2 rockets prepare to lift off from Cape Canaveral this week
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Space Coast will be busy over the next few days. READ: SpaceX breaks record with 3 launches in 36 hoursThe launch is set to happen at 5:04 p.m. Wednesday. The company plans to launch a satellite for TV and data services in the United States. Just over 24 hours later, United Launch Alliance plans to launch two national security satellites for the U.S. Space Force on an Atlas V rocket. READ: ‘A big step forward’: Florida scientists grow plants in lunar dirtThe launch is set for Thursday.
wftv.comVideo: Work continues on new launch site in Florida for SpaceX Starship rockets
Construction continued Tuesday at Kennedy Space Center on a new launch site meant for use with SpaceX’s Starship, a behemoth rocket facing scrutiny due to concern over its sheer size and the potential effect on the surrounding environment.
Major crash shuts down part of SR 408 in Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — A major crash shut down the eastbound lanes of State Road 408 early Monday. Traffic was backed up for miles near Mercy Drive. READ: SpaceX breaks record with 3 launches in 36 hoursWe are working to find out if anyone was hurt in the crash. Check back and watch Eyewitness News for updates. READ: Women say they were shot at while driving on I-4 in Volusia County#BREAKING: Major crash SR- 408E near Mercy Dr.***ALL LANES BLOCKED***On @WFTV now with live coverage and alt rts.
wftv.comSpaceX breaks record with 3 launches in 36 hours
SpaceX is celebrating a record after it launched three rockets within 36 hours. There was a Starlink launch on Friday and a Global Star satellite launch just after midnight on Sunday. There was another Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday. READ: SpaceX closer to launching giant rocketship after FAA reviewThis was the fastest three-flight sequence for an orbital rocket in modern space history. SpaceX rocket launchesOn Monday, NASA will take its next step toward sending astronauts back to the moon with a “wet dress” rehearsal.
wftv.comSpaceX reported to fire employees critical of CEO Elon Musk
HAWTHORNE, Calif. — (AP) — SpaceX, the rocket ship company run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has fired several employees involved in an open letter that blasted the colorful billionaire for his behavior, according to media reports. The firings occurred Thursday — the same day Musk addressed Twitter employees for the first time about his $44 billion deal to add that social media service to his business empire. Musk denied the sexual harassment allegations, and Shotwell last month sent out an email to SpaceX employees saying she believe the accusations were false. The open letter from SpaceX employees criticizing Musk asserted that some of his tweets sent out to his 98 million followers cast the company in a poor light. “As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX — every tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company," the open letter said.
wftv.comSpaceX fires workers who criticized Elon Musk in open letter
Placeholder while article actions loadSpaceX has fired employees who helped coordinate an open letter critical of chief executive Elon Musk’s behavior on Twitter and other public forums. She said the workers who’d coordinated the effort had been terminated, but did not say how many. Shotwell told employees that the concerns raised in the letter threatened to derail SpaceX’s focus on those tasks. “The collaboration we need to make life multiplanetary is incompatible with a culture that treats employees as consumable resources,” it said later. “Our unique position requires us to consider how our actions today will shape the experiences of individuals beyond our planet.
washingtonpost.comSpaceX to launch another batch of Starlink satellites Friday
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of 53 Starlink satellites is now set to lift off from Kennedy Space Center on Friday afternoon. Targeting Friday, June 17 for a Falcon 9 launch of 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from LC-39A in Florida → https://t.co/FHNtCC2xqJ — SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 15, 2022This is the 12th launch of this particular first-stage booster, having previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2 and nine Starlink missions. Read: SpaceX launches GPS satellites for US Space ForceAfter the launch, Falcon 9′s first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed off the Florida coast. WATCH: SpaceX successfully launches first rocket of 2021 from Central Florida’s Space CoastThe launch window opens at 12:08 p.m. Read: Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex lands at Kennedy Space Center Visitor ComplexYou can watch the launch as it happens here and on Channel 9 Eyewitness News at noon.
wftv.comSpaceX employees reportedly wrote a letter criticizing Elon Musk, calling his behavior 'a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us'
In the letter, workers reportedly called for SpaceX to publicly condemn Elon Musk's behavior on Twitter and hold all leadership "equally accountable."
