Covering All Things Florida
Cape Canaveral Every four or five days, Space Coast residents hear or see a rocket taking flight from the Cape, often carrying thirty or more satellites to low-Earth orbit. It happens so often that people will shrug and say something like, “It’s just another Starlink flight,” and not think twice about it.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Jan. 30, 2024 SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the Northrup Grumman NG-20 mission toward ISS this afternoon. The launch was at 12:07 PM EST from the company’s launch pad at SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Once it had completed its part of the mission, Booster 1077 completed its tenth flight when it safely touched down at Landing Zone 1, about 5.6 miles to the south of where it launched a little more than eight minutes earlier.
United Launch Alliance announced today that they have concluded their Launch Readiness Review for the maiden launch of their Vulcan rocket and that the mission has been cleared to proceed to its planned liftoff at 2:18 am EST on Monday, January 8th. They also added that the weather at liftoff time currently has only a 15% Probability of Violation at launch time, meaning that forecasters are calling for an 85% chance of acceptable launch conditions. The new rocket will carry the Astrobiotics Peregrine lunar lander built under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program and a secondary payload of memorials for Celestis.
The US Space Force said this morning that the Dec. 13th USSF-52 mission launch attempt aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy has again been scrubbed.
Orlando, FL – The United States Space Force Association began its first national conference, the ‘Spacepower’ conference, today, at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.
It’s no secret in the spaceflight community that a secret mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A on Sunday.
SpaceX will attempt two rocket launches from two different locations today.
By: TJ Waller
Introduction
The XSM-64 Navaho missile, a surface-to-surface guided missile developed by North American Aviation, holds a significant place in the history of the U.S. missile and space program. Designed as a supersonic intercontinental cruise missile, the Navaho XSM-64 represented cutting-edge technology and was intended to carry a conventional warhead to a range of 6,325 miles. In this article, we will explore the fascinating story of the Navaho missile, its development, launches, and its impact on subsequent missile programs.
Origins and Development
The Navaho missile project was born out of the post-World War II era, where various nations were exploring advanced missile technologies. In 1947, the U.S. Air Force envisioned the Navaho as a pilotless bomber capable of delivering a weapons payload over a distance of 5,500 miles. The initial design, known as the Navaho X-10, resembled a traditional aircraft and was used for test flights. These early versions of the Navaho were remotely controlled and took off from a runway like an airplane.
By Mark Stone
United Launch Alliance, a private spaceflight contractor, successfully sent a classified government satellite into orbit on Thursday, June 22, 2023. The launch came one day after a delay due to a faulty piece of ground equipment. The mission to deploy the satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office finally lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) Launch Complex 37 at 5:18 AM EDT.
The mission, NROL-68, carries a crucial national security satellite that will provide vital information from space to America’s government officials, intelligence analysts, and military. The US government says the satellite will also be used to support worldwide humanitarian missions. Even though the exact type and capabilities of the satellite are unknown, some observers believe the launch configuration of the Delta IV rocket suggests an Orion class satellite. Orion spy satellites are the newest class of signal-gathering intelligence satellites and are among the largest in orbit. The main antenna of an Orion-class satellite spans the length of a football field.
After a couple of short delays, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 last night from Cape Canaveral, Florida, lofting Starlink 6-8 — twenty-two second-generation Starlink satellites to orbit. The launch was picture-perfect, with the rocket clearly visible for several minutes after liftoff and even well past staging. Thunderstorms well off to the north and east-southeast added to the light show, with dozens of lightning strokes clearly visible but far away enough not to violate any range safety rules.
(Cape Canaveral Florida) SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying Intelsat’s Galaxy 37 communications satellite at 1:00 am EDT on August 3, 2023, after short delays due to weather in the area. Liftoff was scheduled initially for 12:15 am, but small rain showers on or near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s SLC-40 violated launch criteria, leading to two changes in the planned T-0 time.
