News & Updates

Post-Launch Updates: Starliner, SpaceX OCISLY Return

posted on 21st December, 2019 5:03 pm by

After a picture-perfect launch aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket early Friday morning, the Boeing Starliner capsule missed its proper orbital insertion to rendezvous with the International Space Station as planned, and will instead land in White Sands, New Mexico tomorrow morning at 7:57 AM EST. Coverage will be shown live on NASA TV starting at 6:45 AM EST.

Due to what is believed to be a software issue, Boeing’s capsule did not make the planned burn to reach the orbit needed for ISS rendezvous. The problem occurred due to automation and a communication challenge with TDRS, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites; according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine during a press conference yesterday morning, if the capsule had been crewed, the astronauts aboard might have been able to provide data and take action to complete the mission as planned, and in any case, would have been safe. ULA CEO Tory Bruno confirmed during the same press conference that ULA’s Atlas V rocket performed nominally throughout the launch to spacecraft separation. Despite the issues encountered, a great deal of information is being gathered to help ensure that future problems of this sort can be prevented. At this time, it has not been determined whether there will be another uncrewed test mission prior to the first crewed launch of the Starliner capsule.

Meanwhile, the launch itself was viewable along the eastern coast of the United States, resulting in spectacular photos from viewers far north of Florida, as well as the usual stunning work by the recurring cast of Space Coast launch photographers:

And while all the pre-launch prep and post-launch drama was going on elsewhere, SpaceX’s drone ship Of Course I Still Love You sailed serenely into port on Thursday, carrying the landed booster from the successful JCSAT-18/Kacific1 launch on December 16th. By Friday evening, the booster was horizontal and being offloaded from OCISLY.

Don’t forget to tune into NASA TV tomorrow for coverage of the Starliner capsule landing, and stay tuned for more exciting Space Coast rocket launches!

News & Updates

Upcoming Launches: SpaceX Starlink 2 Moves to January 6

posted on 21st December, 2019 2:24 pm by

(Updated: 31 Dec 2019, with new NEW launch time.)

The SpaceX Starlink 2 launch, previously scheduled for December 30th and January 3rd, will now launch on January 6, 2020, no earlier than 9:20 PM EST.

SpaceX will be launching a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 in Cape Canaveral bearing the third batch of satellites for their Starlink broadband network. It is expected that this will be a first-stage landing at sea on one of SpaceX’s drone ships, and thus not viewable from land. Viewing Locations: Jetty Park will probably be open; parking for non-Brevard County residents is usually $15 per car. Free locations include Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach beaches, and any of the parks along U.S. 1 in Titusville, like Space View Park. Exploration Tower is selling VIP viewing tickets, $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Kennedy Space Center is NOT offering premium viewing at this time, and Playalinda Beach will not be open due to the time of day.

Assuming all goes as planned, the drone ship will return to Port Canaveral bearing the landed booster within a few days; at that time, the drone ship and booster should be briefly viewable from Port Canaveral’s “restaurant row” (for example, Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill) as the booster is being unloaded. Booster returns are a sight not to be missed! Do try to catch this one if you can.

If you need further guidance on any of these, please feel free to reach out via the Contact links – we’re happy to help people on their launch viewing journeys.

Stay tuned for further updates!

News & Updates

Traffic Advisory, 12/20

posted on 18th December, 2019 10:12 am by

Per media advisory from Kennedy Space Center, please note the following road closures for Friday, December 20th, in conjunction with the ULA Starliner launch from SLC 41 in Cape Canaveral:

“Beginning Friday, Dec. 20 at 3:30 a.m., Kennedy Space Center Security Police will be enforcing restricted access from the Kennedy Space Center boundary lines for the duration of the launch attempt. Security police will operate checkpoints at the property lines listed below:

  • State Road 3 from Gate 2 News Media Pass and Identification Building to State Road 405 (NASA Causeway), including Space Commerce Way. Access to Kennedy Space Visitor Complex, Exploration Park and Blue Origin will be limited to authorized personnel and invited launch guests.
  • The A. Max Brewer Memorial Bridge on State Road 406 in Titusville, east of Playalinda Beach. The Playalinda Beach area will be closed to the general public.
  • The Haulover Canal Bridge will be closed at 3:30 a.m. which will restrict access from the Oak Hill area

Please expect delays and plan accordingly.

