All articles tagged with #sonic booms
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral carrying Globalstar 2-R; the first stage, in its 14th flight, is slated to return to Landing Zone 40 for a nearby landing, with twin sonic booms expected over the Space Coast as live updates cover liftoff, fueling, countdown milestones, and post-launch booster operations.
SpaceX plans a June 19 Falcon 9 launch of the classified NROL-179 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base with a 1:40 a.m. opening window; the first stage will attempt a landing at Landing Zone 4, and sonic booms may be heard across the Central Coast (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties) depending on weather, with live coverage starting about 10 minutes before liftoff.
A 2026 spike in loud, well-documented meteor fireballs—including a 7-ton object over Ohio and a March event with over 3,200 witnesses in Western Europe—has researchers calling for serious investigation. AMS analysis shows higher rates and more witnesses than typical, with a notable contribution from Anthelion-origin meteors. The findings discount a new meteor shower or extraterrestrial spacecraft, but whether the uptick reflects normal variance or unknown debris remains unclear, warranting continued monitoring.
SpaceX is prepping to launch 25 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 20, 2026, using a Falcon 9 first stage on its fourth flight, with a mission window from 2:48 a.m. to 6:48 p.m. PT and a planned droneship landing on ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ in the Pacific. A live webcast will cover liftoff, and residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear sonic booms depending on weather and trajectory. The ECOBOOM acoustic study, conducted with BYU and CSU Bakersfield, aims to better understand ground-level sound from launches amid ongoing outreach to affected communities.
SpaceX launched 25 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base, with sonic booms heard across parts of Southern California; the reusable booster on its 13th flight was to land on a Pacific ship, and nearly 100,000 viewers watched the livestream as SpaceX pursues a higher launch cadence.
Researchers suggest earthquake-monitoring seismic sensors could detect the sonic booms and ground shaking from large space debris reentries, helping to pinpoint where fragments land and protect people from hazards; the idea draws on events like China’s Shenzhou-15 orbital module’s reentry in 2022 and a later hypersonic event over Southern California.
Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London propose using seismometers to detect sonic booms produced by reentering space junk, turning ground sensors into a rapid tracking tool that could complement radar, optical, and satellite methods. In a trial involving China’s Shenzhou-15 reentry, seismic data reconstructed the debris’ sky path and diverged from Space Force radar predictions by about 40 kilometers, highlighting potential for faster location and recovery of toxic residues—though the approach requires more validation since small debris may not generate detectable signals and distinguishing signals from other sources remains a challenge.
SpaceX is launching a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base to deliver the Twilight mission, which includes multiple small payloads such as satellites from Umbra and NASA's Pandora and SPARCS. The launch is scheduled between 5:19 a.m. and 6:19 a.m. with a backup window on Monday, and residents may hear sonic booms. The first-stage booster will land at Landing Zone 4 after the launch, and the event can be watched live online or in person from various locations near Vandenberg.
Scientists are studying the acoustics of rocket launches at SpaceX's Starbase to better understand the sounds and sonic booms produced by frequent launches, which are becoming more common with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin increasing their launch schedules.
Lockheed Martin has developed a "quiet" supersonic plane for NASA that aims to reduce the disruptive noise of sonic booms, potentially paving the way for accessible supersonic air travel and cutting cross-country travel time in half.
NASA's experimental X-59 aircraft, designed for low-noise supersonic flight over land, is preparing for its first flight in 2024. Built by Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works, the aircraft aims to reduce the intensity of sonic booms caused by breaking the sound barrier. The X-59 is made up of components from existing aircraft and will gather data on people's reactions to reduced sonic booms during flight. NASA plans to share the findings with regulators to potentially adjust rules prohibiting commercial supersonic flight over land. Safety remains a top priority, and the team is working towards meeting the 2024 launch goal.
SpaceX is preparing for the launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA's Psyche spacecraft, despite less than ideal weather conditions. The launch will be accompanied by double sonic booms generated by the tandem booster landings at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Psyche spacecraft aims to study an asteroid that may resemble Earth's core and will take about six years to reach its destination in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
NASA's X-59 supersonic plane has been moved to the flight line at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility in California, marking a milestone in its preparation for ground and initial flight tests. The X-59 is part of NASA's Quesst mission to demonstrate supersonic flight without generating loud sonic booms. Data collected from flights over select U.S. cities will be shared with regulators to potentially enable commercial supersonic flight over land. The aircraft is designed to reach a speed of Mach 1.4 and fly at an altitude of 55,000 feet.