 60s , where everybody wants to be a part of it in some room . ”
