Space habitat to be built at KSC.
The company, Max Space, is looking to manufacture space habitats at Kennedy Space Center. Max Space plans to use Kevlar-like materials to build an expandable space habitat for low Earth orbit. It’s their bid to answer NASA's call for a permanent presence on the moon and, someday, even Mars. To kick the effort off, Max Space will send up a small scale demo version consisting of a five cubic meter test version of the habitat's technology. It will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission slated for 2027. Max Space will hire 30 to 50 people in the next six months.
In other space news, L3Harris is unloading rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne. Melbourne-based L3Harris acquired the rocket engine company in 2023, but on Monday announced it was selling a controlling interest in the majority of those operations to private investment firm. L3Harris will maintain a 40% minority share.
Reef balls shown to stabilize lagoon shoreline.
A restoration project at Riverview Park in Sebastian is showing good results along the Indian River Lagoon. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the update.
Led by the Ocean Research and Conservation Association, the initiative installed modular reef balls offshore in November 2024 to help stabilize eroding shoreline while enhancing local marine habitat. Designed to reduce wave energy and provide surfaces for oyster growth, the structures have already seen strong natural oyster recruitment.
The project spans about 265 linear feet of shoreline and includes native vegetation plantings to slow stormwater runoff. City officials say the early results are a win for both the environment and the community.
Florida tallies its immigrant detentions.
The state of Florida has tallied the number of people it detained and transferred to federal immigration custody in 2025: 20,000. Gov. DeSantis touted the effort as a model for other states, saying no other state has been able to reach that number. The state plans to open a new immigration detention facility in Northwest Florida and is considering another in South Florida. Nearly 74% of those held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction.
I-95 being resurfaced in northern Brevard.
Here’s a traffic note if you travel I-95 in Brevard. The Florida Department of Transportation is resurfacing a nearly 10-mile stretch of road in northern Brevard. The $20 million project extends from south of State Road 50 to State Road 46. Expect intermittent lane closures from 7PM until 7AM.
Bill would make carrying open packages of medical pot in cars illegal.
The flood of proposed bills continues in Tallahassee in advance of the next legislative session. A bill that’s been filed in the Florida Senate would make it illegal to carry an open package of medical marijuana, or any hemp product, in a car. The bill would give law enforcement the right to search a car based on just the smell of pot. And it wouldn’t matter who owns the product; it would be considered in possession of the driver of the car.
Vanilla Ice brings home the bacon.
Who knew the rapper Vanilla Ice loved to hog hunt? The HGTV guy ventured to Palm Bay over the holidays. He filmed two episodes of his HGTV show along the Space Coast while he was hog hunting. He called them super dangerous. It wasn’t clear exactly where Vanilla Ice had his hog hunt holiday, but he did thank Triple M Outfitters of Palm Bay in a social media post.
