Florida

Triple-core SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches GOES-U from Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Published

1 year ago

June 25, 2024

Triple-core SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches GOES-U from Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Double sonic booms sounded through the Space Coast Tuesday afternoon as not one, but two Falcon 9 side boosters landed. GOES-U, the latest weather satellite by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, was headed to geostationary orbit, 22.236 miles above Earth. Its science should help to revolutionize not only weather imaging here on Earth but look at space weather that could impact our planet.

NOAA’s GOES-U satellite rose into space atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A. The two-hour launch window opened at 5:16 p.m. EDT, but only an additional 10 minutes was needed to work around weather.

Launching atop a core Falcon 9 booster, supported by two shiny white Falcon 9s — the triple-core Falcon Heavy had given off a blinding five million pounds of thrust at liftoff. After boosting the satellite off the pad, the two new side boosters separated and landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The core booster, which was also new, was discarded over the ocean after doing its job.

When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida

Even though the rocket launched on Tuesday, the rocket was a bit late to the launch pad − not arriving until late Monday. SpaceX said an environmental control system, which keeps the satellite free of humidity and protected before launch, had been malfunctioning. This delayed the roll out of the rocket, as SpaceX teams opted to keep the spacecraft in the hanger to protect it until the system was fixed.

What is the GOES-U satellite?

This new weather satellite will not only enable earlier storm detection, but it will give forecasters more time to warn the public of approaching threats. GOES-U will also provide observation of the sun − which has been very active this year − to alert those who need to know about approaching solar flares.

Looking both down at Earth and out at the sun, GOES-U is set to join two other satellites, which are already in orbit as part of the GOES-R series. It will be the last of the GOES satellites, as a new generation of weather satellites is on the horizon.

The first of this series, GOES-R, was launched back in 2016 atop an Atlas V rocket. GOES-U will be the first − and the last − of the GOES satellites to be launched atop a Falcon Heavy.

This satellite will monitor much of the Western Hemisphere, including the Americas, the Caribbean, and Atlantic Ocean.

“National Weather Service colleagues tell us this technology has changed the game for weather prediction and forecasting,” Steve Volz, assistant administrator of NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service, said during a NASA press briefing.

“It is the bridge that connects today’s geostationary satellite technology with the technology of tomorrow, that promises to be more sophisticated and more impactful than what the GOES satellite series currently provides,” he said.

Like Earth technology, satellite technology can only be relevant for so long. GeoXO will be the series of satellites which will follow beginning in the 2030s. Development is currently in process.

SpaceX launch statistics

The launch of GOES-U brought SpaceX’s ninth launch for the NASA launch services program.
With the launch vehicle first flying in 2018, this was the 10th Falcon Heavy launch to date.
As SpaceX is launching Falcon 9 rockets from both coasts, this marked the company’s 65th mission of the year.

Upcoming Falcon Heavy Flights

The next Falcon Heavy launch scheduled is NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which will be no earlier than October.

As for the next Florida launch, a Falcon 9 rocket will carry a Starlink mission on Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40. SpaceX has not announced a launch time, yet the Geospatial Navigational Warning and FAA Advisory states the launch window opens at 7 a.m. EDT.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.

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Florida

Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired

Published

14 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Press Room

Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired

Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard’s Florida State jersey was retired Sunday.

Howard wore No. 33 for the Seminoles from 2010-14, starting 127 games. She also holds heralded spots in program history:

1,811 points, fourth-most
1,046 rebounds, second
186 blocked shots, fourth

Howard’s scoring total was second when she left the program. She led FSU in career rebounds before Fever teammate Makalya Timpson (2021-25) grabbed more. The blocks were third most when Howard left, but Timpson has more.

The Fever selected Howard fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft, and she played her first two seasons in Indiana. She returned in 2025 free agency, averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds for the league semifinalists.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube page for Fever Insiders Live.

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Florida

Coast Guard rescues eight boaters 35 miles off Florida coast in disabled boat

Published

1 day ago

November 16, 2025

Press Room

Coast Guard rescues eight boaters 35 miles off Florida coast in disabled boat

VENICE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Coast Guard boat crew rescued eight boaters on Saturday after their 26-foot boat broke down 35 miles off the Venice Inlet.

At 9:30 p.m., the US Coast Guard (USCG) says an Air Station Miami aircrew located the disabled vessel in two to three foot seas and sent a boat crew to the boat’s location.

The boat was reported overdue by an officer with the Venice Police Department hours earlier at 1:44 p.m., per USCG.

See also: Florida deputy rushes into blazing trailer to pull residents to safety

The Coast Guard says all eight boaters were brought back to the boat ramp uninjured.

“Before going out on the water, make sure you tell someone where you are going and when you will be back,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Beasley, a Station Cortez boarding officer. “We recommend being as specific as possible so rescue crews have a reliable place to start searching in case of emergency. Boaters should always have Coast Guard-approved life jackets, VHF radio, signaling devices, and an emergency position locator beacon or personal locator beacon.”

USCG also highlighted the importance of mariners taking a safety course before going on the water.

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Ole Miss football fans chant, ‘We want Lane’ as Rebels defeat Florida

Published

2 days ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

Ole Miss football fans chant, ‘We want Lane’ as Rebels defeat Florida

Ole Miss football took home a win in the “Lane Kiffin Bowl” in Week 12 with a 34-24 come-from-behind win vs. Florida.

Just as the Rebels closed off their 10th win of the season, moving one step closer to appearing in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, Ole Miss fans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium made one thing clear to the Rebels brass and Kiffin: They want Lane.

As captured by the ESPN broadcast, “We want Lane” chants broke out in the Ole Miss student section after Kiffin has been linked to the Florida open head coach vacancy, on top of numerous other Power Four conference openings. It appeared not to faze him, as he remained locked in on the final 60 seconds of the game:

Given what he has done in seven seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin has become a regular on coaching hot boards as positions become available across college football.

On top of his ties to the state of Florida, former Gators coach Steve Spurrier, who told USA TODAY Sports’ Blake Toppmeyer last month that he is a fan of Kiffin and thinks he is a “very good coach.”

“I wanted to be Steve Spurrier,” Kiffin said during a recent appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast. “When I watched him and his offenses in the visor and kind of the way he’d throw jabs at other coaches and team and stuff, I was like, Steve Spurrier is the man. That’s what I want to be.”

Kiffin himself has talked at length about his name being tossed around in the coaching carousel, including saying on an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” that he will never “make a decision based on money” and that he hasn’t made one based on money in his coaching career.

The win over Florida moved Ole Miss’ record to 54-19 overall under Kiffin.

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