SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch: Sonic Booms Expected On Its First Attempt This Year for Cape Canaveral On-Shore Landing

SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday afternoon, generating a barrage of sonic booms in the process.

According to Florida Today, the Falcon 9 rocket will launch sometime during a 58-minute launch window that begins at 2:56 p.m. (ET). The rocket's booster is expected to "split from the payload-hauling second stage" and "turn around" after liftoff.

As the rocket approaches the speed of sound during its deacceleration towards the neighboring Landing Zone 1, sonic booms may resound overhead. Anyone in the vicinity will likely hear a thunderclap due to the pressure waves created by the expanding and contracting air.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Returns to Cape Canaveral

SpaceX is returning to the launch island of Cape Canaveral, Florida, where it previously launched before relocating to its Boca Chica, Texas, launch facility. SpaceX was last in town in December, and it planned to deploy the Southerly Polar launch route, which has not been used since August Spaceflight Now says.

There are no reasons as to why SpaceX is using a launch facility in Florida instead of one in Texas. Still, it may play around with places and geography in terms of payload and delivery. Furthermore, it would not employ its drone ships to intercept the rocket booster as it maneuvers back to the surface, implying that it would not use an offshore landing.

Cape Canaveral has long been a symbol of the United States, as one of the most well-known launch islands that exemplify the pace exploration's achievements.

Falcon 9 Sonic Booms

According to NASA, Sonic Booms can be heard during acceleration and deceleration, implying that the Falcon 9 would make insanely thunderous sounds at both launch and landing.

"There is a possibility that residents of Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Seminole, Volusia, Polk, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing," SpaceX said in a warning statement (via CNet) Monday. "But what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions."

Sonic booms are formed when a moving item exceeds the sound barrier, which means it travels faster than the known speed of sound on dry air, which is 343 meters per second. That is a really loud sound that is unlike any other sound, especially if gales of wind have already irritated people on a windy day or when storms are approaching.

SpaceX Falcon 9 On-Shore Landing: How to Watch

The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, at 2:56 p.m. EDT, which is only a few hours away, with an 80% chance of clear skies. There are currently no YouTube live placeholders available for this launch. Nonetheless, especially with its return to Cape Canaveral, SpaceX routinely holds one on its YouTube account for people to see.

Check out more news and information on SpaceX on Science Times.