SpaceX has issued an advisory for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties about a possible noise surge during this weekend’s early morning Falcon 9 launch.
“There is a possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties may hear one or more sound waves during landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions,” the aerospace company wrote.
SpaceX hopes to launch its latest Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday, December 21 at approximately 3:34 a.m. at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. If necessary, the launch will take place earlier at 03:12, but only as a backup option.
About eight minutes after launch, the rocket’s first stage lands back on Vandenberg. Residents of surrounding provinces may hear one or more sound waves during landing.
The launch is part of the Bandwagon-2 mission, described by the aerospace company as a rideshare mission. It is intended to deliver payloads into space.
SpaceX has launched 410 Falcon 9 rockets into orbit, according to its website. The Falcon 9 is a reusable two-stage rocket designed to carry people and cargo safely and reliably into Earth’s orbit. The company has had a total of 366 landings and 339 re-flights.
It is about 70 feet tall and weighs about 1.2 million pounds.
To watch the live broadcast of the launch, visit spacex.com/launches.
