321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (May 5)
Foreshadowing the future, two rockets lifted a combined 50 broadband satellites for two rival space-based internet companies into low-Earth orbit Monday, April 28, from Florida's Space Coast — and both rockets launched within a 3½-hour span.
The landmark evening saw a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket deploy Amazon's first production batch of 27 Project Kuiper broadband satellites. The mission was the first of dozens in the coming years to create a 3,232-satellite constellation to provide high-speed internet around the world.
Read the full story here.
Coming off the April 28 evening doubleheader of United Launch Alliance and SpaceX rockets, SpaceX has another launch planned to kick off the month of May.
While the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket launched the first batch of Amazon Kuiper internet satellites, SpaceX launched its ever-growing Starlink internet satellites Monday. Now another Starlink launch is set for Thursday night, May 1. To date, SpaceX has over 8,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, which provide internet in some of the most remote places on Earth.
Read the full story here.
Trump's pick for NASA's administrator, Jared Isaacman, has moved forward to the full Senate for a vote, which is the last step before his confirmation to lead the space agency.
During the Senate's Executive Session 9 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on April 30, the committee voted to advance the billionaire space traveler's nomination by a 19-9 vote.
Read the full story here.
Launch recap: Scroll down to read live updates from the Starlink 6-75 mission, which launched at 9:51 p.m. on May 1 from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40.
Read the full story here.
A loud rumble sounded throughout the Space Coast on Thursday, May 1, as SpaceX launched the latest batch of its internet satellites.
The Starlink 6-75 mission launched at 9:51 p.m. on May 1 from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40, sending 28 Starlink internet satellites to orbit. Starlink provides internet to some of the most remote places on Earth, including remote communities within the United States.
Read the full story here.
In 2019, a mere 18 rockets launched into orbit from Florida's Space Coast. That number has already more than doubled thus far this year, with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center hosting 37 liftoffs.
Now, Space Launch Delta 45 officials project a record-breaking 107 launches may rack up this year.
Read the full story here.
The days of NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket and Orion space capsule may be limited, as a White House budget proposal for the space agency aims to phase out the overbudget SLS after just two more missions.
And it's not just Artemis. NASA's budget as a whole would see agency-wide cuts that go beyond human exploration with the total budget dropping $6 billion from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion — or nearly 25 percent. NASA's science budget takes a particularly significant hit.
Read the full story here.
Department of Defense officials announced the undisclosed missile that quickly accelerated from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 25 was a successful hypersonic flight test.
In a press release, the DoD said the secretive mission marked the first launch demonstrating a Conventional Prompt Strike capability that will be used on Navy sea-based platforms.
Read the full story here.
Launch recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Sunday, May 4, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the Starlink 6-84 mission.
Read the full story here.
SpaceX boosted its carrying capacity of Starlink internet-beaming satellites to 29 during a predawn Falcon 9 rocket launch Sunday, May 4, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
SpaceX did not publicly comment about the rocket's payload prior to liftoff of the 4:54 a.m. Starlink 6-84 mission — which fittingly took flight on Star Wars Day.
Read the full story here.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (May 5)
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