Space news you may have missed over the past week (Feb. 16)
ULA plans to launch its Vulcan rocket early Thursday; Crew-12 aims for Friday
While the launch of NASA’s Crew-12 has now been pushed back to Friday, those on the Space Coast are still in for a surprise as United Launch Alliance now has an open range to launch its Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral.
A rare sight in Space Coast skies, the Vulcan rocket will lift off on a National Guard mission for the Space Force titled USSF-87. The launch is set to occur no earlier than 3:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Read the full story here.
NASA and SpaceX will launch the Crew-12 mission to the ISS. Meet the astronauts
Two Americans, a Russian man and a French woman are on the brink of conflict heading to the International Space Station for a nine-month stay.
The contingent of international astronauts selected for the joint mission of NASA and SpaceX, known as Crew-12, can go to their new missions. cosmic They will begin excavations as early as Friday, February 13. Once there, they will settle in and prepare to spend their time assisting with routine station maintenance and conducting scientific experiments designed for microgravity.
Read the full story here.
ULA Vulcan rocket faces biggest test yet ahead of Space Force launch
Powerful Vulcan rocket faces its biggest test yet As he prepares to launch his second national security space flight from Florida.
This time, a rocket expected to be the United Launch Alliance’s workhorse will carry its heaviest payload yet on its longest mission yet.
Read the full story here.
Spacecraft launched by Florida helps make this new discovery on Venus
A spacecraft launched from Florida nearly 40 years ago helped discover a vast underground tunnel formed by ancient volcanic activity. hiding under Venus.
Although we have long had evidence that Venus was once a volcanically active world, scientists have not found any signs of features known as lava tubes, which are common on Earth, the Moon, and Mars.
So far.
Read the full story here.
Recap of the ULA Vulcan rocket launch early Thursday in Florida
Summary of the USSF-87 mission, which launched at 4:22 a.m. Feb. 12 atop a ULA Vulcan rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.
Sparks were seen from the rocket as the ULA Vulcan launched from Florida on Thursday
A sustained rumble shook the Space Coast at the beginning of February 12. United Launch Alliance Vulcan rockeIt took to the skies over Cape Canaveral, but what most people noticed was the unexpected light show from the rocket.
After an initial delay, Vulcan blasted into the sky from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:22 a.m. Thursday. Shortly after takeoff, sparks briefly appeared in the area where the solid rocket boosters were located.
Read the full story here.
Live recap of NASA’s launch of SpaceX Crew-12 from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Launch recap: Scroll down to view live updates for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Friday, February 13, aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 flew into space after a pre-dawn launch to the ISS on Friday
About two hours before sunrise, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 began its 34-hour journey to the International Space Station, launching aboard the Dragon Freedom spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday, February 13.
Crew-12’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Launch Complex 40 at 5:15 a.m. after NASA delayed the mission for two consecutive days, citing windy offshore weather on the Atlantic Coast.
Read the full story here.
Crew-12 launch, Artemis II delay and Musk’s big change: Space Beat
Host this week on Space Beat Rob Landers and USA TODAY NETWORK Florida Space Team correspondent Eric Lagatta Discuss the carefully orchestrated dance NASA and SpaceX have completed to prioritize Crew-12A mission to the International Space Station to make room for the inevitable launch of Artemis II.
This said, Artemis II The wet dress rehearsal has now been postponed until at least March after leaking problems were found with the SLS rocket.
Read the full story here.
In the Artemis II speech, the Moon is called our ‘testing ground’ for deep space missions
NASA’s ambitious 10-day Artemis II mission, orbiting the moon and returning, should be considered “one step in a long operational tempo,” though it is a first crewed test flight.
That’s the perspective of Natasha Wiest, the program manager responsible for the 212-foot core stage of Boeing Co.’s powerful Space Launch System rocket. He calls the core stage the “backbone of the rocket.”
Read the full story here.
SpaceX releases summary of live updates from Starlink mission at Cape Canaveral
Launch recap: Scroll down to view live updates for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket liftoff from Cape Canaveral for the Starlink 6-103 mission on Monday, February 16.
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit: floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly 321 Launchspace newsletter.
Rick Neale He is the Space Reporter for FLORIDA TODAY and has been covering the news since 2004. Contact Neale Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article first appeared on Florida Today: 321 Launch: Space news you may have missed last week (February 16)
