PROVO, Utah — If you have ever witnessed a rocket launching off into space you know what a feat of power it is. But for a team of BYU student researchers, the power of the sound is the key to understanding the impact of the launches.
Monday the team of researchers are in Boca Chica Beach, Texas to collect data on the sound levels of the SpaceX Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world.
“It was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard, for sure. You can feel the sound whipping over your body; it feels like it’s almost pushing you back sometimes,” Noah Pulspiher said. Pulspiher witnessed a SpaceX launch firsthand in October.
According to the university, BYU's Physics and Aerospace Student-Center Acoustics Laboratory is measuring the sounds to uncover the impact that they have on animals and local species in the regions surrounding them.
In a recent paperpublished by the team, they found the sound even 10 kilometers away was as loud as a rock concert. It kept carrying too, at 20 kilometers it was still as loud as a table saw or a snow blower.
The team is led by physics professor Kent Gee, who has spent his career measuring sound from rockets like NASA's Artemis I. But even for him the Starship's sound was something special. “It’s got this low-frequency rumble that’s just overwhelming,” Gee said. “And then on top of it, you have this kind of high-frequency popping. I call it crackle. It’s a very unique sound experience.”
Their study compares the acoustics to other powerful rockets. For reference, one Starship launch produces the noise equivalent to 10 Falcon 9 launches. That the team says, could have significant impacts on nearby communities and their wildlife populations.
“We are a space-going people now and it’s a delicate balance. How do you balance that with making sure you’re being a good environmental steward? Our research will see what the impacts are on threatened or endangered species in the region, as well as the impact on community life.”
Right now, there aren't regulatory guidelines for noise levels created by rocket launches. But the team hopes their studies can be used by policymakers and communities as spaceports become more common and more launches are scheduled.
The team will be out at the Monday launch conducted by SpaceX. The launch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Mountain time. You can stream the launch here.
