1R (2016-2023): Seismo Acoustic Study of Rocket Launches from Kennedy Space Center

• University of South Florida (USF), United States of America

From February 2016 to December 2022, a sparse and variable seismic and infrasound monitoring network was operated at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to record ground motion and atmospheric pressure signals generated by rocket launches. Over this period this network recorded ~150 rocket-related events. Network geometry varied through time, ranging from zero to four stations, with multiple sensors co-located at some sites, reflecting changing scientific objectives, logistical constraints, and available instrumentation. Most of the equipment was owned and operated by the University of South Florida (USF), with additional seismic instrumentation provided through a loan from the EarthScope/PASSCAL Instrument Center between October 2018 and January 2021. USF stations primarily consisted of a broadband Trillium Compact PH-120 seismometer and 1-3 infraBSU infrasound sensors. PASSCAL equipment comprised L-22 short-period seismometers and RT130 digitizers. From April to December 2022, the seismo-acoustic network was reconfigured to support a focused monitoring campaign near Launch Complex 39A, with the primary objective of detecting and characterizing launch-related water-level changes in nearby monitored wells, and one seismic station was added by NASA Marshall Space Center. Taken together, the 2016–2022 KSC dataset constitutes a unique long-duration record of rocket-generated seismic and infrasound signals acquired under varying network geometries, sensor configurations, and scientific objectives, and despite the sparsity of the network at any given time, the cumulative dataset captured a wide range of launch vehicles, source–receiver distances, and environmental conditions, providing a valuable foundation for studies of rocket seismo-acoustics, amplitude-based source characterization, and launch-induced environmental effects.

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