news.yahoo.comSPACEX prepares to launch 53 Starlink satellites Friday
SpaceX to launch another round of Starlink satellites Friday (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 53 Starlink satellites is set to launch on Friday. This launch will blast off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Targeting Friday, June 17 for a Falcon 9 launch of 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from LC-39A in Florida → https://t.co/FHNtCC2xqJ — SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 15, 2022The instantaneous launch window is scheduled for 12:08 p.m. Eastern Time. Read: Kennedy Space Center celebrates 60-year legacy while looking to the futureThe first stage booster for this mission also supported the previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2 and nine Starlink missions. Read: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex announces new ticket pricing, multiday optionsClick here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
wftv.comAfter 60 years Kennedy Space Center once again to play key role in American space program
NASA Kennedy Space Center 60th Anniversary SpaceX’s Axiom-1 is in the foreground on Launch Pad 39A with NASA’s Artemis I in the background on Launch Pad 39B on April 6, 2022. (NASA/Jamie Peer/NASA)BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — For nearly 60 years, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center has played a key role in America’s space program. Now, as NASA’s new moon rocket and Orion spacecraft sit on launchpad 39B, the Space Center will play a crucial role in America’s return to the moon. READ: Kennedy Space Center to open ‘Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex’ this summerOfficials said the next logical step is to learn to live on the moon and apply the lessons learned for NASA’s mission to Mars. The rover is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet.
wftv.comSpaceX closer to launching giant rocketship after FAA review
SpaceX-Starship This image provided by SpaceX shows SpaceX's giant Starship rocket standing at its Texas launch pad. Elon Musk's company is looking to attempt the first orbital test flight of the nearly 400-foot-tall Starship sometime this year. (SpaceX via AP) (Uncredited)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — (AP) — SpaceX cleared a key hurdle Monday for its plan to launch a gigantic, futuristic rocketship into orbit from Texas. The agency saw no significant environmental concerns, but is requiring more than 75 actions to reduce impacts to the region. After the latest news, SpaceX tweeted: "One step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship."
wftv.comTesla files for 3-for-1 stock split
Tesla just filed its annual proxy statement with the SEC and revealed it plans a three-for-one stock split, and that board member Larry Ellison does not plan to stand for re-election. "We believe the Stock Split would help reset the market price of our common stock so that our employees will have more flexibility in managing their equity." A stock split of this nature could mean that more smaller investors feel they can afford the stock, but those investors are minuscule compared to major institutions. In its 2022 proxy filing, the electric vehicle and renewable energy business, also revealed that board member Larry Ellison currently owns 1.5% of Tesla shares. The filing also says that Tesla CEO Elon Musk currently holds 6% of Tesla shares.
cnbc.comMusk threatens to walk away from Twitter deal
Tesla Musk FILE - Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, on March 9, 2020. Tesla shares tumbled more than 7% in early trading on Friday, June 3, 2022, on a report that Musk is considering laying off 10% of the electric automakers’ workers. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) (Susan Walsh)DETROIT — (AP) — Elon Musk is threatening to end his $44 billion agreement to buy Twitter, accusing the company of refusing to give him information about its spam bot accounts. Lawyers for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO made the threat in a letter to Twitter dated Monday that the social platform included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The lawyers say in the letter that Twitter has offered only to provide details about the company’s testing methods.
wftv.comSpaceX set to launch 25th resupply mission from Florida to International Space Station next week
SpaceX set to launch 25th resupply mission from Florida to International Space Station next weekKENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX is planning to launch a rocket to resupply the International Space Station next week. WATCH: SpaceX safely returns Crew-3 astronauts off Florida’s coastThe rocket launch company is looking to blast off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station around 10:22 a.m. next Friday. The mission will be the 25th resupply mission for SpaceX contracted through NASA to launch cargo to the space station. READ: Kennedy Space Center to open ‘Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex’ this summerSpaceX will send the cargo inside of a Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A. WATCH: Launch, land, repeat: SpaceX ends busy week with Starlink launch at KSCChannel 9 will have live coverage of the launch when it happens on Eyewitness News.
wftv.comAx-1 undocking, splashdown delayed to Sunday due to high winds, NASA says
The undocking of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four Ax-1 astronauts will now undock from the International Space Station no earlier than Sunday night, according to Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.