Richard Gallagher

SpaceX’s Flight Test 7: New Tech, New Targets, New Horizons

By Richard Gallagher FMN January 4, 2025SpaceX, Starship

Starship IFT-6 ignition on 11-19-24. Image by Richard P Gallagher — IFT-6 ignition on 11-19-24. Image by Richard P Gallagher

Boca Chica, Texas – As the dawn of a new year breaks, SpaceX is poised to continue its ambitious journey with the seventh integrated flight test of its Starship and Super Heavy Booster system, scheduled to take flight from its Starbase facility in South Texas on January 10, 2025. This test, designated Integrated Flight Test 7 (IFT-7), brings with it a suite of advancements, new objectives, and cutting-edge technology, setting the stage for what could be a transformative year in rocket innovation and space exploration.

Santas of all Sorts Showed Up for Annual Surf’s Up Spectacular!

By Richard Gallagher FMN December 25, 2024Florida News, Florida Travel, Things to Do and See in Florida

Surfing Santas emerge from the waves at annual Cocoa Beach charity fundraiser. Image by Richard P Gallagher /FMN

COCOA BEACH, FL — The 16th annual Surfing Santas event transformed Cocoa Beach into a sea of red and green on a chilly and foggy Christmas Eve morning, as hundreds of Surfing Santas traded their traditional sleighs for surfboards. The unique holiday spectacle, which began in 2009 as a family outing, has now become one of the Space Coast’s most cherished traditions, drawing thousands of spectators to watch the festive surfing extravaganza.

Dive Into the Holiday Spirit with Cocoa Beach’s Surfing Santas!

By Richard Gallagher FMN December 23, 2024Florida Sports, Things to Do and See in Florida

Riding a wave of holiday fun and Christmas cheer these surfing Santas from 2023 are enjoying the waves! Image by Richard P Gallagher

What: 16th Annual Surfing Santas

When: Tuesday, December 24, 2024, from 7:30 AM to 12 PM

Where: 3 Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, Florida

Get ready for a splash of festive fun on the sunny shores of Cocoa Beach! Join hundreds of Santas, elves, and snowmen for the 16th annual Surfing Santas event where the holiday cheer meets sun and surf!

Going up: Can IFT-7 Repeat Another Successful Catch?

By Richard Gallagher FMN December 3, 2024SpaceX, Starship

SpaceX is gearing up for its seventh integrated flight test of the Starship launch system, an ambitious next step on the path to making Starship fully reusable and making humans interplanetary. Scheduled for no earlier than January 11^th, 2025, this test flight will introduce Starship 33, the first Block 2 model, with several new advancements and Super Heavy booster 14, Block 1.

From Liftoff to Relight: IFT-6 Pushes Starship Closer to Orbit

By Richard Gallagher FMN November 20, 2024Space News, SpaceX, Starship

IFT-6 (Starship 31 and Super Heavy Booster 13) successfully lifted off from Boca Chica Beach Tuesday afternoon at 4pm CT. Image taken from Port Isabel, Tx. Image by Richard P Gallagher

On November 19, 2024, SpaceX conducted its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The mission aimed to further validate the vehicle’s capabilities, building upon the achievements of previous tests.

Why Is There a Banana on Starship 31 Being Used for IFT-6?

By Richard Gallagher FMN November 16, 2024Space News, SpaceX, Starship

SpaceX is preparing for its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system, scheduled for November 19, 2024, at 4:00 PM CST from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Blue Angels Return Home Ending 2024 Airshow Season at Pensacola NAS

By Richard Gallagher FMN November 4, 2024Aviation, History

The Blue Angels fly over boaters in the crowded Pensacola Bay as well as spectator watching from Fort Pickens as they thrill fans who packed the Naval Air Station for the two-day homecoming shows. Image: Richard P Gallagher/FMN

The Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola hosted its annual Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on November 1 and 2, 2024, drawing an estimated 150,000 to 180,000 spectators over the two-day event. This year’s show, themed “Celebrating One Small Step,” honored the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, a milestone in both aviation and space exploration history.

Starship’s Close Call Revealed in Accidental Broadcast

By Richard Gallagher FMN October 29, 2024SpaceX, Starship

Starship Super Heavy Booster 12 returning to the launch tower completing the first ever mid-air catch. Image by Richard P Gallagher / FMN

In an unexpected revelation, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk recently offered a glimpse into the challenges of Starship development during a live-streamed gaming session. While playing Diablo IV, Musk inadvertently broadcast a private conversation with SpaceX engineers highlighting how close the company’s Starship Super Heavy booster came to aborting a planned landing attempt on its most recent flight.

NASA’s Crew-9 Prepares for ISS Mission– Starliner Astronauts Countdown to Homecoming in 2025

By Richard Gallagher FMN September 22, 2024Crewed, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starliner

Crew 9 members arrive at the KSC Shuttle Landing Strip Saturday afternoon, to prepare for launch to ISS. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN

The NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission, set to launch on September 26, 2024, will see NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov embarking on a six-month scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS). For the first time, a crewed mission will be launched from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, adding a new dimension to SpaceX’s launch capabilities and enhancing operational flexibility (NASA). This mission will also formularize Starliner astronauts currently aboard the ISS with the Dragon spacecraft operations in preparation for their return flight home after the completion of the Crew 9 mission.

SpaceX Launches BlueBird, Overcomes Weather for Pre-Dawn Liftoff

By Richard Gallagher FMN September 12, 2024Falcon 9, Space News, SpaceX

Ignition! A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket powered by 9 Merlin rocket engines blasts off from LC-40 at CCSFS. Image by Richard P Gallagher

This morning, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the first five BlueBird Block 1 communications satellites for AST SpaceMobile. These satellites will improve cell service in remote areas of the United States. The launch occurred at 4:52 AM EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Starliner: A Risky Return

By Richard Gallagher FMN September 6, 2024Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX

Starliner pictured docked to the ISS, will undock later tonight and prepare to land at the White Sands Missile Range. Credit: NASA.

Tonight, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is set to return to Earth. Whether or not it will be a safe return depends on who you ask. In one corner, we have Boeing, who publicly at least, stands 100% behind their crew capsule. In the other corner, NASA’, who is confident in Starliner, but not confident enough to risk the lives their astronauts.

80 Days at ISS: Crew-9 Rescue? Polaris Dawn Spacewalk—Read All About It!

By Richard Gallagher FMN August 24, 2024Boeing, ISS, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starliner

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at the ISS photographed outside of the Harmony module. Credit: NASA

Boeing Starliner Astronauts Mark 80th Day Aboard ISS Amid Growing Concerns

As the calendar flips to the 80th day since their arrival, the crew aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft continues its mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who launched on this expedition on June 5, 2024, have been engaged in a variety of scientific experiments and station maintenance tasks. However, with growing technical challenges and ongoing discussions about their return, the crew’s extended stay is becoming a subject of interest among space agencies and enthusiasts alike.