Early risers on California’s Central Coast and parts south may be treated to a brilliant streak of light followed by a big boom.
Early risers on California’s Central Coast and parts south may be treated to a brilliant streak of light arching across the sky Thursday morning, followed by a sonic boom. SpaceX is planning to launch a weather satellite into low Earth orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base during a 10-minute window set to begin at 7:25 a.m. The spectacle should be visible, and audible, to people in parts of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
The sonic boom — which has been known to startle people — happens when that booster breaks the speed of sound on the way down. Instead of crashing to earth, the rocket fires again and powers itself to a soft — but very hot and smoky — landing. Falcon 9 was the first reusable rocket to reach orbit, according to the company, and being able to use it repeatedly drives down the cost of space flight.
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