Public hearings are set to take place on a proposal to modify launch facilities at Vandenberg Space Force Base to allow SpaceX to expand from 50 to 100 annual rocket launches.
The proposal calls for tearing down a launch facility that was once meant to handle space shuttle launches. After the Challenger shuttle explosion in 1986, plans to expand shuttle launches to the West Coast from Florida were dropped.
Over the decades, the facility was modified to accommodate other rockets.
The proposal is to demolish four existing structures on the site and build a second facility at the base capable of handling SpaceX Falcon 9 launches. The proposal calls for expanding to 82 launches in 2026 and 100 annually in 2027. The Air Force has released a 200-page environmental impact statement on the plan.
One of the most noticeable impacts for the public would be an increase in sonic booms, with the number of reusable first-stage boosters landing at the base increasing to 24 from 12.
The environmental community and the State Coastal Commission have raised questions about noise, air pollution, and debris from the launches.
The hearings will take place Tuesday night in Ventura at the Ventura Harbor Sheraton, Wednesday night in Santa Barbara at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and Thursday night in Lompoc at the Hilton Garden Inn. They’ll take place from 5 to 8 nightly.
