SpaceX will launch the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County Saturday night and the company has warned that residents in the region could hear sonic booms upon the rocket’s landing.
Falcon 9 , described by the aerospace giant as the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket, is scheduled to launch from the U.S. Air Force base at 10:13 p.m. PST and carry the OneWeb Launch 20 Mission into low-Earth orbit. After departing from Space Launch Complex 4 East , the rocket is expected to land on SpaceX’s Landing Zone 4 back at Vandenberg about eight minutes after takeoff.
The rocket blast can be watched live here starting about five minutes before takeoff.
“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 company said in a statement.