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Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Elon Musk and President Donald Trump cool their heated exchange
Hours after a social media feud erupted between Elon Musk and President Trump, the fallout is still being felt. For days leading up to the exchange, Musk who recently left the White House, criticized the Presidents so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill.' At one point, Musk referred to it as an abomination. Trump countered with a threat to save money by terminating Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts. After which, Musk said SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon Spacecraft immediately. He would later walk that one back. Today, Dr. Don Platt, an Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Tech, told us, 'I don't think anyone knows really what the next hour could bring, even, but I think that when we're talking about things that are so critical as national security, space, billions of dollars, overall, I think that I suppose we could say cooler heads will prevail.' Eyewitness News learned that 'if' SpaceX decided to immediately decommission the Dragon Spacecraft, the company could find itself in default of its NASA contract, and could potentially be sued for unperformed work and the cost of seeking alternate transportation. But there aren't too many other options. '10, 15 years ago, SpaceX was suing because they were not being given a chance to bid on the things that ULA had or that DOD was putting out. And then they got that claiming, oh, it was a monopoly. Well, now the Boeing Starliner is probably never going to fly again. So that is not an option. You could probably get rides in a Soyuz. There probably will be a couple more astronauts going up, but that is, depending on Russia for anything right now, is not a smart thing to be doing, ' said NASA Watch Founder Keith Cowing. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elon Musk reveals latest plans to colonize Mars
Fresh on the heels of the loss of his latest Starship vehicle, Musk gave a talk shared on X about making life multi-planetary and just how soon an uncrewed Starship could launch to Mars. He mentioned that the next chance to get to Mars is late next year. According to SpaceX's founder, the odds of success are currently 50-50. Musk thinks humans need a backup plan. He said, 'Even if you don't want to do it, maybe you have a son or daughter who wants to do it or a friend who wants to do it. And I think it would be the best adventure that one could possibly do to help build a new civilization on a new planet.' But there are some challenges ahead, like perfecting orbital refueling for Starship. Musk said, 'Orbital propellant transfer, so you can no think of this similar to aerial refueling for airplanes but in this case its orbital refilling of rockets, which has never been done before.' 'We've had what, nine test launches, still experiencing a string of what I would call sort of related issues that have to be addressed before this thing is even a viable operational orbital vehicle, let alone a Mars vehicle," said Dr. Don Platt an Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Tech. Platt continues, 'So, a ton of things happened before this thing was ready to go to Mars. Now, of course, SpaceX has had a You know, in the past, the reputation deservedly so of being able to get a lot of things done in a short amount of time. Still, the Starship has, I'm sure that they have been scratching our heads that we're there at SpaceX about sort of these continued problems they're having.' The FAA is currently requiring a mishap investigation for Starship Flight 9. Musk has a Mars timeline: 2026 prove we can get to Mars, 2028-2029 land initial infrastructure and prep landing areas, 2030-31 habitat construction, and 2033 increase independence from Earth. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Ahead of Starship's arrival, Cape Canaveral to study rocket launch noise, vibrations
With rocket launches on the rise, Cape Canaveral condominium resident Lilian Myers worries that window-clattering liftoffs may already be inflicting structural damages to her fourth-floor condo and surrounding 35-unit building. Looking ahead, SpaceX seeks to increase annual Falcon 9 rocket launches from 50 to 120 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station alone. And soon, SpaceX will bring massive Starship rockets and Super Heavy boosters — the most powerful rocket system in history — to Florida's Space Coast. A single Starship launch generates the noise equivalent of at least 10 Falcon 9 launches, a Brigham Young University research team determined after analyzing the colossal rocket's fifth Texas test flight last October. SpaceX: Environmental groups concerned about SpaceX's bid to launch 120 Falcons per year at Cape Canaveral 'The years have gone by, and the window-rattling has gotten to be worse — and a crack in my ceiling has appeared. And a crack that goes all the way from the base of our building to the fifth story, that was recently repaired," Myers told the Cape Canaveral City Council last month. "(That) began to illustrate for us the potential impacts on the built environment here,' Myers said. In a proactive move, the Cape Canaveral City Council