Florida
6 projects eyed to increase Florida space launches
TALLAHASSEE – State aerospace leaders have outlined major upgrades around Cape Canaveral as they look to build on this year’s record number of launches, which were boosted Monday by the liftoff of two Falcon 9 rockets.
Space Florida officials think six projects, ranging from an improved electrical system to replacing a bridge, need about $100 million a year through public and private investments.
Todd Romberger, Space Florida’s senior vice president of the spaceports business unit, said the work, based on industry trends, would increase the annual “tonnage” capacity of what could be launched at the cape from roughly 1,000 metric tons to 5,000 metric tons.
“That would be the equivalent of about 220 Falcon 9 launches a year, which currently we are getting up close to about 100 or so over the next, I would say, year or two,” Romberger said Thursday during a Space Florida Board of Governors meeting.
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, who is the chairwoman of the Space Florida board, said listing the projects “really hones in on what the challenges are for our growth.”
The projects
The six projects involve upgrades to wastewater treatment facilities, improved electrical infrastructure, wharf expansion at Port Canaveral, added fuel distribution, wetland mitigation and replacement of the NASA-owned Roy D. Bridges Bridge over the Banana River, which connects the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
“This bridge has some, I’ll call it geometric constraints that will inhibit passage of large cargo over it,” Romberger said. “And so, this is an issue that we will need to solve to help relieve some of the bottleneck in moving large things around the cape.”
Replacing the bridge would cost $145 million.
Meanwhile, upgrading the electrical system across the spaceport is projected to cost $275 million. The current system is considered insufficient for certain launch operations.
Also, Space Florida estimates additional wharf space would cost $2.1 billion.
Space Florida this year released a report calling for a nearly doubling wharf space at Port Canaveral during the next decade to meet the needs of the private space industry.
The study priced the work at $42.2 million for the first phase, growing to $2.1 billion for what is outlined as a seven-phase project.
Space Florida is considering another study to determine how all of the state’s ports can be tied to the space industry.
Part of the reason for the wharf expansion is projected demand for liquid natural gas for launch vehicles. Keeping fuel on pace with expansion, separate from the wharf projects, would cost $182 million.
Another $180 million would go toward locating and restoring wetlands in exchange for at least 381 “wetland mitigation credits” at the cape over the next 10 years.
Also, Space Florida said the spaceport is at capacity for its wastewater. While it will look at on-site treatment, it would prefer new infrastructure that would be installed by Brevard County to accommodate up to 700,000 gallons a day. The estimated cost is $20 million.
“We do not expect these to all be solved solely by the state or by our partners at (the Florida Department of Transportation),” Romberger said. “But the bottom line here is that we need to work together with federal partners, with the spaceport users, to come up with creative solutions where we are, you know, as a community and as an industry contributing together to solve these problems.”
Space Florida didn’t provide a breakdown on how much will be requested from the state and federal governments.
The SpaceX rocket launches on Monday were the 77th and 78th from Florida this year, up from 72 orbital rocket launches from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 2023.
There were 57 launches in 2022 and 31 in 2021.
The wharf study projects 197 launches in 2028, 282 in 2033, 386 in 2043 and 1,252 in 2073.
The following information comes from a March 3, 2024, article in the Naples Daily News.
Founded in 1953, the first modern medical facility opened on Fourth Street South in March 1956 with the name Naples Community Hospital. The hospital’s first baby was born the next day.
Ten years later, in 1966, the hospital added 50 more beds, an emergency department and several specialized departments. Later that decade, several more departments were added including an intensive care unit.
In 1970, the hospital expanded the original building to six stories and began construction on a new, two-story building next door. This building was later expanded to six stories and was dubbed the “South Tower” while the first tower was called the “North Tower.”
Construction on the Downtown Naples facility continued in the 1980s and on Oct. 15, 1984, The North Collier Health Center opened its doors. This facility was opened as a satellite facility of the main hospital. Shortly after, on Feb. 4, 1985, another satellite facility, which included a helipad, was opened on Marco Island.
In January 1990, North Collier Hospital (the North Naples campus) opened with 50 beds at its location on Immokalee Road in North Naples. The healthcare system, as well as the local population, continued to grow during this decade.
NCH was the only hospital in Collier County until 2001.
