Infrasound detection highlights of rockets from and to space

This study focuses on the infrasound observation and case-based event analysis of recent and exceptional rocket launches for and reentries from space missions. Highlight cases of powerful launches and remarkable reentries are:

• NASA’s Artemis 1 maiden flight in 2022 (and probably Artemis 2 in early 2026)
• SpaceX’s Starship flight tests 1 to 11 from 2023 to 2025 (and probably Starship 12 in early 2026)
• ESA’s Ariane 6 maiden flight in 2024 (and further launches in 2025+)
• Blue Origin’s New Glenn maiden flight in 2025 (and further launches in 2025+)
• Selected and detected reentries from Starship, New Glenn and Falcon 9 rockets

Rocket launches and reentries are powerful atmospheric noise sources detectable at infrasound arrays in hundreds to thousands of kilometers distance. Recorded signatures originate from the ignition, launch, supersonic movement, stage separation and reentry of rockets within the first about 100 kilometers of altitude of the atmosphere. Using microbarometer arrays of national observation networks and the International Monitoring System for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, such infrasound events can be remotely identified, localized and characterized.