unanimously approved an upcoming $10,019 rocket launch impact study with the Florida Institute of Technology. Researchers will install sensor suites this summer at a handful of municipal and privately owned buildings across the 1.9-square-mile city, collecting data on decibel levels, vibrations and air quality before, during and after every launch through at least May 2026. Space Force officials project an unprecedented 107 orbital rockets may launch this year from Florida's Space Coast, with that annual sum expected to continue climbing to new records. The Florida Tech study will employ decibel meters and accelerometers to collect measurements from dozens of liftoffs and sonic booms, primarily from Falcon 9s, during the coming months. This will provide a unique, preliminary data baseline in advance of Starship operations. "The community concern is about the structures. There are a significant number of older structures that are not necessarily built to the recent building codes," said Hamidreza Najafi, a Florida Tech associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the university's Innovations in Sustainable Energy and Thermal Systems lab. "So there are concerns that the increasing frequency and increasing strength of rocket launches could potentially impact them, causing formation of cracks," Najafi said. Starship's potential future liftoffs from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station would occur 9 miles from the closest city condominium and 10.4 miles from City Hall, said Zachary Eichholz, chief resilience manager for the city of Cape Canaveral. During Starship's fifth test flight last October in Texas, BYU researchers noted the booster's thunderous flyback sonic boom triggered car alarms near sound-monitoring stations in Port Isabel (6.3 miles away) and South Padre Island (10.3 miles). Eichholz said City Hall is receiving calls from residents worried about possible structural damages from ever-increasing launches and booster-landing sonic booms. However, he said this information remains anecdotal in nature. "We have to have a better understanding as a city what is going on around us, especially with the increase in frequency. If it was happening once a month, as it used to kind of happen, that's a different story," Eichholz said. "But now when you're talking multiple launches a day, that can certainly cause impacts that we want to better understand," he said. The Cape Canaveral-Florida Tech rocket launch impact study comes amid a historically unprecedented surge in orbital launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center: Annual launches have surged to successive records of 31 liftoffs in 2021, 57 in 2022, 72 in 2023, and 93 last year. This year's cadence is clocking in faster. SpaceX seeks a Federal Aviation Administration license modification to send up to 120 Falcon rockets per year from Launch Complex 40, accompanied by up to 34 annual sonic-boom-producing booster landings. A draft environmental assessment is under review. And the proverbial elephant in the room: SpaceX is building a launch tower and facilities at pad 39A at KSC for the immense Starship-Super Heavy launch system. SpaceX also seeks environmental approvals to send up Starships from the reconstructed Launch Complex 37 at the Space Force station, miles closer to Cape Canaveral city limits. The two-stage Starship-Super Heavy booster combo stands 403 feet high, dwarfing the 229-foot Falcon 9s that frequently launch on Starlink missions from Florida's Space Coast. SpaceX media personnel did not respond to messages seeking comment for this story. On May 22, the FAA granted SpaceX "return to flight" approval for its upcoming ninth Starship test flight from Boca Chica in South Texas. The past two missions ended when the massive rocket's upper stage broke apart into manmade meteor showers. "SpaceX is pushing to rapidly develop, test, and eventually regularly fly its Starship launch vehicle, a super heavy lift rocket with twice the power of the Saturn V rocket that first brought humans to the moon in 1969," a Cape Canaveral City Hall press release said. "As part of its growing contracted launch manifest, in combination with being an integral part of NASA's Artemis Program, SpaceX intends to launch dozens of Starship flights from the Cape by the end of the decade," the press release said. The Florida Tech study will also examine noise and vibrations from Blue Origin's hulking 320-foot New Glenn heavy-lift rockets, which ascend from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. That's 5.7 miles from the closest city condominium and 7.2 miles from City Hall, Eichholz said. The first New Glenn made its maiden flight in January, and Blue Origin officials anticipate launching the second one in late spring. These jumbo rockets — which can carry nearly twice the payload of a Falcon 9 into low-Earth orbit — will help build Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation and propel Blue Origin's lunar lander to the moon, in the near term. A space and science-fiction fan, Eichholz's City Hall office is decorated with Stargate, Star Trek and NASA model spacecraft and insignias. During its April 15 discussion on the Florida Tech study, City Council members did not voice opposition to the Cape's space industry. "It's not 'war on the space