Rockets can be quite cool to observe. However, it’s not a secret for anyone that they can also be loud and explosive. That’s what residents of Trent Hills, Ontario, found out the hard way.
SpaceRyde is a rocket startup based in Canada. It has been operating for a while in Trent Hills. However, the townspeople have grown to become tired of the situation. One of the residents put a one-star review on the company’s Google page, saying that the company is “really noisy and definitely affecting the quality of life of nearby residents.”
This person isn’t alone. Things have escalated to the point that a Change.org petition has been posted, and over 700 people have signed it. It’s worth noting that the town has a population of approximately 13,000 people.
Even worse for the rocket company, Trent Hills Now, the town’s newspaper, has reported that the town’s municipality has demanded SpaceRyde cease rocket engine testing willingly. The decision was made through legal counsel.
According to Bob Crate, the town’s mayor, the rocket engine testing was happening “without knowledge of the municipality.”
As of now, SpaceRyde has not commented on the issue.
Still, SpaceRyde’s co-founder, Sohrab Haghighat, said that the tests weren’t louder than 100 decibels, which is practically the same noise a semi-truck “highly revving” its engine would produce. The CEO also said in an open house that the townspeople were always informed of the tests before they started.
Saharnaz Safari, the co-founder of SpaceRyde and wife of Haghighat, said during the open house that “out of the 52 million seconds the facilities have been operating, we have generated noise for 200 seconds.”
It is still unclear how both parties will find common ground together.
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