What Was That Boom? A SpaceX Rocket Launch from Vandenberg

Betsey Gooch Stewart
2 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 15 hours ago

SpaceX Launches 25 Starlink Satellites from California

If you were awakened by a loud boom along California’s central coast early Sunday morning, you weren’t imagining things. It was the sound of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 25 Starlink satellites launched from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.

Liftoff occurred Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 4:00:19 a.m. PDT, marking the start of the Starlink 17-18 mission. This launch added 25 more broadband internet satellites to SpaceX’s rapidly growing Starlink network, which now includes more than 9,900 spacecraft orbiting in low Earth orbit. The expanding constellation is designed to deliver high-speed internet service across the globe, including to remote and underserved areas.

For residents along California’s central coast, these launches often come with a surprise. When the rocket returns through the atmosphere, the sonic boom can echo across the region. Many people suddenly awakened by the loud sound wonder:

“Was that an earthquake? A missile launch?”

In reality, it’s often simply another successful SpaceX mission returning safely to Earth.

If you’d like to track upcoming launches, visit SpaceX and sign up for launch updates. While NASA and SpaceX work closely together, they are separate organizations. NASA is a U.S. government agency, while SpaceX is a private aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. SpaceX now serves as a major commercial contractor for NASA, launching cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station and developing technology that supports NASA’s Artemis lunar program, which aims to return humans to the Moon.