CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX issued a warning for residents and visitors in The Bahamas after a potential sonic boom during its next launch.
Dig deeper:
NASA defines a sonic boom as a "thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other type of aerospace vehicle flies overhead faster than the speed of sound or supersonic".
In other words, it's an impulsive noise similar to the sound of thunder. It's most typically heard when objects are moving faster than sound, about 750 miles per hour at sea level.
When an aircraft moves faster than the speed of sound, pressure waves combine to form shock waves which travel forward from the generation point.
The sound heard is a sonic boom, which is the release of pressure after the buildup by the shock wave, also known as "peak overpressure".
Big picture view:
The Starlink mission is SpaceX's satellite network developed to provide internet to remote locations.
This internet system offers businesses and power users two different packages, one catering for residential purposes and the other for roaming.
SpaceX says it intends to have more than 40,000 satellites in orbit in the near future.
The aerospace company uses the Falcon 9, a reusable, two-stage rocket designed for the safe transport of people and payloads into Earth's orbit and beyond, to liftoff these Starlink satellites into the atmosphere.
SpaceX says this will be the 16th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched 15 space flights, including nine Starlink missions.
After stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of The Bahamas.
It may be possible that residents of The Bahamas will hear one or more sonic booms during the landing.
Timeline:
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, Feb. 18, for the Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites.
Liftoff is planned for 6:00 p.m. ET, with backup opportunities until 10:00 p.m. ET. If necessary, SpaceX will also use Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6:00 p.m. ET as a liftoff time.
Falcon 9 will be launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.