Overview and spectral analysis of the Falcon-9 SARah-1 launch and reentry sonic boom Free

The last two years have seen more orbital rocket launches than any period in history, exposing launch pads, natural environments, and communities to large acoustical loads. This paper is part of an ongoing effort by BYU to disseminate the results of acoustical measurements of these launch vehicles. Specifically, this paper summarizes BYU’s measurement and analysis of the Falcon-9 SARah-1 launch and landing out of Vandenberg Space Force Base in June 2022. This measurement differs from typical launch measurements due to the sonic boom created by the reentry and landing of the first-stage booster. In total, 9 measurement stations were set up at locations between 400 m and 15000 m from the launch pad, and each station successfully recorded the launch noise and reentry sonic boom. Several metrics are reported for both the launch and sonic boom at each station and compared with a previous measurement. Additionally, spectral analysis shows the sonic booms to peak at a lower frequency than the launch noise, and that they spread cylindrically rather than spherically. No evidence is found of a decrease in peak frequency at stations farther from the pad.