Space Coast Aerospace

Space Coast Aerospace – A selection of Central Florida Aerospace news and announcements.

NASA plans to return to the moon

December 11, 2018 in Space Coast Aerospace

Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

Cape Canaveral is one of the busiest spaceports in the world. Soon, it will be interacting with the prospect of returning to the moon in the next decade. As part of that ultimate mission, Cape Canaveral-based Moon Express were among some of the companies selected to compete for up to $2.6 billion worth of NASA contracts that will fast-track the return. “When we go to the moon, we want to be one customer of many customers in a robust marketplace between the Earth and the moon and want multiple providers that are competing” says NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The launch of Apollo 17 was the last time that the Space Coast was given the opportunity to see NASA touch the moon. With announcements from companies like Moon Express’s plans to call Cape Canaveral home to their lander development program, Brevard County is on track to log more upwards economic activity as we set sail for the moon.

For more information about NASA’s return to the moon, read Orlando Sentinel’s article. For the official launch schedule, visit the Kennedy Space Center’s website. If you are planning to visit the Space Coast and are in need of accommodations, give us a call at (321)-784-5046 or e-mail us at [email protected]!

Cape Canaveral is the World’s Busiest Spaceport

February 29, 2016 in Space Coast Aerospace

Image from Launch Photography

Cape Canaveral’s Moon Express was recently selected to complete for up to two and a half billion dollars worth of NASA contracts; which will begin the campaign of getting the nation back to the moon. This activity is followed by a number of different aerospace companies that won NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The last time the space agency landed a spacecraft on the moon was 1972, and they agree that we’re due for another visit. Cape Canaveral is scheduled to see 30 launches in 2016, from a wide variety of vehicles including the United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon rockets. The last time the Space Coast saw this level of activity was during the 1960s race to space. With announcements from companies like Blue Origins’ plans to call Cape Canaveral home to their commercial space program, Brevard County is on track to log even more activity in the coming years. As companies like SpaceX set their sights on Mars, and demand for commercial payload deliveries continues to rise, the Space Coast may once again lead the way.

For more information about Cape Canaveral’s launch activity, read Spaceflight Now’s article, this report in the Orlando Business Journal, or Florida Today’s story. For the official launch schedule, visit the Kennedy Space Center’s website. If you are planning to visit the Space Coast and are in need of accommodations, give us a call at (321)-784-5046 or e-mail us at [email protected]!

Blue Origin’s Plans for Growth in the Space Coast

November 17, 2015 in Space Coast Aerospace

Image source: International Business Times

This September, Blue Origin announced they will be leasing one of NASA’s Cape Canaveral launch pads for their upcoming rocket launches. Blue Origin will join the growing list of commercial spaceflight companies co-habiting Kennedy Space Center, most notably SpaceX and Boeing. Blue Origin will launch their partially-reusable rockets from the Space Launch Complex 36, located in Cape Canaveral. Historically, this complex was home to Atlas rocket launches for over 40 years.

In addition to launching from the Space Coast, Blue Origin has also announced plans to build new rockets and process reused ones locally. While no definitive timeline for their activity has been announced, Blue Origin says that residents can expect to see their launches within the next decade.

Read more about Blue Origin’s plans and the details of the announcement in Tech News World’s article, Planter.org’s blog, or on Blue Origin’s website. If you are planning to visit the Space Coast and are in need of accommodations, give us a call at (321)-784-5046 or e-mail us at [email protected]! Be sure to ask us about our Fall Special, now through November 30!

Northrop Grumman Wins Deal with the Air Force

November 7, 2015 in Space Coast Aerospace

Image Source: Tallahassee.com

Northrop Grumman recently signed a contract with the U.S. Air Force to “design and manufacture a highly classified, long-range stealth bomber.” The company won the bid against a joint effort made by Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Speculation about the economic growth that will be brought to the already flourishing Space Coast estimates the contract could bring as many as 1,500 high-paying jobs with a median annual salary of $100,000 to the area. The jobs and local investment will significantly impact the area’s space and aviation sectors, which have not experienced the same recovery the rest of the local economy enjoys. Additionally, local experts believe that the contract will have a significant positive impact on the already booming real estate market, provide a boost to local charities, and stimulate jobs in the local services and retail industry.

Shortly after the deal was announced, Northrop Grumman made a generous donation of $135,000 to select Brevard County schools. The selected schools will get “Innovation Center Labs” designed to encourage students interested in STEM subjects to continue pursuing their curiosity for maths and sciences. According to the President of United Way of Brevard, “Northrop Grumman has a long history for supporting the community and charitable causes with volunteer time and financial resources.”

Read more about the Northrop Grumman contract, the economic impact it will have, and Northrop Grumman’s generous donation on Florida Today. If you are planning to visit the Space Coast and are in need of accommodations, give us a call at (321)-784-5046 or e-mail us at [email protected]! Be sure to ask us about our Fall Special, now through November 30!

NASA Needs Astronauts, Accepting Applications This December

November 5, 2015 in Space Coast Aerospace

Image Soure: Libertyunyielding.com

NASA recently announced they will be hiring new astronauts as they begin looking forward to the next steps in manned space flight. They will begin accepting applications this December 14 and will close recruitment some time in February of 2016; NASA expects to announce their new hires in 2017. Ideal candidates “must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics…Candidates also must have at least three years of related, progressively responsible professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Astronaut candidates must pass the NASA long-duration spaceflight physical.”

This new generation of astronauts, in addition to the 47 active members of NASA’s astronaut corps, will fly from the space coast on a number of commercially developed crafts, including Space X’s new Dragon rocket, and will help lay the foundations for long-duration space flight missions. As NASA looks forward, missions to both the moon and Mars will no longer be the stuff of science fiction. Development of new vehicles, such as Boeing’s Starliner and NASA’s Orion, and new technologies that may eliminate the need for rocket fuel or will reduce long distance travel time, will challenge astronauts to test and experiment to push the boundaries of science and mankind’s reach in space.

Read more about NASA’s plans for the future and the astronaut hiring process on the Space Coast Daily, or in Fortune online. If you are planning to visit the Space Coast and are in need of accommodations, give us a call at (321)-784-5046 or e-mail us at [email protected]! Be sure to ask us about our Fall Special, now through November 30!