NCH, Nicklaus announce Van Domelen Institute for Women and Children
The four-story, 156,000-square-foot center will offer advanced care for families and be housed on the NCH North Hospital campus.
In February 2007, the system expanded once again with the opening of the $64 million Jay & Patty Baker Patient Care Tower at the North Naples hospital.
In 2020, NCH purchased a 186,000 square foot office building on Immokalee Road to relocate some of its administrative support and non-clinical functions which it expects to complete in spring of 2021.
NCH also started a $35 million renovation and expansion of its Baker Hospital emergency room with a two-story, 19,000 square foot addition to expand its emergency room capacity to 47,000 square feet, with expected completion in February 2022.
In 2023, a rebrand changed what NCH stands for, becoming Naples Comprehensive Health.
Information gathered from the Naples Daily News archives, Wikipedia, Collier100.org and Collier County Museum archives.
Florida
Florida Woman, 31, Accused of Peeing on and Damaging More Than $3,000 Worth of Property in Multiple Airbnbs
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A so Florida thing is coming up — amid spring break season. A rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled to lift off this weekend.
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit on Sunday, March 22.
Rockets here launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and people in and around Brevard County usually have the best chance at seeing this phenomenon in the sky.
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast is sometimes visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as West Palm Beach.
When there’s a nighttime launch window or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions on where to watch it in person (or virtually via the USA TODAY Network’s Space Team).
For questions or comments, email USA TODAY Network Space Reporters Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com, Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or Eric Lagatta at elagatta@usatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Is there a rocket launch from Florida today? Next launch is Sunday, March 22, SpaceX Starlink 10-62
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
- Launch window: 10:43 a.m. to 2:43 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22.
- Trajectory: Northeast.
- Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Sonic booms: No.
- Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.
Where to watch SpaceX rocket launches from Melbourne, Rockledge, Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island, Florida
Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you’ll get a view of the rocket launch − in certain areas, you can get an amazing view of SpaceX rocket boosters returning to the pads. The best view to watch a rocket launch from the Space Coast is along the beach. However, visibility will depend on weather conditions and people should make sure not to block traffic or rights of way on bridges and to follow posted rules at beaches.
If you are viewing the launch along the Indian River in Titusville from Space View Park or Parrish Park, look east directly across the river.
If you are farther south along the Indian River, look northeast.
Playalinda Beach or Canaveral National Seashore is the closest spot to view liftoff because it is almost parallel to Launch Pad 39A. On the beach, look south along the coastline (you can even see the pad from some spots).
Some hotspots to check out:
- Jetty Park Beach and Pier, 400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Note, there’s a charge to park.
- Playalinda Beach, 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there’s a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn’t always granted depending on capacity and time of day.
- Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park, 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note, parking is available on both sides of Max Brewer Bridge.
- Space View Park, 8 Broad St., Titusville
- Sand Point Park, 10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville
- Rotary Riverfront Park, 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
- Riverfront Park at Cocoa Village, 401 Riveredge Blvd., Cocoa (just before State Road 520 Causeway)
- Cocoa Village, near the parks and shops or near the docks
- Various parks on Merritt Island
- Rotary Park, 1899 S. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
- Kiwanis Park on Kiwanis Island Park Road on Merritt Island
- Port Canaveral, with ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean
- Alan Shepard Park, 299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
- Cocoa Beach Pier, 401 Meade Ave. Parking fee varies.
- Lori Wilson Park, 1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way.
- Sidney Fischer Park, 2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
- Downtown Cocoa Beach, along Minutemen Causeway
- Tables Beach, 197 SR A1A, Satellite Beach
- The Tides on SR A1A in Satellite Beach
- Various parks, including the Pelican Beach Clubhouse, in Satellite Beach
- Pineda Causeway
- Eau Gallie Causeway
- Front Street Park near Melbourne (U.S. 192) Causeway and U.S. 1 in Melbourne
- Indialantic boardwalk at Melbourne Causeway and SR A1A
- Paradise Beach Park, aka Howard Futch Park, 2301 SR A1A, Melbourne (this is a beachside park)
- Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter)
Watch some rocket launches with NASA on Prime Video
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
NASA content, including some rocket launches, is available to watch through NASA+ on desktop, both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
All NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video’s FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime’s Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
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