With an increased launch tempo at Vandenberg Space Force Base, a colonel spelled out the various measures aimed at assessing and dealing with potential impacts, including sonic booms, marine debris and more.

Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander, provided an informational briefing to the California Coastal Commission last week after members raised concerns and asked questions about the significant boost in launches during an April meeting. 

Tuesday morning’s Falcon 9 rocket liftoff to deliver 20 Starlink satellites marked the 16th mission of 2024 for SpaceX from Vandenberg, where the number of launches from the base, including multiple firms and programs, could hit 100 by 2026.

Many local residents look to the sky to watch launches, but the rising number has prompted more concerns, including from Ojai residents upset at unexpected sonic booms they said have been startling.

That has led to a task force of engineers and scientists to better understand the sonic booms reported in Ventura County, Titus said. 

Sonic booms are expected when the first-stage booster returns to land at Vandenberg, but sonic booms have been occurring even for missions where the first-stage booster lands on a droneship positioned off the coast of Mexico. 

“We’re finding that a subset of trajectories, which is the direction the rocket launches in, can cause an audible sonic boom in Ventura County during booster ascent,” Titus said. “We’re continuing to gather data to make sure that we fully understand the physics, the impacts as well as where and when these conditions occur.” 

Vandenberg officials continue to pursue push notifications, or alerts sent to residents in certain areas, for notifications of when a potential sonic boom might be heard in an area. 

Marine debris also has generated many concerns among coastal commissioners, although  Titus noted that SpaceX retrieves key components, including the first-stage boosters that land on a droneship or at the base. They also capture and reuse payload fairings, or nose cones.

“To put that in perspective, at current launch rates, that reusability avoids depositing 1 to 2 million pounds of debris in the broad area ocean,” Titus said. 

Each SpaceX launch involves the release of seven to 10 weather balloons, weighing 2.5 pounds and 100% biodegradable, plus a one-half-pound radiosonde powered by batteries.

“These balloons measure atmospheric conditions to ensure a safe and successful launch,” Titus said.

About 30% of the weather balloons fall in the ocean with the rest ending on land. Coastal commissioners raised concerns about the battery-operated devices ending up in the ocean.

“We’re already pivoting to a much smaller sensor suite that’s half the size of our legacy radiosondes,” Titus said. 

Vandenberg’s primary unit and SpaceX also are pursuing technology to reduce weather balloon usage, he added.

“First, SpaceX is exploring what’s called a vertical wind profiler, which will provide wind speed and direction at an altitude reducing and in many cases eliminating the need for weather balloons at all prior to the launch,” Titus said. 

This summer, tests will explore LiDAR technology — or radar using lasers — that measures wind, temperature and relative humidity to reduce balloon usage as well, Titus said. 

Currently, the base pays $10 per pound toward regional debris cleanup efforts, an amount Titus said they would considering increasing. 

The base also monitors impacts on assorted marine animals, and the new effort will add bats into the various species studied.

Mandy Sachett, Surfrider Foundation’s senior California policy director, urged caution.

“Despite the proposed coastal access mitigation, environmental monitoring, Surfrider opposes a rapid increase in commercial launches such as those described today by Vandenberg representatives,” Sachett said. “We suggest that the increase proceed at a much slower pace and be informed by environmental monitoring.”

Ana Citrin, the legal and policy director for the Gaviota Coast Conservancy, expressed concerns about increased launches’ impacts on public access, marine mammals and other species, commercial fishing industry and more.

“We absolutely agree that continued monitoring is crucial …,” Citrin said. “However, given that initial results indicate that adverse impacts may be increasing it is important to have the results of this new monitoring before approving additional launch activity.”

Vandenberg will submit reports of the ongoing and new monitoring results to various regulators, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the California Coastal Commission, base officials said. 

While the panel is charged with protecting the state’s coast and access, SpaceX’s domination in the market — and its outspoken leader, Elon Musk — raised concerns among commissioners related to reports about limits for Starlink operations in Ukraine.

“I question the national security/public benefit of concentrating that much power — literally power, communication power — into one company that we are enabling in this case, and the company that has already shown it will play in international conflicts directly at the will of a single human being,” said Commissioner Mike Wilson, who also serves on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors.