Alright, another "historic" SpaceX launch, huh? Let's see if this one actually delivers or if it's just more Elon Musk hype. A Falcon 9 is supposed to blast off from Vandenberg tonight, hauling the Sentinel-6B satellite into orbit. Supposed to, being the operative phrase.
The official line is that this Sentinel-6B is gonna "protect coastal infrastructure, improve weather forecasting, and support commercial sea activities." Translation: It'll generate a bunch of data that some government bureaucrats will misinterpret, leading to even more pointless regulations and inflated budgets. Give me a break.
And who actually cares about "commercial sea activities?" Unless you're a shipping magnate or a deep-sea fisherman, it's about as relevant to your life as the mating habits of the Peruvian tree frog.
They're launching this thing from Vandenberg Space Force Base, which apparently doesn't do public viewings. So, unless you're willing to drive out to some random spot in Santa Barbara County and squint into the sky, you're stuck watching it on a grainy livestream. Riveting.
According to the PR sheet, residents in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties might hear sonic booms when the Falcon 9 booster returns to Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4). Sonic booms. Just what we need, more noise pollution to add to the existential dread. SpaceX plans rocket launch from Vandenberg. Where to see liftoff in California - Ventura County Star
Oh, and here's a fun fact: This is the first launch in California under a new FAA curfew restricting commercial launches between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time. So, thanks, FAA, for adding another layer of bureaucratic BS to the already convoluted world of spaceflight. I mean, seriously, curfews? This ain't summer camp, folks, we're trying to reach for the stars here... or at least launch another weather satellite.
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches will increase in 2026 in California? Great, more sonic booms to look forward to. Maybe I should invest in some earplugs.
SpaceX was founded in 2002, blah blah blah. Elon Musk, Starbase, NASA contracts... We all know the story. The real question is, how long before he gets bored with rockets and moves on to something even more ridiculous, like colonizing Mars with Dogecoin?
This Sentinel-6B is apparently replacing its predecessor, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which SpaceX launched in 2020. So, we're just doing the same thing over and over again. What's the point? Are we actually making any progress, or are we just spinning our wheels, burning through billions of dollars, and polluting the atmosphere in the process?
The Falcon 9 booster will be recovered for reuse, which is supposed to be good for the environment. Except, offcourse, for all the rocket fuel burned getting it up there in the first place. It's like buying an electric car and then driving it to the charging station in a gas-guzzling Hummer.
They keep telling us how important all this space stuff is, how it's going to save the planet and usher in a new era of prosperity. But let's be real: it's mostly about ego, power, and making a few billionaires even richer.
Fram2 and Polaris Dawn, the crewed commercial missions... It's all just a big vanity project for the ultra-rich. They get to play astronaut for a few days, while the rest of us are stuck here on Earth, dealing with rising sea levels and sonic booms.
And let's not forget the Starlink satellites, cluttering up the night sky and ruining amateur astronomers' views. "Oh, but it's bringing internet to underserved communities!" Yeah, right. It's bringing internet to people who can afford to pay for it, while the rest of us are stuck with dial-up.
