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A unique aerial demonstration is coming to SUN ‘n FUN on April 13, 2024. In Lakeland, Florida, the Polaris Program Ghost Squadron will be flying in the evening airshow with a mission to “inspire the next generation of aerospace enthusiasts and raise funds and awareness” for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The demonstration team consists of four L-39 jets, three Alpha Jets, and one MiG-29.
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Relativity has now filed a permit to upgrade Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the company moves full steam ahead with their reusable launch vehicle, Terran R. This comes after the company announced it was discontinuing the Terran 1 program so teams could solely focus on the upcoming launch vehicle. With the first launch of Terran R expected no earlier than 2026, the company is getting to work in Florida so the launch complex is prepared.
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Blue Origin has been silently working on its next launch vehicle New Glenn for years now and we may be close to seeing its first launch in 2024. As it does with its New Shepard rocket, the company plans on recovering the first stage booster for reuse. While this plan has changed some, scrapping the boat Blue initially intended to land on, recovery of the first stage is still a major part of the New Glenn system. We previously noted on Twitter that Blue Origin had acquired a building complex within Port Canaveral, formerly used by SpaceX, and we now understand that it plans to base its recovery operations there. Now, a new permit shows the next area of the port Blue is looking to call home as it inches closer to the first New Glenn launch.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon Heavy from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 28, 2022, at 7:29 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry the ViaSat-3 Americas communication satellite alongside Astranis Arcturus telecommunications satellite and the G-Space 1 CubeSat.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 17, 2023, at 7:38 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry the SES-18 and SES-19 communications satellites to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
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Amazon is now offering the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ 102mm Refractor Telescope for $338.84 shipped. Normally going for $399, as it does over at B&H, this 15% discount, or solid $60 price drop marks a new all-time Amazon low price we’ve seen for this telescope model. This is also only the third price cut to date. The StarSense lineup of telescopes from Celestron aims to simplify the experience of observing the night sky with your phone being used to guide you to targets using the StarSense Explorer app and you don’t even need to have service for this to work as it is self-contained. For those who like more specific details, this telescope uses a 102mm refractor optical tube for observing deep-sky objects with the manual alt-azimuth mount supporting the telescope, plus you get a 25mm eyepiece which is best for DSOs, planets, and the moon, and a 10mm eyepiece which is best for detailed views of the Lunar surface and planetary details. The dwarf planet Ceres reaches opposition at the end of March so then will be the best time to try and catch a glimpse of it through this scope. Head below for more.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, 2022, at 8:30 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry a Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station carrying food, science, and other supplies for the Commercial Resupply Services 27 (CRS-27) mission.
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The highly anticipated sequel to one of the most popular space simulation games, Kerbal Space Program 2, is now available in early access after experiencing a few years of delays. While you can pick up this game for $50, the biggest question people have had so far is “should I?” There are a lot of factors that will play into this decision, and we will discuss some of them below. Ultimately, we can’t make the decision for you and it will require work on your end to make the final call.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 531 is set to launch the SES 20 and 21 satellites at 5:36 p.m. EDT on October 4, 2022. These two satellites will be operated by SES of Luxembourg and provide TV broadcasting service across the continental United States.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 5, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry four astronauts, two NASA, one JAXA, and one Roscosmos to the International Space Station for Expedition 69.
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NASA is set to launch the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the first time from LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 29, 2022, with the two-hour launch window opening at 8:33 a.m. EDT. This launch will carry the Orion capsule on the Artemis 1 mission to a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon for a full, uncrewed test.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 9, 2022, no earlier than 6:57 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry a new batch of Starlink satellites (Starlink Group 4-26) to a 53.2° inclination orbit.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 4, 2022, at 7:08 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), which is officially named Danuri, to a 100km Polar Lunar Orbit.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 421 rocket will launch the sixth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS GEO-6) mission for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command to a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The target liftoff time is no earlier than 6:29 a.m. EDT on August 4, 2022, from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
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Barnard Propulsion Systems (BPS) has been working towards landing a model rocket like SpaceX lands its Falcon 9 boosters, but this presents a challenge. Unlike the Falcon 9 with its liquid rocket engines, model rockets typically use solid propellant motors that have essentially no throttle control. Joe Barnard of BPS has spent the past seven years working towards this goal, and it has finally been achieved.
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It’s a hot and humid summer morning. On July 16th, 1969 the silence was broken by the sound of five F-1 engines roaring to life. Apollo 11 lifted off at 9:32 AM EDT on a mission of a lifetime. On July 20th, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are about to land on the Moon.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, at 8:44 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry a Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station carrying food, science, and other supplies for the Commercial Resupply Services 25 (CRS-25) mission.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on July 7, 2022, no earlier than 9:01 a.m. EDT. This launch will carry a new batch of Starlink satellites (Starlink Group 4-21) to a 53.2° inclination orbit.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 29, 2022, at 5:04 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry the SES-22 communications satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket will launch the USSF-12 mission for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command to a Geosynchronous Orbit. The target liftoff time is no earlier than 6 p.m. EDT on June 30, 2022, from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 19, 2022, at 12:27 a.m. EDT. This launch will carry the Globalstar-2 M087 communications satellite to a 1,140 km, 52° inclination orbit.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on June 18, 2022, at 10:19 a.m. EDT. This launch will carry the SARah-1 Earth observation satellite to a Polar Orbit.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 17, 2022, at 12:09 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry a new batch of Starlink satellites (Starlink Group 4-19) to a 53.2° inclination orbit.
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SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 8, 2022, at 5:04 p.m. EDT. This launch will carry the Nilesat-301 communications satellite to geostationary orbit.
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