Category: News & Updates

Launch news and updates from the Space Coast.

Next Up: SpX NROL-108

posted on 15th December, 2020 8:10 pm by

Aaaaaargh I forgot to update the site again, and this is important, yo:

SpaceX is launching the NROL-108 mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from pad LC-39A this Thursday, December 17th, within a three-hour window that begins at 9:00 am local time (GMT-5) and the reason why this matters is because this is a Return To Launch Site landing, expected to occur at LZ-1, and those are becoming rarer and rarer lately.

For this launch, Jetty Park is going to be the prime location, in order to get the best views of that landing booster. As a bonus, the booster from the SXM 7 launch is expected to arrive in port at dawn, so an exciting day to take a trip to Port Canaveral! Remember to buy your Jetty Park admission in advance; they will scan your admission code at the gate.

Cheers!

December 10th Launch Update: WTAF?

posted on 7th December, 2020 9:24 am by

ETA: Deadlock broken. ULA’s Delta IV Heavy is scheduled for the 10th; SpaceX will launch SXM7 on the 11th.

If you have looked at the latest launch schedule and noticed that two different launches seem to be happening on the same day, and are wondering what’s up with that?

It’s okay. None of the rest of us know, either.

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CRS-21 Launch Wrap-Up & Booster Return

posted on 6th December, 2020 8:42 pm by

So, CRS-21 launched this morning from LC-39A, and the view from Playalinda Beach was glorious…

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Next Up: Okay, Wait, What?

posted on 5th December, 2020 1:30 am by

As I write this, it’s 12:37 a.m. on the morning of the fifth and we don’t know yet whether SpaceX’s CRS-21 is going to launch today (ETA: it isn’t; Sunday the 6th at 11:17 am local (GMT-5), instead) and yet already I’m looking past that, because the launch schedule ’round these parts nowadays is just weird.

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Next Up: CRS-21 (maybe?) 12/5

posted on 2nd December, 2020 7:44 pm by

So, yeah, it’s totally not like I’ve been busy with holiday stuffs and slacking on the rocket-ish things… Anyway, as of now there’s only a 40% chance that weather will allow it, with moderate risk of upper-level winds and high risk of bad recovery weather, but if the Fates are kind, SpaceX will be launching their Cargo Dragon to the ISS on its CRS-21 mission on a Falcon 9 from pad LC-39A on Saturday, December 5th at 11:39 a.m. local time (GMT-5).

12/3 ETA: Improving weather outlooks might? increase the PGO from 40% to a better number? Keep an ear to the wind with this one; don’t make any non-refundable travel plans just yet.

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Starlink L15 Now Sunday; Crew-1 Booster Returns to Port, Askew

posted on 20th November, 2020 7:07 pm by

So if you were thinking, “gee, I really don’t feel like watching a rocket launch on Saturday night,” well, guess what? You are in luck, because SpaceX’s Starlink L15 launch has now slipped to Sunday, November 22 at 9:56 p.m. local time (GMT-5). Playalinda will be closed, so U.S. 1 in Titusville is probably the best option.

The Crew-1 booster, expressing its individuality via nonconformity with parallel lines upon its return to Port Canaveral on Thursday.

Meanwhile, yesterday morning the Crew-1 booster, B1061.1, returned to Port Canaveral aboard the drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) and apparently it was practicing its ballet moves while at sea, for it danced into port nearly en pointe, one landing leg right up against the edge of the ship with another raised up in the air, holding a truly spectacular pose. According to tweets by SpaceX executive meme-lord Elon Musk, this seemingly major alignment disorder is a relatively simple fix, and will not prevent the booster’s planned reuse for Crew-2, NASA/SpaceX’s next crewed launch. No word as yet on whether Musk and/or SpaceX will be funding B1061.1’s future dance training and potential career.

Stay tuned for further Space Coast updates!

Next Up: Port Return, Starlink

posted on 18th November, 2020 2:18 pm by

Yeah, yeah, Crew-1 is awesome, but here on the Space Coast it’s always all about the next launch – which will be this Saturday, November 21, at 10:17 p.m. Nope! Sunday, November 22, at 9:56 p.m. local time (GMT-5), when SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites (designated V1.0-L15) aboard a Falcon 9 from pad SLC-40 in Cape Canaveral AFS.

Before that, however, we expect to see the SpaceX ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) arriving at Port Canaveral with the recovered first stage from the Crew-1 launch (B1061.1) some time tomorrow (Thursday, November 19)…

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Crew-1: The Morning After

posted on 16th November, 2020 10:52 am by

So last night, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 did in fact yeet the Crew-1 Dragon capsule Resilience toward the International Space Station; it was a spectacular launch, and the photos are still rolling into social media, and all around the Space Coast, people are slowly waking up and perhaps wondering what to do with themselves now that the Big Event is past…

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Crew 1: T-1 Day Roundup

posted on 14th November, 2020 10:41 am by

Today, Saturday the 14th of November, is not Launch Day. Tomorrow… so far, so good.

As announced yesterday, the NASA/SpaceX Crew 1 launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station has moved to Sunday, November 15th at 7:27 p.m. local time (GMT-5), and so, as everyone scrambles to change their plans, here’s a few things to keep in mind:

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(At One Point) Crew One (Was) Proceeding On Schedule, Somehow

posted on 10th November, 2020 3:00 pm by

UPDATE: Crew 1 has slipped one day due to weather at the recovery location – to Sunday, as noted below. If you have Gray Line tickets, check your email for important re-booking information! -WP

Despite Tropical Storm Eta bouncing around the Gulf like a pinball, plans are still proceeding apace for the Crew One mission to the International Space Station, launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 no earlier than Sunday, November 15th, at 7:27 p.m. local time (GMT-5), according to the Flight Readiness Review that concluded today.

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