December 6, 2020

Brevard Faces Stiff Competition From Colorado for Space Command Headquarters (Source: Florida Today)
A bipartisan contingent of Florida members of Congress is pushing for the Air Force to locate U.S. Space Command headquarters in Brevard County. But Dale Ketcham, Space Florida’s vice president for government and external relations, says it could be a uphill battle to win the headquarters away from front-runner Colorado, where the headquarters is temporarily based and where a predecessor of Space Command had been located.

"For any state, dethroning Colorado is a monumental task," Ketcham said. "Everyone everywhere recognized that Colorado is the front-runner." Even if the Space Coast does not make the final cut, Ketcham said being in the current process will put the area in a good spot to be in the running for future missions, programs and units. (12/6)

SpaceX Launches First Upgraded Cargo Dragon Capsule from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
The first in a new series of SpaceX-built cargo spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, a fiery kickoff for its roughly 24-hour trek to the International Space Station. Exactly eight seconds past 11:17 a.m., the 230-foot rocket vaulted off pad 39A with the Cargo Dragon spacecraft packed with 6,400 pounds of supplies and science experiments, eventually setting it on an ISS-bound trajectory 12 minutes later.

The capsule is slated to autonomously dock with the outpost at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time Monday. Between liftoff and Cargo Dragon separation from the second stage, meanwhile, the rocket's booster successfully landed on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship northeast of Florida. Sunday's launch marked its fourth flight. (12/6)

UCF Researcher Part of New NASA Mission to Map Water on Moon (Source: UCF)
NASA today gave a team of researchers the green light to begin building instruments that will be launched on a satellite to scan and create high-resolution maps of water on the moon. In June 2019, NASA selected the Lunar Trailblazer mission, along with three other proposed missions, for further study under its Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program. Today, NASA gave the international team, which includes UCF planetary geologist Kerri Donaldson Hanna, the go ahead to get ready for launch in 2025. (12/2)

Japan Space Capsule Collected in "Perfect Condition" in Australia (Source: Kyodo News)
The Japanese space agency said Sunday the capsule from its Hayabusa2 space probe was collected from the Australian desert in "perfect condition," hopefully containing samples from the Ryugu asteroid that could help explain the origins of life. The capsule appeared as a bright fireball lasting several dozen seconds as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere before dawn, its protective heat shield glowing as it reached temperatures of approximately 3,000 C. (12/6)

Texas Congresswoman to Continue Leading Space Committee (Source: Space Committee)
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) was unanimously re-elected to serve as the Chairwoman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for the 117th Congress by the House Democratic Caucus. Congresswoman Johnson is the first African American and the first female Chair of the Science Committee. (12/3)

Under Armor Joins With Virgin Galactic to Unveil Space Suits (Source: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic today unveiled the spacesuits its pilots will wear as they fly private astronauts on life changing journeys to space. Designed in collaboration with the company’s Technical Spacewear Partner, Under Armour, the Virgin Galactic Pilot Corps will wear the spacesuit and footwear on future flights – including the first human spaceflight from New Mexico, which is due to take place this month with the flight window opening on December 11. (12/4)

Florida Delegation Makes Case for Space Command HQ (Source: Rep. Bill Posey)
Twenty-one Members of Congress from Florida’s Congressional Delegation led by Reps. Bill Posey, Michael Waltz, Stephanie Murphy and Charlie Crist have joined in support of Florida’s efforts to locate U.S. Space Command’s Headquarters in Florida. The Air Force recently announced that Cape Canaveral is among the six finalists to advance in the selection process for Space Command’s Headquarters. Click here. (12/2)