SpaceX’s Booster Failure Highlights Need For “Dissimilar Redundancy”

SpaceX’s Booster Failure Highlights Need For “Dissimilar Redundancy”

July 13, 2024Posted inBoeing, Editorials and Opinions, Space News, SpaceX
KSC's Pad 39A sits empty as uncertainty looms about the Falcon 9 launch schedule. Photo: Mark Stone-FMN
KSC’s Pad 39A sits empty as uncertainty looms about the Falcon 9 launch schedule following a booster failure on July 11, 2024. Falcon 9 boosters have been grounded by the FAA pending investigation. Photo: Mark Stone-FMN

The Commercial Crew Program – All About Redundancy

SpaceX’s second-stage failure on their venerable Falcon 9 booster Thursday demonstrates exactly why NASA wants dissimilar redundancy for crewed flights. The idea is simple: if one launch provider is grounded for a technical issue or a launch failure investigation, the other can take up the slack. The duopoly of crewed launch providers is meant to assure the nation of continuous access to orbit while launching from American soil.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Experiences In-Flight Failure, 20 Starlink Satellites In Jeopardy

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Experiences In-Flight Failure, 20 Starlink Satellites In Jeopardy

July 12, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX, Starlink
Booster 1063 safely lands on a SpaceX Droneship. Image: SpaceX
Booster 1063 safely lands on a SpaceX Droneship. Image: SpaceX

SpaceX encountered its first in-flight failure of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015 Thursday night, resulting in 20 Starlink satellites being deployed into a lower-than-intended orbit. The incident occurred during SpaceX’s 70th orbital launch of the year. The mission, designated Starlink 9-3, initially appeared to proceed without issue after lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday night at 7:35 p.m. PDT .

Utopia of the Seas Arrives at Port Canaveral

Utopia of the Seas Arrives at Port Canaveral

July 11, 2024Posted inCruise Ships, Florida News, Travel
Utopia of the Seas arrived at her new home port of Port Canaveral, Florida on July 11, 2024. Photo: Royal Carribean
Utopia of the Seas arrived at her new home port of Port Canaveral, Florida on July 11, 2024. Photo: Royal Carribean

This morning, the arrival of the world’s second-largest cruise ship and Royal Caribbean International’s newest vessel, Utopia of the Seas, was celebrated with fanfare and excitement as it docked at Port Canaveral. Observers say the ship could redefine luxury and innovation in the cruising industry, bringing with it a host of technology, features, and amenities that elevate the cruising experience to new heights.

Florida Nuclear Power Expansion Reexamined; Some Environmental Groups Not Happy

July 11, 2024Posted inFlorida News
Florida's Crystal River plant no longer uses its reactor due to issues with the containment building. Photo: Greenpeace
Florida’s Crystal River plant no longer uses its reactor due to issues with the containment building. Photo: Greenpeace

Florida is considering the addition of new nuclear power plants for the first time in decades, following the inclusion of a nuclear power study in a broad energy bill signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. The legislative push in Florida comes despite historical concerns stemming from incidents like the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania. Now, state regulators are set to assess the feasibility of new, advanced nuclear technologies, reflecting both state and federal pushes toward a cleaner energy future. Despite the common goal of a cleaner environment, the new legislation is angering some environmental groups.

Starliner Not “Stuck In Space”, But No Return Date Set Yet

Starliner Not “Stuck In Space”, But No Return Date Set Yet

July 10, 2024Posted inBoeing, NASA, Space News
Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Starliner CST-100 in launch preparation, May 31, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

The popular meme in a lot of space coverage these days implies that Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are stuck aboard the International Space Station. Some say that Starliner is incapacitated and unable to return them to Earth. NASA and Boeing have steadfastly stated that is not the case, but at the same time, a test flight originally scheduled for eight days has been repeatedly extended to conduct tests on faulty thrusters on the CST-100 Starliner’s service module.

