Rocket launches are an emerging source of acute anthropogenic noise, yet their effects on wildlife vocalizations remain largely unknown. The endangered California least tern (Sternula antillarum browni) has a nesting colony at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), California, the most active rocket launch site on the West Coast. Because terns rely on vocalization for courtship, chick provisioning, and colony coordination, extreme noise events may disrupt essential vocal behaviors during the breeding season. We used passive acoustic monitoring across two breeding seasons (May–August) to assess how rocket launch noise influences tern vocalizations. Eight Wildlife Acoustics SM4 recorders were deployed throughout the colony, capturing both ambient and launch-related sounds. Tern calls were classified using BirdNET and analyzed in Raven Pro for amplitude, frequency, and call rate. Preliminary analyses suggest that tern vocal behavior varies in relation to rocket launch events, with indications of changes in call amplitude, frequency, and call rate across reproductive phenology. These results will inform ongoing efforts to assess noise sensitivity and guide management of nesting seabirds near active launch sites.