321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (May 21)
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Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite internet to generate dozens of launches from Space Coast
Expect ecommerce giant Amazon to quickly become a major player in the Space Coast's commercial space industry when it begins building its Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation.
"Our satellites, we're making all those in-house in Kirkland, Washington. We're going to have the capability, when that's up and running at full capacity, to make up to five satellites a day. And then they'll be shipped here," Brian Huseman, vice president of public policy and community engagement, told the National Space Club Florida Committee.
Former FLORIDA TODAY photojournalist Michael R. Brown honored as NASA Chronicler at KSC
Former FLORIDA TODAY photojournalist Michael R. Brown captured images of all 135 NASA space shuttle missions — and hundreds of rocket launches — during his storied 34-year career at the newspaper.
But Brown will never forget the shuttle scrub where he and longtime Orlando Sentinel photographer Red Huber had to return to a dark, swampy area about 2:30 a.m. near pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to reservice their remote cameras, wearing calf-high boots and warily walking amid mangroves.
During daylight, the duo had spotted a 10- to 12-foot alligator lurking nearby.
How Amazon's Kuiper compares to SpaceX's Starlink
Many people on Earth, including right here in the United States, still lack access to reliable and affordable internet. Amazon is seeking to change this as it gets into the satellite internet business, promising fast, reliable, and affordable broadband internet to consumers and businesses alike.
If an internet constellation sounds familiar, it's because we see parts of one launched sometimes twice a week from the Space Coast. SpaceX is already well on the way to having its Starlink constellation delivering internet across the Earth, with service also available out at sea.
Friday night rocket launch: SpaceX Starlink to lift off from Cape Canaveral Florida
SpaceX is targeting Friday evening for the launch of another batch of Starlink satellites, according to Geospatial and FAA navigational warnings.
SpaceX has confirmed they are targeting a liftoff time of 8:32 p.m. as of Thursday evening. Should SpaceX not be able to launch at that time, backup opportunities exist until 11:30 p.m.
Blue Origin's New Shepard returning to flight almost two years after incident
After standing down for nearly two years due to an uncrewed flight incident, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is ready to resume crewed New Shepard flights.
Sponsored and paying customers can take a short flight just over the Kármán line, which lies 62 miles up and is the point at which one gains the title of astronaut. The spacecraft is named in honor of the first American in space Alan Shepard, as the flight resembles Shepard's suborbital spaceflight, meaning it doesn't orbit the planet.
Starliner delays continue. Crewed launch now set for no earlier than May 25
Those who made plans to watch Starliner lift off on Tuesday will need to adjust. Starliner is again facing a delay.
After the maiden crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner was scrubbed May 6, the rocket was rolled back off the launch pad for United Launch Alliance crews to replace a faulty oxygen valve on the second stage of the rocket. The new launch date of no earlier than May 17 was given, yet Boeing crews discovered an issue on the spacecraft. Launch was changed for no earlier than Tuesday, May 21.
SpaceX launch recap: Starlink mission Friday night from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Launch recap: Scroll down for live coverage of the Friday, May 17, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40.
Jellyfish in the sky: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 Friday from Cape Canaveral, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rose into the night sky for an on-time liftoff of 8:32 p.m. EDT Friday from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40. Onboard was the next batch of Starlink satellites, Starlink 6-59.
With clear skies, and the sun just below the horizon, conditions were perfect to create a "jellyfish" effect over the Space Coast. Beautiful hues surrounded the rocket as the stages separated. Meanwhile, the last bits of sunlight illuminated the rocket's vapor trail.
SpaceX targets mid-week Starlink double-header rocket launches from Space Coast, Florida
The Space Coast can look forward to back-to-back Starlink launches this week. After the "jellyfish" forming Starlink launch Friday night, this would be the first rocket launch double-header since late April.
First up on Wednesday, SpaceX appears to have a Starlink launch window running from 10:33 p.m. to 3:04 a.m. Thursday. If conditions are clear, this night launch will be difficult to miss as it lights up the skies over Cape Canaveral.
A driver's guide to watching a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast
For generations, Space Coast roadways have jammed with idling vehicles when hundreds of thousands of spectators flock to watch high-profile launches — like when up to 250,000 out-of-county visitors were predicted for NASA's historic SpaceX Crew-1 astronaut mission in November 2020.
But by and large, the crush of motorists has diminished. Brevard County hosted a record-shattering 72 orbital launches last year. And that unprecedented pace has accelerated, with perhaps 90 launches or more on tap by year's end.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 321 Launch: Space news you may have missed over the past week (May 21)
