NASA and SpaceX Planning To Send Supplies To ISS This Evening

NASA and SpaceX Planning To Send Supplies To ISS This Evening

November 4, 2024Posted inFalcon 9, ISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
A Falcon 9 lifting off in 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
A Falcon 9 lifting off in 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX and NASA are planning to launch a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station this evening aboard a Falcon 9. Launch is scheduled for 9:29 PM EST from Pad LC-39A, in an instantaneous window. The booster used for the mission will return to Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1, several miles south of the launch site. As such, the Space Coast can expect a sonic boom to reverberate across the area at around 9:37 PM.

SpaceX Plans To Launch Starlink 10-13 Early This Evening

SpaceX Plans To Launch Starlink 10-13 Early This Evening

October 30, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Falcon 9, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink

SpaceX plans to launch Falcon 9 later today from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, carrying another group of Starlink satellites. The launch window extends from 5:10 PM EDT to 9:08 PM. If the mission does not launch today due to weather or other reasons, a backup window opens at 5:07 PM EDT October 31st.

Starship’s Close Call Revealed in Accidental Broadcast  

Starship’s Close Call Revealed in Accidental Broadcast  

October 29, 2024Posted inSpaceX, Starship
Starship Super Heavy Booster 12 returning to the launch tower completing the first ever mid-air catch. Image by Richard P Gallagher / FMN
Starship Super Heavy Booster 12 returning to the launch tower completing the first ever mid-air catch. Image by Richard P Gallagher / FMN

In an unexpected revelation, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk recently offered a glimpse into the challenges of Starship development during a live-streamed gaming session. While playing Diablo IV, Musk inadvertently broadcast a private conversation with SpaceX engineers highlighting how close the company’s Starship Super Heavy booster came to aborting a planned landing attempt on its most recent flight. 

The Sharpest Eye On The Sky: Pete Carstens And Max Q Productions

The Sharpest Eye On The Sky: Pete Carstens And Max Q Productions

October 27, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Boeing, NASA, Space News, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance
Pete Carstens' photo.
Pete Carstens

Pete Carstens is a man who can see things almost no one else can. Long after launch spectators and even launch photographers have called it a day, Pete continues tracking the launch, watching the streaking rocket sometimes almost all the way to orbit. Fortunately, he shares everything he sees, making space flight journalism all the better for it.

SpaceX, Falcon 9, Starlink 10-8, October 26, 2024. Photo made from The Space Bar in Titusville. Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

SpaceX Launches Starlink 10-8 From Cape Canaveral

October 26, 2024Posted inFalcon 9, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink

CAPE CANAVERAL SpaceX and Falcon 9 launched another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral into low Earth orbit late this afternoon. Liftoff was at 5:47 PM EDT under crystal clear skies and a slight breeze.

    Launch spectators enjoyed some food and drinks at The Space Bar before the Starlink 10-8 launch on October 26, Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
    Launch spectators enjoyed some food and drinks at The Space Bar before the Starlink 10-8 launch on October 26,
    Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
    Boeing Reportedly Exploring Sale of Space Division Amid Financial Troubles

    Boeing Reportedly Exploring Sale of Space Division Amid Financial Troubles

    October 26, 2024Posted inBoeing, ISS, Space News, Starliner
    Boeing's Space Operations have been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and technical challenges such as those experienced by the Starliner program. Photo by Charles Boyer/FMN
    Boeing’s Space Operations have been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and technical challenges such as those experienced by the Starliner program. Photo by Charles Boyer/FMN

    Oct. 25, 2024 – Boeing, once a cornerstone of U.S. space exploration, is reportedly considering selling parts of its space business, including its NASA operations and the troubled Starliner spacecraft, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The move is seen as part of a broader restructuring effort by new CEO Kelly Ortberg to stabilize the company’s finances and refocus its operations.

    NASA: An American Economic Engine

    NASA: An American Economic Engine

    October 25, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, NASA, Space News
    Artemis I prior to its launch from Kennedy Space Center in 2022. Photo: Charles Boyer, FMN
    Artemis I prior to its launch from Kennedy Space Center in 2022.
    Photo: Charles Boyer, FMN

    NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has long been a cornerstone of American ingenuity and exploration. Established in 1958, NASA’s mission extends beyond the bounds of space; it significantly contributes to the American economy through job creation, technological innovation, and the stimulation of various industries. While some American taxpayers claim NASA is a “waste of money” and that the funds allocated to NASA “would be better used elsewhere,” when measured, it does not take one very long at all to realize that NASA largely pays for itself and that it holds a vital role in the American — and global — economy.

    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Returns Safely After Record 235 Days in Space

    NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Returns Safely After Record 235 Days in Space

    October 25, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
    Official SpaceX Crew-8 portrait with (L-R) Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin, and Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, all three NASA astronauts. Bill Stafford/NASA
    Official SpaceX Crew-8 portrait with (L-R) Roscosmos cosmonaut and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Grebenkin, and Pilot Michael Barratt, Commander Matthew Dominick, and Mission Specialist Jeanette Epps, all three NASA astronauts.
    Bill Stafford/NASA

    Pensacola, Fla. – The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, Endeavour, returned to Earth early Friday, October 25, safely splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola at 3:29 a.m. EDT. The landing marked the conclusion of NASA’s Crew-8 mission. The Crew-8 team spent a record 235 days in space, setting a record for American crewed space missions.