News & Updates

Launch Day Update: Food Trucks @ Jetty Park Tonight

posted on 16th December, 2019 11:11 am by

As per the Jetty Park Beach & Campground Facebook page: Four food trucks are scheduled to be on site for the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch tonight! Cosmos Ice Cream, Bizzle’s Bistro, Simple Soup N Sammich and The Melting Box will be serving food from 5 pm onward to hungry launch viewers. Tonight’s launch window opens at 7:10 pm, and weather reports are showing 90% favorable conditions for launch. C’mon out to the Space Coast and see what we do best!

News & Updates

Upcoming Launches: SpaceX JCSAT 18, ULA Starliner OFT, SpaceX Starlink 2

posted on 12th December, 2019 9:52 pm by

UPDATED: 16 December 19, 11:26 AM, with Jetty Park Viewing Info

Looks like it’s going to be a busy month on the Space Coast!

Monday, December 16th, 7:10 pm EST: SpaceX will be launching a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 in Cape Canaveral bearing the JCSAT 18/Kacific 1 communications satellite. The launch window will be open for a little less than an hour and a half, closing at 8:38 pm. Landing is planned to take place on the SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, and therefore is not expected to be viewable from land. Viewing Locations: Exploration Tower is offering VIP launch viewing for $30 per person. Jetty Park will be open, and have 4 food trucks on site for visitors’ convenience; parking for non-Brevard County residents is usually $15 per car. Free locations include SR 528/A1A and any of the parks along U.S. 1 in Titusville, like Space View Park. Playalinda Beach will not be open due to the time of day. UPDATE! Kennedy Space Center has just opened up premium viewing for this launch at their Apollo/Saturn V Center! This will be the closest available viewing, and will cost $20 per person on top of regular daily admission (or annual pass). Get your tickets before they sell out, at the KSCVC website. (Thanks, Gordy L., for the heads up!)

Friday, December 20th, 6:36 am EST: ULA will be launching Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner capsule on its Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Center, the penultimate uncrewed test flight before ULA/Boeing begin carrying astronauts to and from the ISS. This launch will be on an Atlas 5 rocket, launching from SLC-41 in Cape Canaveral. Due to the pre-dawn timing of this launch, there is a very high chance of the noctilucent effect, leading to some amazing launch viewing! As with all ISS launches, this one has an instantaneous launch window, so it will either launch on time or not at all. Viewing Locations: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is offering their Feel The Heat viewing package at the Apollo/Saturn V Center for $195 per person; this is the closest available viewing for this launch. (The Feel The Fun package, at the Atlantis North Lawn, will have launch viewing obstructed by the treeline, and is less recommended for that reason.) Exploration Tower has stated that they will be offering VIP launch tickets, but no information is available yet. Jetty Park will be open starting at 5 am; parking for non-Brevard County residents is usually $15 per car. Free locations include SR 528/A1A and any of the parks along U.S. 1 in Titusville, like Space View Park. Playalinda Beach will not be open due to the time of day.

Monday, December 30th, 11:40 pm EST: SpaceX will be launching a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 in Cape Canaveral bearing the third batch of satellites for their Starlink broadband network. It is expected that this will also be a first-stage landing at sea on one of SpaceX’s drone ships, and thus not viewable from land. Viewing Locations: Jetty Park will probably be open; parking for non-Brevard County residents is usually $15 per car. Free locations include SR 528/A1A and any of the parks along U.S. 1 in Titusville, like Space View Park. Kennedy Space Center is NOT offering premium viewing, Playalinda Beach will not be open due to the time of day, and Exploration Tower has not stated whether they will be offering VIP viewing packages at this time.