program.' We love our space. We support it. It's going to grow. I think we just don't want to be in a position to where, 'shoulda, coulda,' " Mayor Wes Morrison said. Former City Manager Todd Morley sent a letter to U.S. Air Force and Space Force officials offering comment for the ongoing environmental impact statement for Starship-Super Heavy operations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Writing that the city is proud to serve as a home base for Space Force supply-chain activities, contractors and workforce housing, Morley asked if any method of compensation will be available for property owners for damages proven to result from rocket sonic booms or launches. "This is a question that has been frequently asked of City Staff by residents concerning Starship's future operations from the Cape," he wrote. After Florida Senate Bill SB 4-D was passed, Council Member Kay Jackson said many Cape Canaveral condominium complexes are spending millions of dollars on concrete restoration. State regulations adopted after the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside now require structural inspections of condos at least three stories tall that are 30 or more years old. 'We have had plenty of our citizens that have been really concerned — I myself have cracks all around my slider now,' Jackson said during the meeting. Najafi said the upcoming launch impact study should show whether Cape Canaveral residents should be concerned and invest more time and energy on the topic. Building vibration levels are highly variable based on structural types, he said — particularly in older buildings — so more in-depth analysis could be required in the future. Interim City Manager John DeLeo lives just south of town in Cocoa Beach, and he said 'the windows are shaking pretty darn good down there' during launches. If a condo owner pays to repair housing damages generated by rocket vibrations, he said "the launches are just going to continue, so this could be very repetitive." 'This is a way of life here. We all know that. So this is a very complex issue. Very complex,' DeLeo said. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. 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: As rocket launches increase, Cape Canaveral to measure noise, vibrations
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'The Chinese have really caught up': Why NASA is in race to land astronauts on the moon
NASA, with the urging of many politicians, has been racing to get astronauts back to the moon — before the Chinese land taikonauts on the lunar surface. But what's the rush to return to a place the United States has already been and left 53 years ago? Especially when Mars looms as an enticing option for interplanetary travel. Space experts say there's plenty of reasons for the urgency: national pride and national security. But also returning to the moon and building habitats would mean long term dominance in space and ensure access to resources that NASA didn't know where there when the Apollo missions flew. Now with the Chinese making significant progress in human space exploration, the clock is ticking. 'The Chinese in the last 20 years have made amazing strides in all aspects of space. They're sending robots to the moon on a very regular basis. Now they're doing some pretty amazing activities even on the far side of the moon, and they have a Chinese space station now in Earth orbit,' said Don Platt, associate professor of space systems at Florida Tech. 'The Chinese have really caught up,' said Platt. 'I do believe that the Chinese are definitely advancing their efforts on the moon, and are identifying it as a critical aspect of their strategic future in space." When asked about the prospect of Chinese astronauts making it to the moon before NASA's planned Artemis III mission, Platt said he believes it's a possibility and he cited the efforts China is making to highlight the importance of the nation's space efforts to its own populace. 'They have some amazing videos. They're really engaging the Chinese public, and really using it to do what what we've always done in space, and that is to inspire the next generation and to show the world the technical abilities of the Chinese,' said Platt. Platt also told FLORIDA TODAY that there was a recent announcement that China and Russia plan to team up on a nuclear power plant on the moon, which would provide sustained power. This means the countries are planning an eventual continuous human presence on the moon. 'The US has always used space as sort of what we could call the ultimate high ground, making sure the US is dominate in space, and you can't be dominant in space if another country is building bases on the moon," Platt said. James Muncy, founder of PoliSpace, a space policy organization, told FLORIDA TODAY in an email that it's settlement on the moon that's key. "In my opinion, what matters is not which country can land astronauts first, but which nation most aggressively pursues industrial development and human settlement of the moon," wrote Muncy. "If in 25 years there are 500 Americans living on the moon with more visiting at any one time and we are harvesting Helium 3 to cool quantum state computers and oxygen from the lunar 'soil' as the heaviest part of rocket fuel to help send missions to Mars, then we