SpaceX launches cause late-night booms that rattle windows, set off car alarms, and may damage property. Some locals are pushing back.

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On December 28, at 5:58 p.m., a loud boom erupted from the dusk sky, stemming from Vandenberg Space Force Base, more than 70 miles away from the sleepy beach town of Carpinteria, California.The sound, measuring 86 decibels on a home monitor — comparable to a chamber orchestra playing in a small auditorium, according to a scale published by Yale University — was preceded by a low rumbling that rattled windows and started a chorus of neighborhood dogs barking into the evening.