As the liftoff rate grows, Vandenberg Space Force Base has united with a university to study what some hear as an annoyance and others welcome as the sound of an active space program. 

“As many of you know firsthand, the roar of rockets for what many of us call the Space Force’s version of ‘that’s the sound of freedom’ is part of our spaceport operations. It’s part of the business we do,” Col. Mark Shoemaker, the Space Launch Delta 30 commander, told a group of community members Friday.

Amid concerns raised by community members, last year Vandenberg launched a public alert system to notify people who sign up about upcoming liftoffs.

“We now have over 30,000 subscribers up and down the coast,” he said. 

Alerts are delivered via email or text, with free registration available by clicking here.

But Vandenberg has done more than informing the public about launch noise that sometimes can be mistaken for an earthquake or other emergency. 

The groundbreaking research into sonic-boom science involves a partnership with Brigham Young University. The study will explore launch-related noise generated by rockets and missiles and heard along 200 miles of the California coast.

“This research continuing into the next year with BYU will provide invaluable data to help us identify approaches to enable the increasing launch rate from Vandenberg while still balancing effects outside the base,” Shoemaker added. 

He was one of several Space Force and Air Force officers who spoke at the State of Vandenberg presentation, which attracted approximately 220 community members Friday to the Pacific Coast Club on base. The Lompoc Valley and Santa Maria Valley chambers of commerce organize the annual luncheon.

During a history-making year, Vandenberg conducted 51 launches of rockets with satellites and intercontinental ballistic missiles for tests plus saw two hypersonic vehicle landings in 2024. That number is expected to top 70 for 2025.

Last year’s launch rate was more than Vandenberg has seen in Shoemaker’s entire lifetime, the 50-year-old noted.

“Back then, in 1974, most of the missions were ballistic missile tests.  It wasn’t missions that were delivering access to space,” he said. “We’re at a historic inflection point in our nation’s journey as a space-faring nation. In the year 2050, I think we’re gonna look back on the mid-2020s as a path-changing era and all of us will be able to say that we were there.”

Vandenberg’s commanders continue to look toward building “a spaceport of the future,” looking into the needs for the future. 

“Imagine a future of a launch a day. We have to prepare for that, and we have to start now to prepare for that,” said Shoemaker, who will relinquish command this summer after a two-year stint leading Vandenberg’s primary unit.

Approximately a year ago, he said, Vandenberg representatives invited city leaders to the base to strengthen ties with neighboring communities.

Instead of Vandenberg asking what each community can do for the base, Shoemaker said they focused on how the military installation and neighbors can work together with an eye toward resilience and readiness. 

The Vandenberg Community Consortium has been modeled after a similar effort at Travis Air Force Base. 

Discussions covered highway safety, housing and other issues faced by those assigned to the Department of Air Force’s third-largest installation. 

For instance, a medical summit held last year bridged a pediatric care gap and connected family members with needed providers for unique services.

Vandenberg personnel also have played critical roles in off-base incidents, most notably when Vandenberg Fire Department personnel traveled to Southern California to help battle the blazes in January. 

“We know the threat of wildfire is not going away anytime soon so we are actively working with our Department of Air Force Headquarters to increase our fire protection resources,” Shoemaker said.

The Vandenberg Fire Department serves the 100,000-acre installation plus often responds under mutual aid agreements to incidents in Lompoc and other communities. 

The base recently won the U.S. Space Force Installation Excellence Award for 2025 and now will compete as the Space Force nominee for the prestigious Commander-in-Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence later this year.

Shoemaker began his address by presenting the Vandenberg Community Service Award to David Goldy, owner of Wild West Pizza, for his support of the base personnel and their families.

Commanders of other Vandenberg units, including those testing missiles, training Space Force personnel, and other roles, also provided quick looks into their operations.