win the MARATHON." "It really doesn't matter if we get the first two astronauts (ignoring the 12 that went during Apollo) back to the Moon if in a few decades we only have a few NASA astronauts living and working there. Or worse yet, have retreated again because of the high cost of using Orion and SLS to get there," Muncy wrote. Platt compared the situation to what would have happened if the first European settlers in North America had never returned to the New World. Had that happened, there would be no United States. If America cedes the moon, it not only gives up leadership in space, but the moon's recourses and potential, he said. There are natural resources, such as water ice, on the lunar surface. This is something NASA did not know back when the Apollo missions took place. And with much still to learn about how the human body performs in space, Platt believes the moon is a natural stepping stone for exploration before heading to Mars. While traveling to the moon could take just days, a trip to Mars will take many months. NASA's only available option of getting astronauts to the moon is the much delayed and 140% over budget SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, which will fly the Artemis missions. NASA's SLS rocket launched on the uncrewed Artemis I mission in late 2022. Ever since that flight, delays have pushed the target dates for Artemis II out further. Artemis II aims to send NASA astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, whereas Artemis III is the moon landing. But multiple years have passed since the stacked SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft have sat on Pad 39B. But progress is being made. The Orion spacecraft, which has seen its own delays, was recently brought into the Kennedy Space Center's giant Vehicle Assembly Building to be mounted on the rocket for the planned launch in spring of 2026. "Several leaders in Congress, particularly Chairman Brian Babin of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee, and Chairman Ted Cruz of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, have stressed that, in their opinion, the fastest way for the U.S. to return astronauts to the lunar surface is to fly Artemis II and Artemis III as soon as possible," wrote Muncy. The Trump administration has proposed cutting NASA's budget, but plans continue for Artemis II and Artemis III. Should the Trump administration's proposals pass, SLS and the Orion spacecraft would be axed in favor of more cost effective options past Artemis III. Platt noted how the delayed SLS became a politicized "pork program" which saw states get funding money and jobs even as the goals constantly slipped. But now with China a valid threat, the tone is changing although still not everyone is convinced Artemis is the way to go. 'Unfortunately, it has continuously been behind schedule and over budget. And we haven't really gotten what we wanted to out of Artemis,' said Platt. 'I would definitely not want to see the United States stop the goals of human lunar space exploration, but the program, I do think needs to be revamped." Artemis II was originally set to launch later this year, but now is targeting spring of next year. Artemis III, which will return NASA astronauts to the moon, is heavily reliant on Artemis II being successful. It is also heavily dependent on SpaceX's Starship being ready to act as a human lander. So far, Starship has yet to even reach orbit — experiencing setbacks with the ship being lost less than 10 minutes into the last two test flights. Meanwhile, NASA still awaits confirmation of its next administrator. Trump has nominated Jared Isaacman, a private astronaut with close ties to SpaceX's Elon Musk. "Trump and Isaacman are going to let NASA complete the initial objective of returning astronauts to the moon using Orion and SLS," wrote Muncy. "But then we have to move to faster/better/cheaper ways to get a lot of Americans and stuff there so we can build a first base and then another and start industrializing cislunar space." But in order for this to happen, everything needs to align. This wouldn't be the first time America fell behind in space, Platt pointed out. The Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik, and also claimed the first man to reach not just space but orbit. Both of those events sparked a strong reaction amongst the American public. When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral 'If we look back at the Apollo program, President Kennedy decided to have the United States pursue goals on the moon because he thought that was enough out as a goal that the Soviets didn't have a major advantage," Platt said. "And honestly, the way we are right now, I would say it's similar that the Chinese are almost able to compete on equal footing with the US in terms of lunar exploration and pursuing lunar endeavors in the future, especially leading up to even humans on the moon." Platt said he believes that if America were to wake up and see China has landed on the moon, it would instantly trigger another space race. 'People would say 'What happened to us? We were leaders in space, and now there's a Chinese flag on the moon. This is outrageous, and we've got to do something',' said Platt. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: New Space Race with China: NASA pushes to return to moon first
