SpaceX Completes Doubleheader; Sends Intuitive Machines Lunar Lander On Its Way

This story first appeared in Talk Of Titusville . Reproduced with permission.

The second of two Falcon 9 rockets launched from the space coast a few hours apart.
Timelapse of the flight path of Falcon 9 carrying NASA CLPS / Intuitive Machines IM-1 lunar lander to orbit on February 15, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

A rarity is becoming commonplace lately here on the Space Coast, as SpaceX successfully launched two Falcon 9 rockets within eight hours of each other from the Eastern Range, returning both safely to the ground at the company’s Cape Canaveral landing zones.

USSF-124 Launches Amid Emerging Reports of National Security Threat

USSF-124 launch may be answer to national security threat
USSF-124 Launches from Pad 40, CCSFS on February 14, 2024. Photo: Mark Stone FMN

Cape Canaveral FL. – The US Space Force (USSF) launched six satellites from Pad 40 at the CCSFS late Wednesday which will bolster America’s space defense capabilities. Ironically, the 5:30 PM EST launch came within hours of breaking news regarding a potential national security threat involving Russia’s space program.

SpaceX Delays Robotic Moon Lander Launch Due to Technical Issues

“Scrubby” graphic by Charles Boyer/FMN

Late on Tuesday evening, SpaceX, announced the postponement of the planned launch of a robotic moon lander, marking a day’s delay in what in the highly anticipated mission. The launch, initially scheduled for early Wednesday, was scrubbed less than two hours before its set liftoff time due to technical concerns, with the launch now rescheduled for at least a day later.

Romancing The Stars: SpaceX Plans Pair Of Valentines Day Rocket Launches

A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket lifts off from LC40 at CCSFS in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket lifts off from LC40 at CCSFS in Florida. Image by Richard P Gallagher

This Valentines Day, SpaceX is setting hearts aflutter with not one, but two rocket launches. The Falcon 9 rockets are scheduled to take off from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Polaris Dawn Flight Delayed to Mid-2024

Polaris Dawn Crew in Zero Gravity Training
Polaris Dawn astronauts, L-R: Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Sarah Gillis, Jared Isaacman and Anna Menon undergoing zero gravity training in 2022.
Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Dawn

Polaris Dawn, the initial flight of a planned series of three private spaceflights led by American entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, has been delayed according to an announcement from the program today. “We are now targeting no earlier than summer 2024 for launch of Polaris Dawn, the first of the Polaris Program’s three human spaceflights,” they said in a post on the X platform.

NASA’s New Missions to the Moon – Far From Routine

Photo of crashed lander on the moon
A landing attempt by India in 2019 resulted in a “smoking hole” on the lunar surface. Photo: NASA/ASU

Most Americans are able to recall that the United States successfully landed astronauts on the Moon during 1969 and into the early 1970s.  What’s not as well known is the number of attempts by various nations to explore the Moon, whether by fly-by or actual landing…..and how many were unsuccessful.