We Report Space

One of my photos of the March 4 Starlink 10-40 SpaceX Falcon 9 launch was chosen as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (”APOD”) for today. I’m humbled by this, as the “Space Jellyfish” shown was visible across much of the U.S. East Coast, and many very cool photos were captured of it. The caption, written by the very smart Cecilia Chirenti, well describes the phenomenon shown. Photos don’t really do it justice; it’s truly breathtaking, like a giant illuminated flower opening in the night, or, if a more apocalyptic tone is your thing, it’s like the night sky is ripping open. Big shout-out to the ever-cool and ubiquitous John “Snap” Kraus aka @johnkrausphotos, who has developed an app to gauge the likelihood of a still sometimes surprising space jelly, located in public beta here: jellyfish.johnkrausphotos.com. The prediction for this launch was good, and this is a tool every launch/weather enthusiast should know about. This frame was captured using the same camera I stuck in the Banana River for the streak, inverted under my tripod, just a couple of inches above the water. The water wasn’t still enough for the mirrored shot I hoped for, but the jelly glow is reflected nicely. After I ended the streak shot, I quickly dialed in some settings, and this is what I came up with. APOD link here: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260319.… Details: ISO1250, f4.5, and 1.3-secs captured with a @CanonUSA R5M2 and EF24-70mm L lens.

Liftoff! At 12:19am (ET) Tuesday morning, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket. Sent to space was the EchoStar XXV mission, a television broadcast satellite. This was the view over the Indian River Lagoon seen from Palm Shores, Florida.

@SpaceX @TurkeyBeaver Big shoutout to @johnkrausphotos -- jellyfish.johnkrausphotos.com = great. Well done, sir!

Wednesday, 5:52am (ET): What a treat for the Space Coast of Florida, as SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket, sending a batch of Starlink satellites to space just before sunrise, which meant: SPACE JELLYFISH! It was gorgeous. This was the view is a 386-sec exposure from Merritt Island, Florida, complete with the re-entry burn.

Many people turned out to watch the 9:56pm (ET) Sunday night SpaceX Falcon 9 launch that sent a batch of Starlink satellites to space. This was the view from Cocoa Beach, Florida, complete with re-entry burn, visible far out over the Atlantic.

It was a big deal this (Friday) morning at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site as NASA laid out a meaningful reset for the Artemis program. It’s a bigger shift than just a schedule tweak. On hand were @NASAAdmin Jared Isaacman, Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, and Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. Here’s what’s changing: 1. Artemis III is no longer the first lunar landing: Instead, it’s now targeted for 2027 as a crewed mission in low Earth orbit focused on testing. The plan is to rendezvous and dock with commercial lunar landers from SpaceX and/or Blue Origin, run integrated system checkouts (life support, propulsion, communications), and put the new lunar spacesuits through real in-space testing. The actual return-to-the-Moon landing shifts to Artemis IV in 2028, with Artemis V following soon after, and NASA is now aiming for at least one lunar surface mission every year beyond that. 2. An added mission and a faster cadence: There’s now an additional mission built into the 2027 timeframe, and the broader goal is clear: move from long, multi-year gaps between launches to a steadier, more predictable rhythm. 3. Standardizing the rocket configuration: NASA is simplifying the Space Launch System approach and sticking closer to the existing “Block 1” configuration rather than introducing major new variants midstream. The idea is to reduce complexity, build on what’s already been tested, and fly more often with less reinvention between missions. 4. Step-by-step capability building: The philosophy behind this feels very intentional: test in orbit, prove the systems together, then land. And repeat with increasing confidence. Fewer giant leaps in hardware between flights. More incremental progress. Meanwhile, Artemis II hardware is back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional work ahead of its upcoming launch window, so the near-term focus is still getting that crewed lunar flyby test safely off the ground. From here on the Space Coast, it’s fascinating to watch the architecture evolve in real time. The Moon is still the goal, but the path there just became more methodical, more commercial-partner integrated, and potentially much more frequent once the landings begin. TL;DR: @rookisaacman seems to be settling into the job quite nicely, and the Artemis program (finally?) seems to be benefiting from stable, collaborative leadership.

Launched and landed 33 times, SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1067 has set a new record for reusability with the 10:47pm (ET) Saturday Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral, seen here from Port Canaveral. Congratulations to the SpaceX team!

At 8:41pm (ET) Thursday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of Starlink satellites to space. This was the cloudy view from Port Canaveral.

Godspeed, Crew 12! Streak (launch & landing) and Nebula.

Liftoff!! At 5:15am (ET) Friday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral sending a Crew Dragon spacecraft to orbit. On board: 4 humans heading for the International Space Station. ~8 mins later, the 1st stage booster returned to be flown again. (447-sec exposure from Cocoa Beach)

At 4:22am Thursday (ET), United Launch Alliance launched a Vulcan rocket, sending the USSF-87 mission to space. This was the view from Cocoa Beach, FL. Despite one of the solid rocket boosters misbehaving early in flight, ULA says everything was on a "nominal trajectory."

February 6, 2018: The inaugural flight of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The launch sent @elonmusk’s Tesla Roadster to space; according to whereisroadster.com, it’s currently cruising along at a speed of 6,352mph, 16.88 light minutes from Earth. (📷:me/@WeReportSpace)

Artemis II / SLS / Orion and the 98.5% Moon caught Monday night from Titusville as the Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) is underway.

Artemis II / SLS / Orion on the pad Sunday morning with the Full "Snow" Moon in the sky overhead. No snow here this morning, but temperatures are definitely below freezing on the Space Coast this morning: 28 degrees at KSC, with a "feels like" temp of 17 degrees.

Artemis II / SLS / Orion at LC39B Friday morning. Latest schedule: Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) - Monday, Feb 2 Earliest launch opportunity - Sunday, Feb 8 Details here: nasa.gov/blogs/missions…

While you were sleeping (probably), again: At 2:22am (ET) Friday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket, sending a batch of Starlink satellites to space. This was the (chilly, again) view over the Banana River and "The Natalia" in Cocoa Beach. I spotted this wreck leaving the hospital, and was waiting for a southeast trajectory to use it as a foreground. For the record, Malcolm Denemark made an excellent shot from here a couple of days ago with a northeast trajectory, allowing him to be tighter on the boat. His shot is really great. Side note: The boat owner is super-affable and determined to re-float The Natalia; there's jacks and a bunch of tools nearby. When I stopped during the day, he was working hard to clear the sand. Details: ISO400, f20 and 161-secs with a Canon USA R5m2 and EF17-40mm L lens.

While you were sleeping (probably): Tuesday night at 11:53pm (ET), SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket that sent the GPS III SV09 satellite to space. This was the very clear (and very chilly) view from Titusville looking over the Indian River toward Kennedy Space Center.

At 6:31pm (ET) Sunday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket sending a batch of Starlink satellites to space. At ~40 mins after sunset, the sky still had some lingering color. It was a very pretty scene, seen here from Palm Shores, Florida.

Artemis II crew + SLS + Orion: Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site Saturday morning as the Artemis II rocket rolls to the pad.

At 4:41pm (ET) Friday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of Starlink satellites. This was the view from Cocoa Beach.