A Soviet-Era Russian Probe Set To Crash Back To Earth This Week

A Soviet-Era Russian Probe Set To Crash Back To Earth This Week

After more than five decades in orbit, a relic from the first space race is making an unexpected return. Kosmos 482, a Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 on a failed mission to Venus, is projected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between May 8 and May 11, 2025. Experts are closely monitoring its descent, as the probe’s durable construction raises the possibility that parts of it could survive reentry and reach the Earth’s surface.

The lander has a titanium shell and shielding that could allow it to withstand reentry through Earth’s atmosphere. That seems almost likely, given that the descent module of Kosmos 482 was made to travel through Venus’s atmosphere all the way to the surface of Earth’s “evil twin.” If it survives intact, it could slam into the ground at speeds up to 150 mph. While chances are rated as low as being struck by lightning, there is a higher than zero chance that the spacecraft could land on Florida.

New NASA Budget Proposal Will Hit The Space Coast Region Hard

New NASA Budget Proposal Will Hit The Space Coast Region Hard

Hard times for the Space Coast’s local economy might be ahead.

The Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget includes a 24.3% reduction in NASA’s funding, decreasing the agency’s budget from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. This so-called “skinny” budget blueprint is a high level one short of full details, which will be forthcoming. After that, Congress will take up and begin debate on a budget bill.

This proposed significant cut threatens to eliminate key programs and could result in substantial job losses at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), a cornerstone of the Space Coast’s economy, and that will have ripple effects that everyone who lives in the region will feel.

Atlas Kuiper KA-01

ULA Launches 27 Project Kuiper Satellites Aboard Atlas V

Summer is nearly back on the Space Coast, with warm temperatures and a persistent threat of rain in the afternoon and evenings — typical weather here, and it will stay this way for several months. That being said, Atlas V was able to beat the weather last night and launched at the opening of its window, with liftoff at 7:01 PM ET after an apparently quiet countdown, save for some concerns about the energy potential of a nearby anvil cloud (Cumulonimbus incus) lingering near the launch pad before dissipating.

Atlas Kuiper KA-01
Atlas Kuiper KA-01 lifting off on April 28, 2025. Photo: Chris Leymarie, Florida Media Now
Florida Legislature Considering Bill To Allow Homeowners To Shoot Down Drones

Florida Legislature Considering Bill To Allow Homeowners To Shoot Down Drones

Florida lawmakers are weighing a new bill that would give homeowners the right to use “reasonable force” against drones flying over their property—a move likely triggered by a spike in unexplained drone sightings last year centered around New Jersey. That “reasonable force” might involve shooting the drone out of the air under some circumstances.

File photo of a typical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, commonly known as “drones”
Wikimedia Commons
Rockets

SpaceX Nails Doubleheader with Flawless Falcon 9 Launches

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — On April 21, 2025, SpaceX executed a remarkable feat of aerospace engineering, successfully launching two Falcon 9 rockets from separate launch pads in Florida within a span of 16 hours. The early morning mission delivered critical supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), while the evening launch deployed a diverse array of satellites into orbit. Both rockets achieved their objectives with precision, and their reusable first-stage boosters landed safely, underscoring SpaceX’s dominance in reusable rocket technology and its ability to maintain an ambitious launch cadence.

Close up of booster b 1067

SpaceX Sets Reusability Record with Falcon 9 B1067’s 27th Flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX has once again pushed the boundaries of rocket reusability with the 27th successful launch and landing of its Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1067. The booster, a veteran of SpaceX’s fleet, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 14, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. EDT, delivering 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. Just over eight minutes later, B1067 touched down flawlessly on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean, marking its 27th landing and setting a new record for rocket reusability.

From Glamour to Gravity: The Controversy Surrounding NS-31 And The Future of Blue Origin

From Glamour to Gravity: The Controversy Surrounding NS-31 And The Future of Blue Origin

Crew of Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission, clockwise from left: Lauren Sánchez, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe and Kerrianne Flynn.

I wasn’t going to even write an article on this because, like many others, I didn’t view the NS-31 flight as newsworthy, at least from a scientific or technological standpoint. But there is a deeper story here – why does Blue Origin seem to be squandering time, money, and resources on this particular program? The real money is in launch contracts, and SpaceX appears to be leaving Blue Origin (aka Blue) behind on the proverbial pad.