Covering All Things Florida
Rocket Lab, the New Zealand-based small launch services provider, announced yesterday that it had record earnings in the second quarter of this year, resulting in a 71% year-over-year growth for the same quarter in 2023. Rocket Lab has extensive manufacturing and launch facilities in the United States. It current launches out of Wallops Island, Virginia and in its native New Zealand.
NASA managers said in a news conference today that they are close to a decision on when and how they plan to bring Boeing Starliner Crewed Flight test astronauts from the International Space Station. The mission was originally slated to run eight days, but the pair have been in orbit for sixty-three days since their June 5th launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard an Atlas V.
SpaceX’s Starship Integrated Flight Test 5 (IFT-5) is poised to be one of the most ambitious tests in the company’s history. With major technical upgrades and a first of its kind booster catch attempt, SpaceX aims to further demonstrate the capabilities of its fully reusable mega rocket system. If successful, will the sonic boom produced by the Super Heavy booster equal a super sonic boom? This article will explore what affects the loudness of a sonic bomb and more!
NASA announced today that they have postponed the launch of the Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to no earlier than Tuesday, September 24, 2024. According to NASA this decision allows additional time for mission managers to finalize the return plans for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which is currently docked at the ISS.
Cape Canaveral, FL – August 4, 2024 — Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus resupply mission, NG-21, began its journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 4, 2024, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, suffered a delay of about 24 hours caused by adverse weather conditions from Tropical Storm Debby as it moved up the Florida peninsula. Cygnus is part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Service (CRS), responsible for maintaining the vital flow of supplies and scientific experiments to the ISS.
![AX 4 CRew Photo[LEFT] Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański of ESA/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary [RIGHT]. Photo: Axiom/X](https://i0.wp.com/floridamedianow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-05-084135.png?resize=938%2C522&quality=80&ssl=1)
Axiom Space to Include Astronauts from US, India, Poland, and Hungary in Ax-4 Mission to ISS
Axiom Space has officially announced the international crew for it’s next mission to the ISS. AX-4 will include astronauts from the US, India, Poland, and Hungary. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission. Whitson, who is now Axiom’s chief astronaut, holds the record among American astronauts and among women for spending the most time in space, 675 days. Whitson was the first female commander of the International Space Station and the only woman to serve as ISS Commander twice. She also became the first woman to command a private space mission on Ax-2 in 2023.
Cape Canaveral, FL – August 4, 2024 — The Cygnus NG-21 mission, launched earlier today from Cape Canaveral, has encountered some unexpected challenges. According to a tweet on “X” by William Harwood:
“Mission control just alerted the ISS crew to a possible issue with the Cygnus cargo ship: “Just to let you guys know, good comm with Cygnus, we’re going to have solar array deploy in about an hour. The first two burns were not performed by Cygnus, so they are reassessing what is the current state of the burn plan. We’re hoping to still keep Tuesday (for capture by ISS), but we’ll re-assess once we figure out what went wrong with the first two burns.”
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus CRS-2 NG-21 (S.S. Francis R. “Dick” Scobee) to orbit this morning from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff was at 11:02 AM EDT under variable skies that showed a strong chance of storms coming in shortly afterwards.
A wave of thunderstorms passed through the Cape Canaveral area around 90 minutes before liftoff Saturday, forcing SpaceX to stand down from its launch attempt today.
The company said in a latter post on X.com that they would try again tomorrow, but with a 90% Probability of Violation and an approaching tropical system off of Florida’s west coast, the chances of that don’t seem very high. Monday’s forecast is equally squirrelly as the system is forecast to arc through northern Florida, creating storm squalls and windy conditions across the state.
On the other hand, it’s Florida and the weather here can be unpredictable. So, we’ll see when SpaceX can get this launch off of the pad.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the Starlink 10-6 mission from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 Rocket. Liftoff was at 01:01 AM EDT.
The International Space Station (ISS) is an island of international cooperation and scientific research. As of July 2024, the ISS has been hosting a variety of spacecraft, including the Boeing Starliner, SpaceX Dragon Endeavour, Soyuz MS-25, and the Russian Progress 87 and 88 resupply ships. The current mix of 5 vehicles and 12 astronauts ensures that the ISS is a bustling beehive of activity, supporting a diverse range of scientific experiments and international visitors. But soon, in the days and weeks to come two more spacecraft and four more astronauts will join the activities.
If Northrop Grumman and Space X are supposed to be competitors, why is Space X launching the upcoming NG-21 mission for Northrop Grumman? The answer lies in recent history and the rapidly changing world of geo-politics.
