Brevard’s NI90: SpaceX double-header, MSC cruises and restaurant news
Florida Today’s Rob Landers brings you some of today’s top local news in 90 seconds.
Liftoff was timed at 10:35 p.m. Wednesday, when a Falcon 9 rocket rose from the launch pad and lit up the night sky over Cape Canaveral. Its payload: Starlink 6-62, the working name for this set of 23 Starlink satellites.
The rocket rose in the night in a south-easterly direction and gave a loud noise.
Eight and a half minutes later, the Falcon 9 booster landed Lack of gravitas Droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Schedule of upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launches in Florida
Wednesday saw the booster’s eighth flight. Its past missions include three Starlink missions, ESA’s Euclid, CRS-30 and two Axiom space crew missions: Ax-2 and Ax-3.
SpaceX is the first in a double-header
Wednesday night marks the first of another SpaceX launch double-header.
As the Falcon 9 rocket carried a batch of Starlink satellites into orbit, the SpaceX team announced plans to launch another batch — within 24-hours.
On Thursday evening, another batch of Starlink satellites was launched from the Space Coast.
As of Thursday morning, SpaceX confirmed it was targeting a 6:45pm EDT launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A. However, it was later announced that the release would be moved to the end of the window at 10:13 pm EDT.
As of Wednesday’s launch, the Falcon 9 rocket was expected to travel on a southeast trajectory and land aboard a drone in the Atlantic Ocean.
Starliner launch update
Space Coast saw nearly three launch weeks. NASA released a statement saying the launch of Starliner’s Crewed Flight Test has been further delayed, abandoning the attempt on Saturday, May 25. The next launch attempt is now scheduled for 12:25 pm EDT, Saturday, June 1. This gives teams more time to ensure the spacecraft is ready for launch.
The last attempt to launch on May 6 was scrapped after the Atlas V rocket was found to have a faulty oxygen valve. ULA crews worked to replace the oxygen valve, but were further delayed after helium was discovered leaking from a thruster in the spacecraft’s service module — a disposable module that houses the thrusters that sits beneath the spacecraft.
“It is important that we take our time to understand all the complexities of each issue, including the redundant capabilities of the Starliner propulsion system and the impact on our interim human evaluation certification. We will begin Butch and Suni on this test mission. The community has evaluated the teams’ progress and flight logic in the upcoming Delta Agency Flight Test Readiness Review.” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, was quoted as saying in a press release.
Backup release opportunities extend through Sunday, June 2, Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6.
The Florida Today Space Team will continue to bring you the latest on this story and all the launches at the Cape. Floridatoday.com/space.
Brooke Edwards is a space reporter for Florida Today. Contact her [email protected] or in X: @brookofstars.
