ESA To Test Uncontrolled Satellite Reentry

ESA To Test Uncontrolled Satellite Reentry

September 25, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, ESA, Space News
They plan to learn more about how satellites break up as they crash back to Earth.
Around 200 ultra-strong sensors and four infrared mini-cameras will measure and capture the disintegration process that DRACO will undergo until it self-destructs on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere - PHOTO/ESA-David Ducros

Roughly 200 sensors and four infrared mini-cameras will measure and capture the disintegration process that DRACO will undergo until it self-destructs on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere – Graphic: ESA

The European Space Agency plans to launch and then let a test satellite return to Earth in an uncontrolled manner. The Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object (DRACO) will be built by the Spanish company Deimos and is currently planned to fly to space no earlier than 2027.

Helene Approaches Florida with Potential to Become Major Storm

Helene Approaches Florida with Potential to Become Major Storm

September 25, 2024Posted inFlorida News, Space News
Infrared Satellite view of Helene as it passes over Cozumel, Mexico Wednesday morning. Photo: National Hurricane Center
Infrared Satellite view of Helene as it passes over Cozumel, Mexico Wednesday morning. Photo: National Hurricane Center

Tropical Storm Helene, currently a powerful tropical system, is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane as it moves toward the Gulf Coast of Florida. As of 6AM EDT this morning, the storm was located near Cozumel, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.

NASA’s Crew-9 Prepares for ISS Mission– Starliner Astronauts Countdown to Homecoming in 2025

NASA’s Crew-9 Prepares for ISS Mission– Starliner Astronauts Countdown to Homecoming in 2025

September 22, 2024Posted inISS, NASA, Space News, SpaceX
Crew 9 members arrive at the KSC Shuttle Landing Strip Saturday afternoon, to prepare for launch to ISS. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN
Crew 9 members arrive at the KSC Shuttle Landing Strip Saturday afternoon, to prepare for launch to ISS. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN

 

The NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission, set to launch on September 26, 2024, will see NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov embarking on a six-month scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS). For the first time, a crewed mission will be launched from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, adding a new dimension to SpaceX’s launch capabilities and enhancing operational flexibility (NASA). This mission will also formularize Starliner astronauts currently aboard the ISS with the Dragon spacecraft operations in preparation for their return flight home after the completion of the Crew 9 mission. 

Business and Politics Collide As Cards Against Humanity Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX

Business and Politics Collide As Cards Against Humanity Files Lawsuit Against SpaceX

September 21, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
SpaceX's Starship stands against a South Texas night sky. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
SpaceX’s Starship stands against a South Texas night sky. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

The creators of the popular adult party game Cards Against Humanity on Thursday filed a $15 million lawsuit against SpaceX in Cameron County, Texas. In their filing, the company alleges that SpaceX trespassed on and damaged a piece of property the game maker purchased in 2017 to protest former President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall.

Pad 39A at KSC. Photo: FMN

What Has The FAA Got To Do With It?

September 20, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News
Pad 39A at KSC. Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
Pad 39A at KSC. Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN

If you follow spaceflight at all, you no doubt have heard a lot talk this year about the FAA “grounding” Space X’s Starship and Falcon 9, mishap investigations, and creating delays with a lot of “red tape.” Yet none of that happened after the flight of the beleaguered Boeing Starliner. What’s up with that? Some say it’s political, and they are “out to get Elon Musk.” In truth, it’s not quite that dramatic.

Launch Report: SpaceX Launches Galileo L13 From The Cape

Launch Report: SpaceX Launches Galileo L13 From The Cape

September 18, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
Falcon 9 rising off of the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 40 on September 17, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
Falcon 9 rising off of the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 40 on September 17, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN

Space-X launched Falcon 9 early last evening from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying new European navigation satellites to orbit. The launch came at 06:51 PM EDT, just as the sun was starting to set in the west, creating a beautiful golden hue on the pad.

Photographing Butterflies: Don’t Let the Butterfly Flutter By!

September 16, 2024Posted inFlorida Wildlife, Things to Do and See in Florida
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 1000, 460mm | Photo: TJ Waller

A captivating sight for children and adults alike, I’ve never seen anyone who didn’t stop to watch a beautiful butterfly as it fluttered on by. So, in this short article I’ll share a few tips on photographing butterflies and how to capture truly awesome, wall-hanging shots of these gorgeous insects.

Polaris Dawn Crew Safely Returns to Earth After Historic Five-Day Mission

Polaris Dawn Crew Safely Returns to Earth After Historic Five-Day Mission

September 15, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
Infrared camera shows the splashdown of the Polaris Dawn mission early this morning. Photo: Polaris Dawn / SpaceX
Infrared camera shows the splashdown of the Polaris Dawn mission early this morning. Photo: Polaris Dawn / SpaceX

In the early hours of Sunday morning, SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew successfully completed their five-day journey in space, capping off the historic mission with a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The Crew Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, landed off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida, at 3:37 a.m. ET, marking the conclusion of a mission that included the world’s first commercial spacewalk.

SpaceX Launches BlueBird, Overcomes Weather for Pre-Dawn Liftoff

SpaceX Launches BlueBird, Overcomes Weather for Pre-Dawn Liftoff

September 12, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
Ignition! A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket powered by 9 Merlin rocket engines blasts off from LC-40 at CCSFS. Image by Richard P Gallagher

This morning, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the first five BlueBird Block 1 communications satellites for AST SpaceMobile. These satellites will improve cell service in remote areas of the United States. The launch occurred at 4:52 AM EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.