Latest news with #FloridaToday
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
What to know: SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral set for overnight
SpaceX will try again tonight to launch the Falcon 9 rocket that scrubbed early Monday morning. The new liftoff time is set for 12:42 a.m. Tuesday, June 3. The launch will be from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40. The payload is latest batch of Starlink internet satellites, which is being referred to as Starlink 12-19. SpaceX did not provide an official reason for the early Monday scrub. The 45th Weather Squadron predicted a 65% chance of favorable conditions for tonight's launch attempt. According to Space Launch Delta 45, the rocket will travel on an eastern trajectory upon liftoff. This is a rare occasion as Starlink launches typically fly southeast or northeast. When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral No middle-of-the-night sonic booms will be heard on the Space Coast, as the rocket's first stage will land on a SpaceX drone ship stationed out on the Atlantic Ocean. Check back beginning 90 minutes prior to liftoff for live updates on this page. Countdown Timer Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What to know: SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral to occur overnight
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral set for Wednesday morning
A SpaceX rocket will take to the Florida sky Wednesday morning. According to the Space Coast Office of Tourism, the next rocket launch is set for 9:30 a.m. May 28. The Federal Aviation Administration and SpaceX have yet to confirm the mission. The Space Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 80% chance of favorable weather at the 9:30 a.m. start of the launch window, which runs until 1:30 p.m. However, weather conditions are expected to deteriorate to only 40% favorable towards the end of that window. The mission is referred to as Starlink 10-32, and will be the next batch of SpaceX Starlink internet satellites, which provide internet in some of the most remote places on Earth. After liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket will travel on a southeast trajectory. No Space Coast sonic booms will be heard, as eight-and-a-half minutes after liftoff the rocket's first stage will land on a SpaceX drone ship, which will be stationed out on the Atlantic Ocean. When is the next Florida launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral The FLORIDA TODAY Space Team will provide live updates beginning 90 minutes prior to liftoff at Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX rocket launch from Cape Canaveral set for Wednesday morning
UPI
24-05-2025
- Climate
- UPI
SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from Florida ahead of thunderstorm
May 24 (UPI) -- SpaceX on Saturday afternoon launched 23 more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Florida before a thunderstorm struck the area. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Pad 40 at 1:19 p.m. The first-stage booster landed about eight minutes later on the private company's drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the booster's 24th mission, including 18 Starlink missions and a commercial resupply services flight to the International Space Station. SpaceX has completed 451 booster landings since Dec. 2015 from Florida and California. Watch Falcon 9 launch 23 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 24, 2025 It was the 44th Starlink launch of the year from Florida at Cape Canaveral or Kennedy Space Center, Florida Today reported. At 11:55 a.m., the temperature was 89 degrees with a heat index of 100, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. After liftoff, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the area until 4:30 p.m. There were scattered to severe storms across east central Florida with hail, damaging winds and lightning, according to Space Coast Daily. On Friday, SpaceX launched 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. From the Kennedy Space Center on June 8, SpaceX is planning to launch the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff for the Falcon 9 is scheduled for 9:11 a.m. from Pad 39A. The four astronauts plan to spend 14 days at the ISS.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Looking for something free to do on Memorial Day? How about visit to Florida state park?
Looking for something fun to do or just want to relax on Memorial Day and don't want to spend a lot of money? On Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, Florida State Parks is offering free admission to Florida's 175 state parks and trails. 'Free admission on Memorial Day is a perfect opportunity to discover a new park, revisit a favorite and enjoy everything our award-winning parks have to offer," said Chuck Hatcher, director of Florida State Parks. Here's what you should know. Residents and visitors can visit any of Florida's state parks and trails for at no cost on Monday, May 26. Yes. Free admission applies to day-use entry only. Free admission is excluded at: Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Skyway Fishing Pier State Park' Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Wekiwa Springs State Park The Monroe County surcharge and all other applicable fees, such as overnight stays, concessions and rentals, still apply. There are 175 state parks and trails in Florida, ranging from beaches and springs to scenic trails and historic sites. ➤ Find a park at ➤ Use interactive map to find a park in a specific area Looking for a certain type of park? Here are types you can search for: Beaches and coast Gardens Springs Geological History and culture Rivers and lakes Trails Wilderness Rip currents are powerful channels of fast-moving water that flow away from shore. Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year. It is estimated 100 people are killed by rip currents each year, according to NOAA. ➤ This advice may save your life at the beach: How to identify, know what to do if caught in rip current This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Memorial Day free admission Florida state parks, trails, historic site
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Florida governor signs protection bill, meaning no golf courses in state parks
Florida governor signs protection bill, meaning no golf courses in state parks Show Caption Hide Caption Does Florida Parks bill offers lesson in how politics should work From proposal to develop to protest to bill for protection, Florida Today's John A. Torres asks our panel if this is how local and state politics should work Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill protecting state parks from commercial development. The bill, passed unanimously by the legislature, restricts development like golf courses and luxury lodges in favor of activities like hiking. The legislation was introduced after public outcry against a previous plan to commercialize state parks. As he said he would, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure to protect Florida's 175 state parks from development such as golf courses, luxury lodges and pickleball and tennis courts. The news came from a message on a legislative website: "Approved by Governor on Thursday, May 22, 2025 4:43 PM." There was no public bill signing event and no immediate comment from his office. Regardless, the signing on May 22 is likely the final chapter in a saga that began last summer: DeSantis' Department of Environmental Protection announced a plan to commercialize Florida's 175 state parks with custom amenities at beloved natural icons like Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County, Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, and Topsail Hill Preserve in Walton County. Critics quickly likened the plan to "paving over paradise," and DeSantis himself shelved the Great Outdoors Initiative, saying it included "a lot of that stuff was just half-baked and was not ready for prime time." In a stunning rebuke to the DeSantis administration, two Stuart Republicans – Sen. Gayle Harrell and Rep. John Snyder – took the lead in carrying the legislation (HB 209). It was co-sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Bradley and Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, among many others – 48 in all from both parties, or almost a third of the Legislature. And the bill passed both chambers unanimously. The Harrell-Snyder legislation, named the State Parks Preservation Act, mandates that DEP focus park management on passive traditional recreational activities that leaves the land mostly undisturbed. And lawmakers define what those activities are, like hiking. HB-209 was co-sponsored by Representative John Snyder (R-Stuart), Senator Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart), and Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-District 91). The bill passed both legislative chambers unanimously and mandates public transparency through required hearings and digital access to updated land management plans —ensuring public oversight and protection of Florida's natural and historic resources. 'The passage of this bill ensures that our state parks are protected forever. This is democracy at work. The voices of the people have been heard,' Harrell said in a statement. Lawmakers also created a straitjacket of regulations to maintain DEP's focus on preservation by requiring the department to ask for public input to develop park management plans that must be updated every ten years. Any changes to those plans would require two public hearings while they are being developed and written. The new law was endorsed by Audubon Florida, a conservation group that helped create the first state park in 1916 (Royal Park, now part of the Everglades National Park). 'This may be one of the most monumental environmental laws Florida has ever passed,' said Rep. Gossett-Seidman. 'Our parks are not for sale—they're sacred public spaces filled with natural beauty that must be protected for future generations. The new law also renames the St. Marks River Preserve State Park in Leon and Jefferson counties to the "Ney Landrum State Park" in honor of the late director emeritus of Florida State Parks who passed away in 2017. Landrum served as state parks director 1970–89. (This story was updated to add new information.) James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@ and is on X as @CallTallahassee.
