If you’re in the vicinity of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Sunday evening (Oct. 7), you might hear some strange booming and see some weird lights in the sky. But the Air Force would like you to know that there’s no need to worry; something entirely normal is going on — a rocket that heaved its way up into space will be falling back to Earth, correcting its trajectory with “multiple engine burns,” and then (if all goes well) settling comfortably back on its landing struts in the vicinity of its launch site.
The Air Force released the warning because, while Floridians have had ample time to grow comfortable with the spectacle of SpaceX landings, this will be the first attempt to land a Falcon 9 rocket on the West Coast. It will not, however, be the first launch from Vandenberg:
The rocket is currently scheduled to launch at 7:21 p.m. local time, carry the SAOCOM 1A satellite into space, and return to Earth shortly afterward.
According to a Facebook post by the Air Force’s 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg, “local residents” can expect to see something of the rocket itself as it returns to the base, while people as far as Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties may hear thunderclap-like sonic booms, depending on the weather.
Credit: Maxwell Harris/Getty Images
Source www.space.com
History, they say, is written by the victors. But what happens when the victors have…
On August 7, 1985, a group of Soviet astronomers made a discovery that would baffle…
In the opening months of 2025, the world stands at a pivotal crossroads, a moment…
Imagine a crisp, moonlit night, the kind where the air is thick with mystery and…
In a stunning turn of events that has captivated both professional astronomers and skywatching enthusiasts,…
A century-old secret may soon see the light of day. Deep within the labyrinthine Apostolic…