MAY 16, 2025 — Vandenberg Space Force Base stands as a vital hub where Guardians and Airmen oversee launches that safeguard U.S. interests and uphold America’s edge in the space domain. Each mission highlights American innovation, fortifies resilience, and increases security for the nation and its allies.
As space launch becomes more frequent, the leadership at the base are striking a delicate balance—ensuring critical support for missions that strengthen national defense, while addressing concerns like launch noise and the unique ecosystem that surrounds it.
U.S. Space Force Col. Mark Shoemaker, Space Launch Delta 30 commander and Vandenberg’s host installation commander who leads the Vandenberg spaceport and test range, has a comprehensive view of these responsibilities.
“Community and environmental considerations at Vandenberg remain consistent regardless of who is providing launch services from a U.S. Space Force installation,” said Shoemaker. “As stewards of this base, we are working with our regulatory partners to evaluate processes to ensure consistency across the Vandenberg spaceport and test range and we are committed to doing so efficiently and with speed.”
A groundbreaking research collaboration between the U.S. Space Force, Brigham Young University, California State University-Bakersfield, the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX, and NASA is revolutionizing the understanding of launch acoustics and sonic booms. While previous research on acoustic shock waves is substantial, it focused primarily on aircraft. Rocket launches create more complex sonic boom patterns than aircraft due to their unique flight path, rapid acceleration, and extreme altitude changes.
“This is a significant focus area for us. As we safely move launches further east to open access to operational orbits, we’re encountering new challenges, such as the phenomenon of sonic booms during ascent along the coast of California,” said Shoemaker. “This situation presents opportunities for research, and we’re currently working on modeling these effects to better understand and account for them in operational planning.”
The collaborative sonic boom study, which has monitored 11 launches to date with plans to track more throughout 2025, employs a network of approximately 25 high-tech monitoring stations spread across 500 square miles of California’s central coast. These stations, positioned from the beaches between Isla Vista and Malibu to the hills of Ojai, capture data on the complex sonic boom patterns created by rockets.
“It’s like trying to catch lightning in a bottle,” explains Kent Gee, Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University, who leads the academic research team. “All launches generate sonic booms; however, their audibility to the public is influenced by several factors, including the launch trajectory, the size of the rocket, and atmospheric conditions.”
Rockets launched from Vandenberg SFB follow flight paths that primarily go south, or south-southeast. These trajectories are carefully chosen to avoid flying over populated areas in accordance with U.S. public safety priorities. One factor that makes studying these flight paths complex is the presence of multiple microclimates along California’s Central Coast, south of Vandenberg.
“We are in the process of understanding these microclimates and creating a three-dimensional map of sound to understand how launches impact different areas,” said Gee. “The data we have collected is already yielding surprises.”
Launches with nearly identical flight paths can produce vastly different noise levels on the ground, said Gee. This variability has sent researchers on a quest to unravel the complex interplay between rocket trajectories, weather conditions, and topography.
But the project goes beyond mere data collection. The U.S. Space Force is actively implementing measures based on current findings. Prior to launch, during the Launch Readiness Review process, data models are analyzed to predict noise impact. After launch, the team uses data collected from the monitoring stations to validate predictions and guide future improvements and adjustments aiming to reduce potential disturbances.
“It’s a delicate balance,” Shoemaker said. “Every adjustment we make has ripple effects. Fly too far west, and it could compromise our ability to get satellites into the required orbit. Fly too far east, and there might be increased noise in populated areas. But we’re committed to collecting data, following the science, and optimizing operations.”
To select launch times, Shoemaker’s team works closely with launch companies, like SpaceX, to occur during less impactful hours of the day whenever possible. For example, many launch times have been adjusted to occur between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. instead of the middle of the night. However, there will always be missions that can only be launched in the middle of the night due to where the satellite must be placed in space relative to the Earth.
Vandenberg SFB also hosts an Interagency Environmental Working Group, which began meeting quarterly in September 2024. This forum brings together representatives from various agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, FAA, California Coastal Commission, and other environmental organizations to share information, review and discuss data and reports related to coastal resource impacts. Recent meetings have focused on the collaborative sonic boom study’s current findings and implications.
Despite several hurdles, the study represents a significant step forward in scientific research and space launch. It’s a powerful acknowledgment that the future of space exploration hinges not only on technological breakthroughs, but also on an unwavering commitment to rigorous research and adaptive strategies.
In this dance between cutting-edge technology and effects of progress, Guardians and Airmen at Vandenberg Space Force Base continue to play a critical role in writing the next chapter of space capabilities for the nation.
For updates on confirmed launches from Vandenberg SFB Spaceport, sign up for launch alerts at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDODSFVANDENBERG/signup/41755.
Story by Jennifer Green-Lanchoney
Space Launch Delta 30