SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off late at night on 10 December from Vandenberg Space Force Base, in Santa Barbara County, Southern California, jolting residents out of their sleep. Songwriter-producer Charlie Puth, who lives near the launch site, called out SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk on social media, describing the thunderous sonic booms that frightened his pregnant wife in the middle of the night.
Taking to X, Charlie Puth called out the tech billionaire and stated, “Hi @elonmusk…these sonic booms have gotten progressively louder since they started launching the rockets in Santa Barbara."
Sharing his harrowing experience, Puth added, "This one at 3am today felt like 150-160 dB, violently shook our whole house, and really frightened my pregnant wife. I hope they do not get louder :/.”
The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base northwest of Los Angeles, carrying 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet project, aims to deliver high-speed connectivity worldwide.
Experts warn that noise levels above 120 dBA are “not safe for any period of time,” according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The SpaceX rocket launch took place at 3:40 am PT, with weather conditions amplifying the sonic booms across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties. “There was a possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties may have heard one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experienced depended on weather and other conditions,” a disclaimer on SpaceX’s website states.
Another lift-off is already scheduled in the area for the morning of 14th December, raising concerns among locals about repeated disturbances, reported NBC Los Angeles.
Social media reaction
A user wrote, “You may want to reconsider leaving near Vandenberg... Launch cadence is about to hit 100 per year from two complexes [sic].”
Another user replied, “Starship will be even louder.”
A third comment read, "I've been listening to this for years as my comfort song and you're telling me it's not a metaphor? It's literally about elon and his rockets [sic]."
A fourth user wrote, "Get ready cause next years cadence will double [sic]."
A fifth user asked, “Would you like him to stop launching just for you?”
A sixth user said, "Might want to consider wearing ear plugs or soundproofing your house! Relocating could also be an option."
