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.
Jared Isaacman after his return to Earth following the Polaris Dawn mission in September 2024. Photo: John Kraus / Polaris Dawn
Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and private astronaut, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next Administrator of NASA. Isaacman, best known to the general public as the commander of both the groundbreaking Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn space missions and the first private citizen to conduct a spacewalk, is also the CEO of the payment processing giant Shift4, a rapidly growing company that Isaacman started when he was sixteen years old.
Falcon Heavy lifting off on October 14, 2024 Photo: Ed Cordero / FMN
NASA and SpaceX began Europa Clipper’s journey to Jupiter and its moon Europa aboard a Falcon Heavy this afternoon from Kennedy Space Center. Launch was at 12:06 PM EDT under blue skies and pleasant temperatures.
An alien message transmitted to mankind on the edge of World War III in the 1984 classic 2010: The Year We Make Contact . Photo: MGM/UA Entertainment
In the sci-fi classic “2010: The Year We Make Contact”, a manned mission headed to Europa received an ominous warning from alien monoliths, “All these worlds are yours except Europa – attempt no landing there.“NASA is very likely hoping this bit of science fiction stays that way as they prepare to launch a new mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moon.
KSC Visitors Center Announces Taste of Space 2024. Credit KSCVC Video
Calling all foodies!
For Florida residents and visitors who enjoy sampling fine and unusual cuisine at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival, there’s another similar theme park venue that beats many of the Disney offerings, and at a lower admission price. It’s the annual Taste of Space coming up at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex! This year there are five distinct culinary opportunities available, all located amidst exclusive and intriguing space-related exhibits, attractions, and yes, real live astronauts (not animatronics).
The Canopee transport carrier containing the European Service Module for NASA’s Artemis III mission arrives at Port Canaveral in Florida, on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, before completing the last leg of its journey to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout via truck. Photo: NASA
NASA’s spacecraft factory inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building is set to become a very busy place in the coming months, as several pieces integral to the Artemis program, including parts for the SLS rocket, have arrived by boat and barge at the Florida facility. The new hardware will be assembled with other existing Artemis pieces already on site at KSC there and in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in the coming months.
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.
As seen from Kennedy Point Park in Titusville, Starlink 10-7 rises off of LC-39A on August 12, 2024 Photo: Richard P. Gallagher / Florida Media Now
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying another group of Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center this morning in the predawn hours. Liftoff was at 06:37 AM EDT from Launch Complex 39A.
A long exposure streak image from last night successful SpaceX Falcon 9 return to flight rocket launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher
Cape Canaveral, FL – After a brief grounding by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and deployed its Starlink Group 10-9 satellites early in the morning on July 28, 2024. This launch marked the company’s return to flight status following an anomaly during a mission earlier in the month.
Artemis II’s Core Stage traveling towards the VAB on July 24, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
After berthing in the Turn Basin by the Press Center yesterday, the Core Stage of Artemis II was offloaded today and moved into the VAB. The process began around 9 a.m. EDT and took nearly three hours until the 212-foot rocket traveled the relatively short distance—perhaps 1/2 kilometer—to the VAB.
A Falcon Heavy prepares for launch at LC-39A in the shadow of SpaceX’s new Starship Tower (right). Construction on the new tower is dormant, pending regulatory approval. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN
Kennedy Space Center, Florida — SpaceX’s ambitious plans to repurpose Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center for its Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle program have sparked a wide array of concerns from various public and private stakeholders.
Starliner Crew Capsule being moved to the vertical integration facility. Image by: Richard P Gallagher
As the aerospace community looks toward the future of crewed space travel, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is poised to become a pivotal player in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This morning’s rollout of the crew capsule ahead of the first crewed launch marks a significant milestone for Boeing. The Starliner spacecraft was moved from the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center this morning at 4am to the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in order to be attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