For the two SpaceX launches, assuming all goes as planned, the drone ships will return to Port Canaveral bearing the landed boosters within a few days; at that time, the drone ships and boosters should be briefly viewable from Port Canaveral’s “restaurant row” (for example, Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill) as the booster is being unloaded. Booster returns are a sight not to be missed! Do try to catch one if you can.

If you need further guidance on any of these, please feel free to reach out via the Contact links – we’re happy to help people on their launch viewing journeys.

Stay tuned for further updates!

News & Updates

Welcome to the Space Coast, JRTI!

posted on 11th December, 2019 11:50 am by
Photo by @baserunner0723

Space Coast launch life isn’t just about rockets and space – in fact, for the past few days, our focus has been fixed on the water.

Yesterday, on a bright sunny Florida winter day, the SpaceX drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) was brought into Port Canaveral to join sister ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) for the first time since their shipyard days 4+ years ago.

(Featured Image by @baserunner0723.)

Since their acquisition by SpaceX, these ships have been supporting first-stage landings at sea on opposite sides of the United States – OCISLY on the east coast, JRTI on the west coast. Recently, however, the frequency of west coast launches from Vandenberg AFB has waned, while the cadence on the east coast has increased, due in part to SpaceX’s launches of satellites for their Starlink constellation. Presumably, this is the reason for moving JRTI to Port Canaveral.

For some months, JRTI had been undergoing repairs and/or upgrades in Louisiana – until the day when sharp-eyed onlookers reported that the drone ship was no longer there:

Diligent ship trackers soon confirmed that the tug Alice C was towing JRTI toward Port Canaveral, and anticipation grew as we awaited their arrival.

By Monday, it was confirmed that Alice C and JRTI were sitting outside the entrance to Port Canaveral. Naturally, the usual Space Coast crew headed to Port – to wait, and hypothesize, and take lots of pictures.

Savvy onlookers like Julia quickly deduced that SpaceX’s two fairing-catcher boats, Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief, would have to relocate to make room for JRTI.

In order to berth JRTI, a dock wedge needed to be installed – essentially, a bumper, to allow the ship to be moored without scraping anything.

While this work was done, Alice C and JRTI waited patiently outside Port Canaveral. Their proximity inspired new speculation, as to what else (besides the dock wedge) they might be bringing.

Meanwhile, the booster from CRS-19 – remember the booster? ‘cuz there was a booster – serenely waited for its ride to arrive.

Alas, the day’s work could not be completed before the arrival of several scheduled cruise ships (you know, those big fancy boats that don’t haul rockets) and so the ship stalkers had to take their leave of Port Canaveral, and await the next morning – a day which would be free of such issues.

Tuesday dawned bright and sunny, as the ship-stalkers once again assembled in Port Canaveral to keep watch for JRTI:

Heck, I even made it down there myself for awhile!

Logistics and maneuvering proceeded apace, as workers made room for all their kids at the dock.

Finally, at around 2:30 pm, it happened: JRTI and company made their way into the port!

Upon entry into the Port, onlookers were finally able to catch a glimpse of that cargo JRTI was carrying: among other things, six thrusters, to help JRTI (or perhaps OCISLY) with their booster-catching shenanigans.

I bet you wish you could’ve been there, huh? Fortunately, Julia was gracious enough to stream the arrival, and so you can relive those moments from the comfort of your easy chair, and without having to spend two days in the sun to do it:

Whether it’s at the space port, or the ship port, or out on the beaches, launch life on the Space Coast is always an adventure!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Upcoming Space Coast Launches

Falcon Heavy on pad LC-39A the day before its historic debut, poised for flight. Photo by Lupi.

Falcon Heavy on pad LC-39A the day before its historic debut, poised for flight. Photo by Lupi.

At this time, we recommend that you consult the following resource for the most up-to-date launch information available: