VERMILLION PARISH, LA – Louisiana officials moved quickly Monday to ease concerns about potential noise from future SpaceX launches, assuring residents that even at full throttle, the rockets should remain considerably quieter than their neighbor firing up an airboat at 6:14 a.m. on a Sunday.
“We understand people hear ‘rocket launch’ and immediately think about noise,” one state official said. “But compared to a 502 big block with no mufflers being warmed up three camps down, we’re really not anticipating a problem.”
Officials said preliminary noise studies found most Louisiana residents wouldn’t even notice a launch provided someone nearby was pressure washing a driveway, cutting grass before sunrise, or testing an airboat motor for reasons nobody has ever fully explained.
SpaceX representatives reportedly considered constructing a sound barrier around the facility before Louisiana officials assured them residents would consider that “a little excessive.”
Residents near the proposed facility remain cautiously optimistic.
“I’m not worried about the rockets,” said one homeowner. “I just hope they don’t get my neighbor interested in building one.”
