Residents of the Central Coast may notice a bit of a sonic boom on Saturday evening as Vandenberg Air Force Base will be home to the first SpaceX booster landing on the West Coast.
Tentatively scheduled for 7:21 p.m. PDT on Oct. 6, the Falcon 9 rocket launched into space by SpaceX will make its return to Earth when it comes back to VAFB.
Falcon 9 was a part of a SAOCOM mission, in which an Argentine space agency by the name of CONAE will have an observation satellite sent into orbit to gain future information about disasters and other emergencies.
As a result of the landing, residents in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties may hear one or two sonic booms during this time. For those who are unsure of the effect of a sonic boom, the phenomenon merely causes a sound similar to thunder if weather permits.
Although this will be the first West Coast event of its kind, SpaceX has completed 29 previous booster landings in total. Part of the reason SpaceX utilizes booster landings is due to CEO Elon Musk’s mission to reduce spending on space travel by reusing the resources from the rockets that land back on Earth.
Those who want to watch the historical landing take place in person are recommended to catch a glimpse at the “Hawk’s Nest” site, which is about half a mile away from the main gate at VAFB.
