Covering All Things Florida
By Mark Stone
From the first mention of a potential storm in the Gulf of Mexico last week, Hernando County residents began preparing for the worst. With the early forecasts bringing a major hurricane named Idalia ashore near Hernando County, residents began preparing their homes for what the National Hurricane Center termed “catastrophic damage.”
The VICTUS NOX mission, a pioneering TacRS initiative, successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 West (SLC-2W) at Vandenberg Space Force Base on September 14, 2023. This mission aimed to showcase the ability to encapsulate the Millennium Space Systems-built space vehicle, mate it to Firefly’s Alpha launch vehicle, and complete all final launch preparations within a remarkable 24-hour timeframe. The launch window was scheduled just 27 hours after receiving the launch orders, setting a new record for responsive space launch.
BY: TJ WALLER
In a significant achievement for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the United Launch Alliance (ULA) has successfully launched the NROL-107/SILENTBARKER mission; marking ULA’s 98th launch for national security. This joint national security mission was carried out by an Atlas V 551 rocket, adding another feather to ULA’s cap of 157 launches with a 100 percent success rate. The not-so-silent Silent Barker lifted off at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 8:47 AM EDT, and drew an exceptionally large crowd of spectators, media and photographers all along the Space Coast!
The Crew-6 astronauts, consisting of NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, have successfully completed their mission on the International Space Station (ISS) and safely returned to Earth. After spending a remarkable 186 days in space, the crew members splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 12:17 a.m. EDT. This moment marked the conclusion of their six-month scientific endeavor.
(Kennedy Space Center, Florida September 3) SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:47 p.m. EDT on September 3, 2023. This mission carried another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit, and it was a record-breaking 62nd orbital launch of the year for SpaceX, breaking last year’s record of 61 launches. As of this date, there have been 46 launches from Cape Canaveral / Kennedy Space Center this year, with all but two coming from SpaceX.
BY: TJ Waller
The Orlando City Lions will finally get to pit their skills against Inter Miami’s forward Lionel Messi in a few weeks on September 24. The Lions have historically dominated their series against Miami, boasting a record of 6 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws in 11 meetings. However, it’s worth noting that none of those victories were achieved when facing Messi.
“We will be ready.” Lions coach Oscar Pareja remarked when discussing the prospect of going up against Messi. “We know who we are, we going to go get that victory because our heart is prepared to do it.”
