Starship Super Heavy acoustics: Comparing launch noise from Flights 5 and 6.

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Aerospace Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Starship Super Heavy is a new generation launch vehicle.
• Understanding its acoustic impact is crucial for environmental assessments.
• Previous noise data was limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and compare launch noise data from Starship Super Heavy Flights 5 and 6.
• To compare measured noise levels with existing environmental assessment models.
• To quantify the acoustic energy of a Starship launch relative to other rockets.

Main Methods:

• Collected acoustic data from ground-based monitoring stations during Starship Flights 5 and 6.
• Analyzed A-weighted and unweighted maximum and exposure noise levels.
• Compared flight data with an updated environmental assessment (EA).

Main Results:

• Noise levels diverged significantly beyond 10 km between the two flights.
• Environmental assessment models were found to overestimate A-weighted noise metrics.
• A single Starship launch's acoustic energy is equivalent to 2.2 Space Launch System or approximately 11 Falcon 9 launches.

Conclusions:

• Measured Starship launch noise levels provide valuable data for refining acoustic predictions.
• Environmental models require updates to accurately reflect Starship's acoustic signature.
• This research aids in predicting the environmental noise impact around launch sites like Kennedy Space Center.