Space Coast: Another Successful Launch

April 22, 2020 – Today saw another round of Starlink Satellites launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida’s hot spot for launch and a global aerospace growth center.

While much of the world’s enterprise is slowed or halted, launch has continued. Launch schedule changes are a routine occurrence, any rocket launch viewer/fan will tell you, often due to weather or if further check-out of mechanical systems warranted and for any indication of anomalies in performance, so this successful mission to launch round seven of small satellites to the Starlink Network is a welcome indicator that Florida’s Space Coast has what it takes to persevere. This area has shown such character after every space exploration setback, including being touted for its robust comeback from the loss of 1000s of jobs when Space Shuttle stopped flying and the program ended in 2011.

According to Milken Institute’s “Best-Performing Cities 2020”,  recently released, the Space Coast (Brevard County) is ranked #2 in the State of Florida for best diversified economic base and #10 in the U.S.  We’re not all space here but proud of our contributions to this globally significant enterprise estimated by Space Foundation in The Space Report 2019 to be valued at more than $414 B.

Next up on the launch schedule in the Space Coast will be another SpaceX Falcon 9 in May with the 8th batch of 60 satellites, a May 16 launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 500 Series on a mission for the U.S. Air Force, and the exciting May 27 launch of another Falcon 9 boosting a Crew Dragon Demo.  This launch is significant because it is the first crewed launch from American soil since 2010, and the final mission test before American Astronauts will once again be launching from here to the International Space Station and beyond.

With the successful launch this week by SpaceX of the Starlink satellites the company moves closer to the goal of providing internet access to underserved and remote users around the world.

Source: Orlando Business Journal