DETECT THE BOOM

Real-time sonic boom alerts for
Central Coast California

ALERTS/YEAR

2-5min

WARNING TIME

100mi

MAX RANGE

▶ ENLIST NOW →

MISSION BRIEFING

1.1

📡

LAUNCH TRACKING

We detect when a sonic boom is about to occur and send you a warning text. We monitor SpaceX RTLS landings at Vandenberg Space Force Base in real-time.

REAL-TIME DATA

1.2

🎯

ENTRY BURN DETECTION

Around T+6:00, the booster fires three engines during atmospheric reentry. We monitor live launch webcasts and detect this critical event the moment it happens.

LIVE MONITORING

1.3

📲

ADVANCED WARNING

Alerts fire the moment entry burn is detected. Your warning time is calculated from your exact distance — ~2.5 minutes if close, up to ~5 minutes farther out.

DISTANCE-BASED

RECRUITMENT

BOOMER_ALERTS.exe

$ initialize_subscriber_protocol

> System ready

> Awaiting subscriber input...

ENROLLMENT PROCEDURE:

STEP 1 Open your messaging app

STEP 2 Send this exact message:

MESSAGE TEMPLATE:

START [YOUR_ZIP]

Example: START 93436

STEP 3 Send to this number:

[ CLASSIFIED ]

📍 COVERAGE ZONE

Lompoc • Santa Maria • San Luis Obispo • Santa Barbara • Paso Robles • Ventura • Oxnard • and more
Best within 100 miles of Vandenberg SFB

FIELD GUIDE

▸ Why only some launches?

Not every Falcon 9 launch produces a sonic boom you can hear onshore. It depends on where the booster lands.

🔊 RTLS (Return to Launch Site)

On RTLS missions, the first stage booster flies back to Vandenberg and lands minutes after liftoff. During reentry, it fires three engines in an entry burn at ~55 km altitude, breaking the sound barrier and sending a dramatic sonic boom rolling across the Central Coast. This is the "triple boom" locals hear — three rapid shockwaves from three engines, arriving 2–5 minutes after entry burn depending on your distance.

🚢 Drone Ship Landing

Most Falcon 9 missions land the booster on a drone ship stationed 400+ km offshore in the Pacific. The booster still breaks the sound barrier during reentry — but way out at sea. Any sonic boom dissipates long before reaching land.

Sonic Boomer monitors launch manifests and only tracks missions with a confirmed RTLS landing profile. That's typically ~7 per year from Vandenberg — and every one of them produces a boom you can feel.

▸ What does a sonic boom sound like?

It's not a single "bang" — it's more like three rapid booms in quick succession (one per engine on the entry burn), followed by a low rumble that rolls across the landscape. People often describe it as:

A heavy door slamming three times
Distant thunder on a clear day
An explosion that makes windows rattle

Closer to Vandenberg (Lompoc, Santa Maria), it's sharp and startling. Farther out (Santa Barbara, SLO), it's a softer triple thud. The sound descends from ~55 km altitude, so even close observers get a couple minutes of warning after entry burn.

▸ How does the warning system work?

Sonic Boomer monitors live launch webcasts and detects critical reentry events in real time. Here's the sequence:

Before launch — We identify upcoming RTLS missions and begin monitoring the live webcast
~T+6 minutes — The booster performs its entry burn. Our system detects this event within seconds
Instant alert — We calculate how long the sonic boom will take to reach your ZIP code and send you a personalized SMS with your warning time
2–5 minutes later — The boom arrives at your location

Your warning time is based on the physics of sound propagation from the booster's altitude to your location. Closer subscribers get shorter warnings but louder booms.