321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (July 21)
In a partnership between rivals, Elon Musk's SpaceX is slated to launch a payload of Jeff Bezos' Amazon broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit during a late-night liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will take flight during a 27-minute launch window that opens at 2:18 a.m. Wednesday, July 16 at Launch Complex 40.
Read the full story here.
Axiom 4 astronauts depart space station on SpaceX Dragon, prepare for California splashdown
A group of private astronauts are journeying home through outer space after spending a little more than two weeks at the International Space Station.
The four-person crew of a venture known as Axiom Mission 4 reached the orbital laboratory June 26 after launching on a SpaceX vehicle from Florida. Ahead of the spacefarers, under the command of retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, is a daylong cosmic trip ending with a water landing off the coast of California.
Read the full story here.
How NASA's upcoming Crew-11 astronauts were impacted by Boeing Starliner incident
NASA's next crew heading to the International Space Station is set to arrive in Florida in the coming weeks — and this Crew-11 mission is in more ways than one the follow-up mission to last year's ill-fated Starliner flight test.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are set to embark on an eight-month mission to the ISS as part of NASA's crew rotation on the orbiting outpost.
Read the full story here.
SpaceX KF-01 launch recap: Live updates from Amazon mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Launch recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Wednesday, July 16, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on the Amazon Project Kuiper KF-01 mission.
Read the full story here.
Elon Musk's SpaceX will help Amazon launch competitor Kuiper satellites: Here's why
Amazon's internet-beaming Kuiper satellites could one day be a formative challenge to the Starlink constellation SpaceX has spent years amassing.
So, why is SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company tech mogul Elon Musk founded in 2002, helping Amazon get the satellites into orbit?
Read the full story here.
SpaceX launch photos: Falcon 9 deploys Amazon satellites on KF-01 mission from Cape Canaveral
Read the full story here.
Will Florida's Space Coast surpass 100 annual rocket launches for 1st time this year?
Will the annual number of orbital rockets launched from Florida's Space Coast reach triple digits for the first time by year's end?
Stay tuned. During 2024, a record-shattering 93 launches took flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center, easily zooming past the previous record of 72 launches in 2023.
Read the full story here.
What to know: ULA Vulcan rocket to launch national security mission from Cape Canaveral
It's been awhile since Florida has seen a Vulcan rocket launch, but United Launch Alliance is pushing ahead to break that drought.
While an official launch date is yet to come, ULA has announced the upcoming USSF-106 mission for the Space Force. The company has also teased photos of the red and white Vulcan rocket in the process of being stacked for launch.
Read the full story here.
Days after SES, Intelsat merge, SpaceX to launch 2 satellites for company from Cape Canaveral
Fresh off completing its $3.1 billion acquisition of competitor Intelsat on Thursday, July 17, European global satellite operator SES is preparing to launch a key pair of satellites atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX is targeting Monday, July 21, to deploy SES' ninth and 10th O3B mPOWER satellites from Launch Complex 40. The launch window extends from 5 p.m. to 8:13 p.m., a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory indicates.
Read the full story here.
New Space Force STARCOM commander returns to Patrick Space Force Base after 11-year absence
When U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James Smith and his family packed into their Honda Odyssey van in 2014 and drove north on Interstate 95 to the Pentagon, he didn't think he'd ever get stationed on Florida's Space Coast again.
Fast-forward 11 years. Smith has returned — as a Space Force major general. And he'll lead STARCOM as the high-tech field command continues transitioning from Colorado to Patrick Space Force Base, eventually creating a headquarters boasting more than 450 personnel in the next several years.
Read the full story here.
Florida Tech withdraws from Cape Canaveral rocket-noise study, citing its narrow scope
Citing insufficient pricing and scope of research, the Florida Institute of Technology has withdrawn from a partnership with the city of Cape Canaveral to monitor potential impacts of rocket launches on buildings and infrastructure.
This $10,019 study, which the Cape Canaveral City Council approved in April, called for Florida Tech to install sensors — including sound level meters, accelerometers and air quality monitors — at a handful of buildings across Cape Canaveral and collect data before, during and after rocket launches.
Read the full story here.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (July 21)
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