SpaceX issued an advisory for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties about a possible sonic boom during its early morning Falcon 9 launch this weekend.
“There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions,” the aerospace company wrote.
SpaceX expects to launch its new Falcon nine rocket on Saturday, December 21 around 3:34 a. m. at the Vandenberg Space Station in Santa Barbara County. If necessary, the release will be made before 3:12 am, but as a backup.
Approximately 8 minutes after liftoff, the first level of the rocket will land at Vandenberg. Residents in surrounding counties would likely hear one or more sonic booms make landfall.
The launch is of the Bandwagon-2 project, described as a ride-sharing project through the aerospace company. Its goal is to carry payloads into space.
SpaceX has launched 410 Falcon 9 rockets into orbit, according to its website. The Falcon 9 is a two-stage reusable rocket designed to safely and reliably transport people and cargo to Earth’s orbit. The company made a total of 366 landings and 33 nine flights. .
It’s roughly 230 feet tall and weighs roughly 1.2 million pounds.
To watch the release stream, visit spacex. com/releasees.