Less audible artillery will rumble across the Space Coast on Tuesday as a result of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch and landing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
After 2:56 p.m., leaving Launch Complex 40, the rocket’s 162-foot booster detaches from the second stage of the payload, flips around and initiates an automated landing to nearby Landing Zone 1. side by side Even if it flew at a high altitude Hundreds of thousands of feet above the surface of the earth The booster taps down from the start just 5 1
/2 miles.For a long time, residents and spectators alike were amazed by the sound of the sonic boom. The last time the Falcon 9 booster returned to the Cape to land in space was in December. The mission carried the National Reconnaissance Office’s data into low-Earth orbit.
A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft or rocket approaches the speed of sound barrier during acceleration or deceleration. The Falcon 9’s boom was not heard during takeoff due to altitude. But the Falcon 9’s lift boom was built over the spikes as it fired its Merlin engines to slow down.
“It is possible that residents of Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Seminole, Volusia, Polk, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties may hear at least one sonic boom during landing,” SpaceX said in a statement. Warning on Monday “But what residents get will depend on weather and other conditions.”
Falcon 9 Sonic Boom on Landing
Bottom up, the Falcon 9 generates three sonic booms during the fall: first the Merlin’s main engine, then the black landing leg. And finally, a titanium grid was found to be used to steer rockets. Although some spectators near the landing platform might be able to hit two or all three booms. But most will only hear a single rumbling once they reach the location.
Even if it’s loud enough to shake the window and startle the audience. but the results of the study This includes some studies written by NASA and Air Force researchers have shown that sonic booms are not dangerous.
Booms were once ubiquitous on the Space Coast. Shuttle returns break through the sound barrier as they approach the former Space Center’s Kennedy Space Center. It produced a boom that could be heard as far as the west coast of Florida.
on tuesday Only two vehicles created a sonic boom during its descent: the Falcon 9 and X-37B, a secret Boeing aircraft operated by Space Force that orbited low Earth each time. Hearing an unscheduled boom is often a sign that the X-37B has returned to the SLF, now called the Launch and Landing Facility.
Tuesday will see SpaceX complete its second Transporter mission, a service that allows many organizations to split launch costs by flying a small spacecraft into a Falcon 9 cargo plane. with 143 spacecraft, while Tuesday’s launch will include a total of 88 payloads.
In the Transporter-2 mission Flight paths may be visible in South Florida.
Transporter-2 There is another option in store for Florida: Unlike most missions that fly northeast or directly east over the Atlantic, the Falcon 9 will rapidly gimbal its engines after launch and turn south in trajectory. known as sun synchronous if the conditions are clear enough. The rocket launch will be visible to residents of South Florida.
The weather, meanwhile, should “go” 80% for an eight-minute lift, according to the Space Force.
“Tuesday should continue with favorable conditions at the port with heavy rain in the morning. But the afternoon rotation will remain largely inland,” Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Monday. “The main concern is cumulus and anvil cloud rules related to thunderstorm activity in the country.”
For the latest information, please visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly on Twitter at @EmreKelly.
