NASA cuts Boeing Starliner missions.
NASA announced yesterday changes to the Boeing contract that slashes the total number of missions that Starliner will fly to the International Space Station. The 2014 contract originally called for six crewed flights. Now it’s down to four flights, and the first will be flown as a cargo mission, without a crew. SpaceX and Boeing will awarded contracts in 2014, with Boeing seen as the more reliable option. But Starliner ran into major issues, and SpaceX surged ahead. The Boeing contract was for over $5 billion. SpaceX bid just over $3 billion. And has flown 12 crews to the ISS to date.
Florida bear hunt back on…
The Florida bear hunt will take place next month after all. A judge rejected an argument yesterday made by Bear Warriors United that the hunt was based on outdated data and would harm the bear population. One piece of good news for Smokey - Hunting opponents grabbed over 30% of the permits from the state, and they don’t plan to use them.
Melbourne to change water treatment method temporarily.
Starting January 5th, Melbourne water customers may notice a chlorine odor in their tap water. The City of Melbourne will be temporarily changing the method used to disinfect its water. The change will not effect the safety of the water, but customers who use kidney dialysis machines should be aware that their water may contain chlorine, ammonia, or a mixture of the two. The system will revert back to normal on January 26th.
Blue Origin wants to discharge wastewater into the IRL.
Blue Origin has requested permission to discharge industrial wastewater into the Indian River Lagoon. The rocket company is asking for a state environment permit to dump about 15,000 gallons a day of water used in rocket testing and cleaning to a pond that flows into the IRL. Blue Origin says it will be highly filtered water. And instead of sending it to the sewer plant, the company will dilute it in an onsite pond. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection plans on approving the permit unless public comments lead to changes.
New Glenn gets pumped up.
In space news, Jeff Bezos says the next version of Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket will be more powerful. The company is enhancing its rocket engines to increase thrust to 4.5 million pounds. But that’s still short of the 5.1 million pounds of thrust generated by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy.
Starship may launch from the Cape in mid-2026.
The first SpaceX Starship rocket may launch from the Cape next year. Space Force officials say they are preparing for a Starship launch as soon as mid-2026.
Mathers Bridge reopened for boats.
Good news for boats that were trapped in the Banana River north of the Mathers Bridge. Brevard County fixed the swing bridge, and it’s now operating for both cars and boats.
Second phase of demo of Rockledge hospital starts.
Orlando Health says the second phase of its demolition of the Rockville hospital will start December 1st. The work is expected last five months. No road closures are anticipated.
