Uncertainty Looms For NASA As DOGE Heads Their Way

Uncertainty Looms For NASA As DOGE Heads Their Way

February 13, 2025Posted inFlorida News, NASA, Space News
NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro Photo: Cory Huston/NASA
NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro Photo: Cory Huston/NASA

NASA is preparing for an evaluation by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal oversight body led by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX. Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro confirmed this development during a recent space industry conference in Washington, D.C., stating, “We are going to have DOGE come. They’re going to look—similarly to what they’ve done at other agencies—at our payments and what money has gone out.” Already deep in the Artemis Program, NASA has a lot on the line.

Crew-10 Launch Fast-Tracked, Crew-9 Return Set to Follow

Crew-10 Launch Fast-Tracked, Crew-9 Return Set to Follow

February 12, 2025Posted inCrewed, Florida News, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starliner, Things to Do and See in Florida
The official portrait of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas
The official portrait of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Photo credit: NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas

In a news release Tuesday, NASA and SpaceX announced they are moving forward with adjusted launch and return timelines for the upcoming crew rotation missions to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

SLS Program Layoffs Loom at Boeing

SLS Program Layoffs Loom at Boeing

February 8, 2025Posted inBoeing, Florida News, NASA, Space News
Aug. 16, 2022: NASA's SLS Artemis 1 rolling towards Pad 39B. Photo by TJ Waller
Aug. 16, 2022: NASA’s SLS Artemis 1 rolling towards Pad 39B. Photo by TJ Waller / FMN

Boeing has warned employees working on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) program that layoffs could be coming as the company faces reduced funding for the rocket’s future development. The announcement raises concerns about the stability of the program, which serves as the backbone of NASA’s Artemis missions to return humans to the Moon.

Latest CLPS Mission “Ghost Riders in the Sky” Headed for the Moon

Latest CLPS Mission “Ghost Riders in the Sky” Headed for the Moon

January 15, 2025Posted inNASA, SpaceX
Ghost Riders in the Sky logo. Photo credit: Firefly Aerospace
Ghost Riders in the Sky logo.  Photo credit:  Firefly Aerospace

NASA’s latest Commercial Lunar Payload Program (CLPS) mission, “Ghost Riders in the Sky,”   developed by Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, TX), was successfully launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Centers’s Launch Complex 39A in the early morning hours of January 15, 2025. This spacecraft, named Blue Ghost, is the first of three planned  Ghost Riders spacecraft destined for lunar landings.

Blue Ghost, New Glenn, and Starship: Charting the Future of Space Travel

Blue Ghost, New Glenn, and Starship: Charting the Future of Space Travel

January 14, 2025Posted inBlue Origin, Falcon 9, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink, Starship
The countdown clock outside of the KSC's media center displays the next launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN
The countdown clock outside of the KSC’s media center displays the next launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN

Cocoa, FL – January 14, 2025 

Looking for something to see or do while in Florida this week? You’re in luck! This week is witnessing a flurry of space exploration activities at Cape Canaveral and KSC, with multiple launches and historic feats by private aerospace giants. The excitement began with SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to complete their Starlink constellation and will culminate in the much-anticipated launches of the Blue Ghost lunar lander, Blue Origin’s first New Glenn Heavy booster launch, and hopefully SpaceX’s Starship IFT-7. 

DeSantis Proposes NASA HQ Move, Citing Florida’s Space Leadership

DeSantis Proposes NASA HQ Move, Citing Florida’s Space Leadership

January 10, 2025Posted inFlorida News, NASA
The Mary Jackson Building is NASA's headquarters, located in Washington DC - Photo: NASA
The Mary Jackson Building is NASA’s headquarters, located in Washington DC – Photo: NASA

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed relocating NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, citing underutilization of the current facility and the strategic advantages of positioning the agency’s leadership at the nation’s busiest spaceport.

Starliner CFT Astronauts Never-Ending Mission Is Extended Again

Starliner CFT Astronauts Never-Ending Mission Is Extended Again

December 18, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Boeing, Crewed, Falcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starliner
Boeing Starliner
Boeing Starliner – Photo: NASA

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have had their missions extended yet again, this time until at least March, and possibly April 2025. Originally planned as an eight-day mission, Williams and Wilmore’s straightforward task was to take Boeing’s Starliner on its debut flight with crew, dock at ISS for a brief visit before returning home. That was not meant to be.

What is Project Hinton?

What is Project Hinton?

December 18, 2024Posted inBlue Origin, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, Starship
An artist's rendering of how Pad 39A could look if SpaceX begins launching Starship there. Credit: Creative Commons
An artist’s rendering of how Pad 39A could look if SpaceX begins launching Starship there. Credit: Creative Commons

Whatever it is, it’s big. On December 18, 2024, Space Florida’s board of directors approved a substantial investment in “Project Hinton,” signifying a major development for Florida’s Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

Trump Names Jared Isaacman as Nominee for NASA Administrator

Trump Names Jared Isaacman as Nominee for NASA Administrator

December 4, 2024Posted inFlorida News, NASA, National News, Politics, Space News
Jared Isaacman Photo: John Kraus/Polaris Program
Jared Isaacman prior launching on the Polaris Dawn mission earlier this year. Photo: John Kraus/Polaris Program

In an announcement that has sparked widespread interest in both political and aerospace circles, former President Donald Trump has nominated billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX partner Jared Isaacman as the next NASA Administrator. The announcement was made during a press conference today at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump praised Isaacman’s leadership in private space exploration and innovation.