SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set for morning launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base

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Wednesday, February 21, 2018
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Formosat-5 satellite lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Formosat-5 satellite lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017.
Matt Hartman via AP-KABC

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The aerospace company SpaceX is ready for its next mission. According to the company's Twitter account, a scheduled rocket launch is set for Wednesday at 6:17 a.m. Pacific time at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

SpaceX will send the Falcon 9 rocket into orbit along with the observational satellite, PAZ, and two other demonstration satellites. The demonstration satellites are part of SpaceX's effort to provide Internet access to rural areas through a network of small satellites.

The launch, originally scheduled for Saturday, experienced a delay after more time was needed to perform additional checks, according to SpaceX.

Wednesday's launch is just the latest of SpaceX's ventures. In February, the company had a successful sendoff of the Falcon Heavy rocket that had a cherry-red Tesla Roadster attached to it.

SpaceX's big new rocket blasted off Tuesday on its first test flight, carrying a red sports car aiming for an endless road trip past Mars.

And you might recall the last time SpaceX launched a rocket from Vandenberg in December. Southern Californians took to social media after capturing a bright object blazing through the sky with some speculating they had just witnessed a UFO, prompting the company's founder, Elon Musk, to poke fun at the situation.

A live stream of Wednesday's takeoff can be seen on ABC7.com.

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