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Virgin Galactic spaceflight chief encourages Florida Tech grads as company builds new rocket plane
After assembling model rockets as a kid in rural Pennsylvania and dreaming of becoming an astronomer, Mike Moses embarked on a distinguished 17-year NASA career centered on human spaceflight — where he oversaw the final 12 space shuttle missions from Kennedy Space Center. Today, Moses is guiding development of Virgin Galactic's next-generation Delta-class rocket planes. These sleek spacecraft may start transporting private astronauts on flights soaring more than 50 miles above Earth's surface by fall 2026 from Spaceport America in New Mexico. "Your goals should not be big. They should be enormous," Moses told hundreds of Florida Institute of Technology graduates during a Saturday, May 10, spring commencement speech. Fall 2024 commencement: STARCOM commander gives Florida Tech commencement speech, warns of high-tech space threats "Starting a new industry? Enormous. Taking people to space monthly? Enormous. Doing so as a small commercial company safely, repeatedly, with a whole lot of heart? Enormous," Moses said. "Never discount that what you learn along the way is invaluable for tomorrow," he said. Moses — who earned a Florida Tech master's degree in space sciences in 1991 — delivered the College of Engineering and Science commencement speech at the Clemente Center to a crowd of graduates and their relatives and well-wishers. This semester, the university bestowed degrees on 1,842 students hailing from all 50 states; Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; and 69 countries. Moses' space career launched in 1995 as a contracted flight controller at Johnson Space Center in Houston. By 2005, he became a NASA flight director, overseeing space shuttle mission planning and operations. He was promoted to launch integration manager from 2008 to 2011 at KSC. After shuttle Atlantis' final flight in July 2011, he started working for Virgin Galactic, the California-headquartered spaceplane tourism company founded by British billionaire-entrepreneur Richard Branson. Branson logged a well-publicized suborbital flight in July 2021 aboard his company's VSS Unity rocket-powered spacecraft. Virgin Galactic retired the VSS Unity last year. In March, the company started assembling its first two next-generation Delta rocket planes at a newly constructed hangar complex at Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona. In a pre-speech interview with FLORIDA TODAY, Moses said roughly 100 people are working there building the six-passenger spacecraft, with a "surge" of New Mexico-based employees expected to join later. "Production is going well. We had been doing everything in-house, so now we've got out-of-house vendors. In the Dallas-Forth Worth area, we're making carbon-fiber parts like crazy. And they're starting to flow into Phoenix and Mesa," Moses said. "We've started assembly. So we have the wing and the fuselage coming together first," he said. The first Delta glide test flight should occur next spring, followed by the inaugural spaceflight carrying research payloads in summer 2026. The first private astronaut flights are planned for fall 2026. Moses said this schedule remains on track, with more details to come during the company's May 15 first-quarter earnings call. Moses said the Delta will sport superior avionics and components — while being easier to maintain — than its four-passenger predecessor, the VSS Unity. The flight profile will remain the same: "Release from the mother ship. Light the rocket motor. Go Mach 3 straight up, about a minute of rocket motor burn. You're in space. Weightlessness — floating out of your seat for about three or four minutes. And then, come back and land at the runway you took off from," Moses said. "We'll now have six passengers on board instead of four. The ship's more robust. But the big difference is, we can now turn and do that every three days, as opposed to once a month. Unity was once a month," he said. "So that's the big economic engine of the Delta class, right? It allows us to fly faster," he said. Moses said Virgin Galactic has a list of about 700 future passengers, though the company probably will not begin actively selling tickets until test flights start next year. Looking ahead, he said Virgin Galactic plans to "fill out" Spaceport America, which is located near Las Cruces in southern New Mexico, by offering daily missions using four Delta rocket planes. These vehicles will fly across about 1,000 miles of territory from the spaceport. More locations are planned later. "We've got lots of interest around the world for additional spaceports," Moses said. "Then you'll see us start to go back to what we originally had the vision of, but maybe we were biting off more than we could chew with the initial startup. Now, you can look at point-to-point travel, hypersonic research or other missions for our vehicles," he said. "But I think the science research-private astronaut experience, that's our bread and butter for 10 years," he said. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ 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: Virgin Galactic-NASA leader encourages Florida Tech grads to follow dreams
