Full Notification

 Santa Barbara County residents may experience sonic booms: 

A Space X rocket is scheduled to be launched from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex-4E on Sunday Oct. 7 at 7:21 p.m. PDT. Space X is attempting the secondary mission of landing the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket at Landing Zone 4, which was previously called SLC-4W, at Vandenberg Air Force Base. This will be Space X's first land landing attempt at Vandenberg Air Force Base. 

Local residents may see the first stage of the Space X rocket returning to Vandenberg AFB, which will include multiple engine burns associated with the landing, producing an orange glow in the sky. During the landing attempt residents from Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties may hear one or more sonic booms. A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves from an aircraft or vehicle traveling faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate a sound similar to an explosion or a clap of thunder. The sonic boom experienced will depend on weather conditions and other factors. Please refrain from calling 9-1-1 to obtain more information about the launch/landing or to report the sonic booms.