ULA plans to launch Vulcan rocket early Thursday; Crew-12 aims for Friday
With the launch of NASA’s Crew-12 now postponed to Friday and United Launch Alliance now having a clear range for its Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral, those on the Space Coast are still in for a treat.
The Vulcan rocket will provide a rare sight in the skies of the Space Coast as it conducts a national security mission called USSF-87 for the Space Force. The launch is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. Thursday, February 12, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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NASA and SpaceX will launch the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. Meet the astronauts
Two Americans, a Russian man and a French woman are about to embark on a nine-month stay at the International Space Station.
The international team of astronauts selected for the joint NASA and SpaceX mission called Crew-12 will head to their new cosmic dig station as early as Friday, February 13. Once there, they’ll settle in and prepare to spend time helping with daily station maintenance and conducting science experiments designed for microgravity.
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ULA Vulcan rocket faces biggest test before Space Force launch
The powerful Vulcan rocket faces its biggest test yet as it prepares to launch its second national security space flight from Florida.
This time, a rocket designed to become the workhorse of the United Launch Alliance will carry the heaviest payload ever on its longest mission.
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Spacecraft launched from Florida helps make new discovery on Venus
Nearly 40 years ago, a spacecraft launched from Florida helped discover a vast underground tunnel formed by ancient volcanic activity lurking beneath Venus.
Although we have long had evidence that Venus was once a volcanically active world, scientists have been unable to find any signs of the lava tube features common on Earth, the Moon and Mars.
so far.
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A recap of the ULA Vulcan rocket launch in Florida earlier Thursday
Looking back at the USSF-87 mission, which was launched from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 41 on a ULA Vulcan rocket at 4:22 a.m. on February 12.
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Sparks appear on ULA Vulcan rocket as it blasts off from Florida on Thursday
As a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket ascended over Cape Canaveral early on February 12, a persistent rumble rocked the Space Coast, but what many noticed was the unexpected light show from the rocket.
After initial delays, Vulcan launched at 4:22 a.m. Thursday from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Shortly after liftoff, sparks briefly appeared in the solid rocket booster area.
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Live review of NASA’s launch of SpaceX Crew-12 from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Launch recap: Scroll down for live updates as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission on Friday, February 13.
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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 soars into space after launching to the International Space Station before dawn on Friday
Nearly two hours before sunrise, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 launched aboard the Dragon Freedom spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday, February 13, beginning a 34-hour journey to the International Space Station.
Crew-12’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 40 at 5:15 a.m. after NASA postponed the mission for two consecutive days, citing windy weather off the Atlantic coast.
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Crew-12 launch, Artemis II delays, and Musk’s big shift: Space Beat
This week on Space Beat, host Rob Landers and USA TODAY Network Florida Space Team reporter Eric Lagatta discuss the elaborate dance NASA and SpaceX are doing to prioritize the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station to make way for the inevitable launch of Artemis II.
Still, the Artemis 2 launch is now delayed until at least March after a wet rehearsal discovered a leak in the SLS rocket.
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Artemis 2 speech calls moon a ‘testing ground’ for deep space missions
Although NASA’s ambitious 10-day Artemis 2 mission around the moon and back is the first crewed test flight, it should be viewed as “a step in a long-term operational rhythm.”
That’s the view of Natasha Wiest, a Boeing program manager responsible for the 212-foot core stage of the powerful Space Launch System rocket. She calls the core stage “the backbone of the rocket.”
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SpaceX releases live update recap of Cape Canaveral Starlink mission
LAUNCH RECAP: Scroll down for live updates as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Monday, February 16 on the Starlink 6-103 mission.
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For the latest news from Space Force Station Cape Canaveral and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to subscribe to our weekly 321 Launch space newsletter.
Rick Neal is a space reporter for Florida Today and has been covering news since 2004. Contact Neale: Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @rickneal1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Launch 321: Space news you may have missed from the past week (February 16)
