SpaceX launch could produce sonic booms this weekend

KTLA — A SpaceX launch that is scheduled to take place late Sunday night could produce sonic booms that may be heard across parts of Southern California.

The Falcon 9 launch will take place at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County and the launch window is slated to open around 11:54 p.m.

The launch will deploy 20 satellites for OneWeb, a satellite internet provider, into low-Earth orbit.

Assuming a successful liftoff and deployment of its payload, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will return to Vandenberg to land on SpaceX’s Landing Zone 4.

The landing is expected to take place about eight minutes after liftoff.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 will use its high-powered booster to slow its descent as its landing legs fold out and allow it to, ideally, land safely at its target.

As the booster slows down to below the speed of sound, it’ll be capable of creating sonic booms that can be heard for hundreds of miles, depending on weather conditions.

The most likely areas to hear the sonic booms include the cities of Lompoc and Santa Maria near Vandenberg Space Force Base. But the sound waves have been known to travel further, going as far as north as San Luis Obispo and south as Ventura .

SpaceX says the likelihood of residents in other counties being able to experience the sonic booms is entirely dependent on weather and other conditions.

The rocket and space technology company plans to launch Sunday night, but a backup opportunity is available beginning 24 hours later.

SpaceX had a successful Falcon 9 launch Tuesday evening, in which 13 Starlink satellites were sent into low-Earth orbit. That first stage booster landed safely on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

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