Launch Outlook: Two Launches Slated For This Week, Falcon Heavy Next Tuesday

Launch Outlook: Two Launches Slated For This Week, Falcon Heavy Next Tuesday

SpaceX Falcon 9 (Ovzon-3) launching from SLC-40 Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
SpaceX Falcon 9 (Ovzon-3) launching from SLC-40 Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN

Weather and technicals permitting, we’ll see three launches from the Space Coast over the next eight days. Today (6/18), SpaceX plans to launch the Astra1P/SES-24 mission from Space Launch Complex 40. At the end of the week, Starlink 10-2 will return to the pad after last week’s unexpected abort at ignition.

Falcon 9 Aborts Launch After Ignition, Is Safe On The Pad

Falcon 9 Aborts Launch After Ignition, Is Safe On The Pad

It looked like any other day with any other Falcon 9 launch…until it didn’t.

At T-0, Falcon 9’s Merlin engines ignited, but almost immediately shut down with the rocket still on the pad at Space Launch 40. This is a rare occurrence for a SpaceX launch, and it appeared to be an automated shutdown initiated by the rocket itself at a time when the onboard computer system is in control.

Drug Resistant “Superbug” Has Evolved On ISS

Drug Resistant “Superbug” Has Evolved On ISS

E. bugandensis

A National Institute of Health paper released in March has identified previously unseen and unknown variants of a bacterium known for being multi-drug resistant, have been isolated from the ISS.

Thirteen strains of Enterobacter bugandensis, have mutated and became genetically distinct compared to their Earth counterparts. The study also found that E. bugandensis coexisted with multiple other microorganisms, and in some cases could have helped those organisms survive. So far, NASA, Roscosmos, or any other international partners aboard the ISS have not reported infected astronauts or, worse, transmission of the species from the ISS to Earth.

NASA Astronauts Continue Critical Starliner Tests

NASA Astronauts Continue Critical Starliner Tests

Starliner docking to ISS Image: Boeing
Starliner docking to ISS Image: Boeing

June 11, 2024 – Orbiting Earth as part of the nine-person crew of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are actively engaged in testing Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This mission marks Starliner’s first flight with astronauts and is a critical step in the data collection process for NASA certification, aiming to establish regular crewed missions to the orbital complex.

Apollo 8 Astronaut William Anders Dies in Plane Crash at 90

Apollo 8 Astronaut William Anders Dies in Plane Crash at 90

USAF General (Ret) William "Bill" Anders pilots a T-34 Mentor in 2017 Photo: KOMO News
USAF Maj. General (Ret) William “Bill” Anders pilots a T-34 Mentor in 2017 Photo: KOMO News

Maj. General (Ret.) William Anders, a celebrated NASA astronaut and a pivotal figure in the historic Apollo 8 mission, tragically lost his life on June 7th at the age of 90 in a plane crash off the coast of Jones Island, Washington. The incident, witnessed by several bystanders, brought a somber end to the life of a man who had spent much of it reaching for the skies.

Elon Musk Deep Fake Hits The Internet During Starship Launch

Elon Musk Deep Fake Hits The Internet During Starship Launch

A deepfake broadcast of Elon Musk hawking cryptocoins was broadcast by multiple Youtube streams as part of this morning’s launch coverage. The streams have since been removed. Photo: Youtube

If you were watching SpaceX’s live launch coverage of the Starship launch this morning on any one of a several dozen Youtube Channels, you may have gotten a big surprise. The channels, which appeared high in Youtube’s rankings, carried SpaceX’s legitimate broadcast down to just a few minutes before launch when they smoothly transitioned to a video of Elon Musk, presumably at Starbase.

Starship IFT-4 A Big Success

Starship IFT-4 A Big Success

IFT-4 climbs through a layer of fog and haze just after leaving the pad at Starbase this morning. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
IFT-4 climbs through a layer of fog and haze just after leaving the pad at Starbase this morning. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

SpaceX’s Starship rocket embarked on a successful test flight from Texas on Thursday, launching at about 8:50 a.m. EDT from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. This fourth test flight saw the world’s largest and most powerful rocket—standing nearly 400 feet tall—take off without any crew onboard, aiming for a journey across the Gulf of Mexico and eastward to the Indian Ocean for a planned hour-long flight.

The Third Time Is The Charm For Starliner

The Third Time Is The Charm For Starliner

Boeing Starliner finally heads to space. Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN
Boeing Starliner finally heads to space. Photo: Chris Leymarie/FMN

For the first time since 1968, astronauts have been launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking the first-ever manned mission from a Space Force installation. On June 5, at precisely 10:52 a.m. EDT, NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 aboard the Atlas V rocket, commencing the eagerly anticipated Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission.

FHSAA Approves Student Athlete Pay Rules

Photo: News Service Of Florida

This article is reprinted by permission from The News Service Of Florida

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida High School Athletic Association on Tuesday opened the door for student-athletes to earn money from business agreements such as endorsement deals, with the organization’s president calling the move a “good starting point.”

Awaiting Starliner: Facts You May Not Know

Awaiting Starliner: Facts You May Not Know

Graphic: SpaceIntel101.com

As Boeing, NASA, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) prepare for a third launch attempt of the Boeing Starliner set for June 5th, a lesser-known yet interesting fact has emerged. While the Starliner will be going to the ISS, it won’t be ULA’s Atlas/Centaur booster that takes it all the way there or even to low-earth orbit (LEO).