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SpaceX Launches Final Record-Breaking Rocket оf 2018

SpaceX has successfully launched its 21st rocket of the year – smashing its previous record, which is its first national security mission in the process.

At 8.51a.m. Eastern Time, December 23, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral with a new GPS 3 satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force. The launch had been delayed several times the last week, but finally took off on Sunday.

This was the 20th Falcon 9 rocket flight this year, and SpaceX’s 21st flight in total, including the Falcon Heavy launch in February. The previous record was last year- 18 launches.

This launch does not aim a landing, unlike SpaceX’s recent launches. The full performance of the rocket will take the satellite on board to its intended orbit about 1,200 miles above the Earth.

In 2016 SpaceX were awarded an $83 million contract to launch this satellite, which is worth half a billion dollars. This is the first of a class of new GPS satellites that are being built by Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin developed and manufactured GPS 3 at its advanced $128-million GPS 3 Processing Facility near Denver. In September 2017, the Air Force declared the satellite “Available for Launch”, AFL, and had the company place it into storage. Last Summer the Air Force ordered the satellite for launch and Lockheed Martin delivered it to Florida on August 20. The satellite is nicknamed the Vespucci after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci and has a lifespan of 15 years .

The launch was originally scheduled for May 2018, however, it was delayed as tests of new Block 5 rocket had being continuing. SpaceX is currently contracted to fly four more GPS satellites, worth more than $380 million in total.

The goal of Vespucci will be to replace an existing old GPS satellite that has been in orbit since 1997. The new satellite, GPS 3, known as SV01, boasts some advanced capabilities over its predecessor, including three times better accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities.

According to Forbes.

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Amazing Drone Footage Unveils How Disney New Star Wars Lands are Taking Shape

Disney shows sweeping new drone footage unveiling construction of the new Star Wars, Galaxy’s Edge, against music composed for the attraction.

A video of the London Symphony Orchestra playing John Williams’ rousing music created for the attractions as Star Wars fans are taken on a brief tour of Galaxy’s Edge. The video includes incredible sweeping aerial shots that reveal how construction is progressing. Continue reading “Amazing Drone Footage Unveils How Disney New Star Wars Lands are Taking Shape”

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SpaceX Adds New Astronaut Walkway to Historic NASA Launch Pad

SpaceX is another step closer to crewed flight.

The private spaceflight company SpaceX installed an astronaut walkway at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Monday. The walkway will allow astronauts to get from the launch tower to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship, which will sit atop SpaceX’s 230-foot-tall (70 meters) Falcon 9 rocket.

The 85-foot-long arm was delivered to the base of the Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on August 15. Five days later, it was raised by crane 265 feet above sea level, and there it was mounted to the space shuttle tower. Continue reading “SpaceX Adds New Astronaut Walkway to Historic NASA Launch Pad”

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SpaceX Seeks Expansion at KSC

SpaceX plans new facilities at KSC to support more launches and landings.
SpaceX is planning to expand its presence at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including a state-of-the-art launch control center, rocket refurbishment center and a Falcon 9, Dragon rocket garden, according to environmental impact documents filed to NASA a month ago.
The California-based company and its founder the billionaire Elon Musk, is currently well-established on the Space Coast with two launch pads, one at Kennedy Space Center and one at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and also a hangar at Port Canaveral.
Environmental impact documents reveal a proposal for a launch control tower up to 300 feet tall for launches and landings, a rocket garden to show off the company’s historic space vehicles, a new security office, a 280,000 square foot utility yard, and a 133,000 square foot rocket processing and storage facility. The proposed buildings and the associated lot would all be on a piece of land nearly one mile long by a half mile wide. Continue reading “SpaceX Seeks Expansion at KSC”

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Orlando Police Testing Amazon’s Facial Recognition in Public

Orlando police confirmed they are testing Amazon’s real-time facial recognition on the streets.

The fact that the facial recognition technology was active in public was not willingly shared by the police service. At first, the police department denied and said the trial was confined to its headquarters as the existing pilot was limited to basic testing, and no members of the public were entered for search.

However, after the news was announced by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), police chief John Mina officially admitted at a press conference that three of the city’s IRIS cameras downtown were also equipped with the software. Continue reading “Orlando Police Testing Amazon’s Facial Recognition in Public”