Covering All Things Florida
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is set to launch an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying the first batch of production satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet constellation. Another ULA rocket, the Vulcan, will not be launching a previously assigned military GPS satellite. It has been reassigned to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, marking the second such change in recent months. Here’s what you need to know about these developments in the world of spaceflight.
Astronomers worldwide are eagerly anticipating a rare celestial event: a star exploding. Even better, the explosion and its remnants will be visible to the naked eye, and it will be visible from Florida.
The event centers around T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), a binary star system located approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis. This system, comprising a white dwarf and a red giant, is expected to undergo a nova outburst in the very near future.
Amazon is set to launch its first 27 production satellites for Project Kuiper aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on April 9, 2025. The launch is scheduled for noon EDT from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with a three-hour launch window.
Lakeland, FL – April 1, 2025 – The skies above Lakeland Linder International Airport roared to life today as the 51st Annual Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo kicked off, marking the start of “Aviation’s Season Opener.” Running from April 1 to April 6, this week-long celebration of flight promises a thrilling lineup of airshow performers, a bustling vendor scene, and a host of family-friendly activities—all under the blazing Florida sun. With temperatures expected to climb into the high 80s and low 90s, attendees are gearing up for both high-flying action and the challenge of staying cool and safe.
The FAA announced today the closure of both mishap investigations following launch anomalies during the Starship IFT-7 and New Glenn missions.
SpaceX is planning to launch the privately-crewed Fram2 mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon tomorrow evening from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff is set for 9:46 PM ET.
In The Villages, Florida, a legal dispute has emerged between local drone operators and the community’s developer over the use of drones to document construction projects. Don Wiley, a Sumter County Commissioner and licensed commercial drone pilot, has been at the center of this controversy. A law firm says Wiley’s use of his drone runs afoul of Florida’s drone law. Wiley vehemently disagrees, citing both legal precedent and his First Amendment rights.