NASA and Boeing officials held a press conference today and stated that no return date has yet been set for Starliner. According to the officials, engineers are continuing to investigate system failures on the spacecraft and gather data on the Starliner thruster pods.

Axiom Space Names Normanique Preston as Vice President of People and Culture

Axiom Space Names Normanique Preston as Vice President of People and Culture

July 10, 2024Posted inAxiom Space, Space News
Axiom today named Normanique Preston as VP of People and Culture. Photo: Axiom Space

In a news release today, Axiom Space has announced the appointment of Normanique Preston as the Vice President of People and Culture. The role will see Preston shaping the company’s people strategy, fostering a collaborative culture, and driving employee engagement and development. As an integral member of the executive management team, she will be responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining top talent to support Axiom Space’s ambitious goals.

SpaceX Waits Out Lightning, Launches Turksat-6A

SpaceX Waits Out Lightning, Launches Turksat-6A

July 9, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Space News, SpaceX
Liftoff of Falcon 9 carrying Türksat-6A to orbit on July 8, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now
Liftoff of Falcon 9 carrying Türksat-6A to orbit on July 8, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

SpaceX weathered lightning in the area until skies cleared early this evening, allowing the company to launch the Turksat-6A mission aboard a Falcon 9. Originally scheduled for 5:20 PM EDT, Turksat liftoff was delayed several times until 7:30 PM when the afternoon’s storms were far away enough to allow the rocket to safely ascend towards orbit.

SpaceX Planning To Launch Turksat 6A Aboard Falcon 9 Late Monday Afternoon

SpaceX Planning To Launch Turksat 6A Aboard Falcon 9 Late Monday Afternoon

July 7, 2024Posted inAviation and Space News, Space News, SpaceX
A Falcon 9 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 in May 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

SpaceX is planning to launch a Falcon 9 carrying a Turkish telecommunications satellite later Monday afternoon from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, weather permitting. The launch window opens at 05:20 PM EDT and extends over four hours to 09:43 PM EDT Monday.

A Look Ahead: Three “Firsts” of The Polaris Dawn Mission

A Look Ahead: Three “Firsts” of The Polaris Dawn Mission

July 6, 2024Posted inSpace News, SpaceX
Official rendering of a Polaris Dawn astronaut egressing from Crew Dragon with the help of the the Skywalker attachment (Zdroj: SpaceX)
Official rendering of a Polaris Dawn astronaut egressing from Crew Dragon with the help of the the Skywalker attachment (Zdroj: SpaceX)

The upcoming Polaris Dawn mission is poised to make history as the first commercial spaceflight to include a spacewalk. Billionaire Jared Isaacman is funding the mission, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than July 31, 2024, from Florida’s Space Coast.

Royal Caribbean Names Pop Star Meghan Trainor “Godmother” of New Port Canaveral-Based Megaship

Royal Caribbean Names Pop Star Meghan Trainor “Godmother” of New Port Canaveral-Based Megaship

July 5, 2024Posted inCruise Ships, Travel
Meghan Trainor Publicity photo via Facebook
Meghan Trainor
Publicity photo via Facebook

Royal Caribbean has started promoting the arrival of the world’s second-largest cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas, to its new home in Port Canaveral. It all kicks off with an online contest for fans of pop singer Meghan Trainor to join her and a small group of other fans on the ship’s initial cruise before it enters into regular service later this month.

Hurricane Beryl Disrupts Florida-Based Cruise Lines

Hurricane Beryl Disrupts Florida-Based Cruise Lines

July 4, 2024Posted inCruise Ships, Florida News, Travel
Disney Cruise Lines boards passengers in Port Canaveral, FL. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN

Those who plan to cruise over the 4th of July holiday weekend and into next week might not get what they signed up for. Hurricane Beryl, the first major storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, has wreaked havoc on Florida-based cruise lines, forcing significant itinerary changes and posing operational challenges.