CRBC News
Politics
Conflict
Security
Economy
Science
Technology
Environment
Health
Culture
Society
Lifestyle
Technology

SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 with 140 Rideshare Payloads; Central Coast Could Hear Sonic Booms

05:35 AM, 11/29/2025
SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 with 140 Rideshare Payloads; Central Coast Could Hear Sonic Booms

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg carrying 140 rideshare payloads on the Transporter-15 mission, bound for a sun-synchronous orbit. The payloads include cubesats, microsatellites, hosted payloads and orbital transfer vehicles that will release 13 additional spacecraft later. Umbra-11, for Santa Barbara–based Umbra, is among the manifest. Officials warned residents in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties that sonic booms could be heard as the booster—on its 30th flight—returns to a droneship.

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying 140 rideshare payloads as part of the Transporter-15 mission. Officials warned residents along California's Central Coast that one or more sonic booms might be heard as the vehicle climbed into a sun-synchronous orbit.

After a scrubbed attempt on Wednesday, the Falcon 9 lifted off at 10:44 a.m. local time from Space Launch Complex 4E. The flight delivered a diverse manifest that includes cubesats, microsatellites, hosted payloads and multiple orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs). Those OTVs are expected to deploy an additional 13 spacecraft into different orbits at later times.

Notable payload: Umbra-11, launched for Santa Barbara–based Umbra, is part of the mission. Umbra builds advanced radar-imaging systems and operates a constellation of high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites used for Earth observation.

The mission's first-stage booster was making its 30th flight, having previously supported national-security, Earth-observation and Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the booster was scheduled to return to the droneship Of Course I Still Love You positioned in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX advised that residents and visitors in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms; whether they are audible will depend on local weather, atmospheric conditions and the vehicle's flight path. SpaceX also provided a live webcast of the launch for viewers who could not be on the coast.

For official details and future schedules, check SpaceX's channels and mission updates.

Similar Articles

Trending