Residents of central California can hear boom, see bright lights on Sunday; The air force says do not worry



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Sonic booms could hit central California
  • The sounds will be sonic booms and the lights will come from the guided re-entry of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
  • The start will take place soon after the launch of the Space X Falcon 9 Sunday night.
  • The rocket will carry the satellite SAOCOM 1A.

Residents of central California can hear loud booms Sunday night with strange lights, but nothing to fear, says the Air Force.

The sounds will be sonic booms and the lights will come from the guided return of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket whose launch is scheduled Sunday from the Vandenberg Air Base at 19:21 local time, carrying the satellite SAOCOM 1A. in the space, according to a press release.

Once the satellite has deployed the satellite into its orbit, the rocket will return to its launch pad via a series of controlled burns that will guide its trajectory and hopefully allow it to return for a soft landing on the airfield. # 39; landing.

This will be the first SpaceX landing attempt on the mainland at Vandenberg Air Force Base and the West Coast, but this is not the first launch.

Landing zone at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for launch and landing on Sunday.

(Jay DeShetler for NSF / L2)

Residents near Vandenberg can expect to see the lights of the rocket when she returns to base., according to an article posted on Facebook by the 30th Space Wing of the Air Force in Vandenberg. Residents of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties can hear loud sonic buzz, depending on the weather.

The satellite SAOCOM 1A is intended for the use of synthetic aperture radar. (SAR) to "allow images of the planet day and night to make observations of the Earth all-weather" "with the main objective of mitigating the effects of natural disasters," according to Space Flight Now.

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Argentina has funded the $ 600 million satellite, hoping that its capabilities will help strengthen the country's important agricultural industry, reports Reuters.

Space Flight Now notes that soil moisture data obtained by satellite will provide agricultural planners with information on "soil moisture to a depth of more than 6 feet, which should help predict the yields of the soil. harvest, floods and droughts ".

The President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, said last week to farmers and industry representatives that the satellite "will boost the high quality of precision farming on which it is located. supports Argentina.


The main journalistic mission of the Weather Company is to report on weather, the environment and the importance of science in our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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