CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. — Some people might not only get to see Friday night's SpaceX launch, they might also hear it, the company says.
- SpaceX Falcon 9 set to blast off at 11:50 p.m. ET Friday
- Company plans to land booster back at Cape Canaveral AFS
- Central Florida residents could hear 1 or more sonic booms
- WATCH LIVE: Watch the launch here on a live stream
- DESTINATION SPACE: Read latest space news and see next Florida launch in our schedule
SpaceX is warning residents in several Central Florida counties that they might may hear one or more sonic booms as the Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage booster attempts to land at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Residents of Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Seminole, and Volusia counties could hear one or more booms, depending on weather conditions and other factors.
A sonic boom happens when an aircraft or other vehicle passes overhead faster than the speed of sound.
The Falcon 9 is scheduled to blast off from Launch Complex 40 at the station at 11:50 p.m. ET. The first-stage booster landing typically happens just under 10 minutes after liftoff. So the sonic booms could be loud enough to wake you up, depending on your proximity.
The mission is to deliver a Dragon capsule full of supplies to the International Space Station. It's the 20th resupply mission to the ISS.
The launch window is "instantaneous," which means if the rocket isn't able to launch right at that time, SpaceX will have to reschedule. The chance of favorable weather at launch time was at 60% Friday afternoon, according to the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron.