Spaceflight Insider

News Archive / Author: Florida Tech

Founded at the very dawn of the Space Race in 1958, the Florida Institute of Technology is the only independent, technological university located in the Southeast. Times Higher Education ranks Florida Tech in the Top 200 Universities in the World. The university has been designated a Tier One Best National University in U.S. News & World Report, and is one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the 2014 Fiske Guide to Colleges. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. Fields of study include science, engineering, aeronautics, business, humanities, mathematics, psychology, communication and education.

Articles By Florida Tech

  • Two shuttle veterans poised to join U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

    January 21st, 2018

    On Jan. 18, 2018 former shuttle astronauts Dr. Thomas D. Jones and Captain Scott D. Altman, were recognized for their contributions toward the field of space sciences - by being selected for induction into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. When they claim their medallions, they will become two of only 95 individuals to receive this honor. 

  • Largest space telescope ever fielded, LUVOIR, could aid in search for alien life

    November 21st, 2017

    In terms of space exploration and information, NASA has had to answer the question of "What is next?" The agency continues to work to answer this question with new and ever-more complex programs. Spacecraft such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have and are aiming to continue revolutionizing humanity's knowledge of the Cosmos. However, there is another possible answer to "What is next?" – LUVOIR.

  • Alien solar system boasts tightly-spaced planets, unusual orbits

    July 21st, 2016

    MELBOURNE, FLA. — Tightly spaced planets inside an alien solar system known as Kepler-80 boast a rare orbital configuration.

  • ULA set to complete Block IIF GPS constellation

    February 3rd, 2016

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For ULA's first mission of 2016, the company is looking to carry out their 60th operational GPS launch utilizing an Atlas V 401 to deliver the GPS IIF-12 satellite to orbit on Feb. 5, 2016. This mission should be the final installment of the Block IIF GPS satellites to be launched for the U.S. Air Force.

  • Sunita Williams, accomplished astronaut, extends gender equality via CCP role

    December 27th, 2015

    Out of the 351 U.S. astronauts who have flown in space with NASA, only 49 of them were women. Sunita Williams is one of those 49 women who are breaking the boundaries for females and minorities in the spaceflight industry. This past November, Williams was awarded the Jerome P. Keuper Distinguished Alumni Award from the Florida Institute of Technology during their Homecoming Gala.

  • NASA’s Mars InSight spacecraft delivered in preparation for flight

    December 20th, 2015

    On Dec. 16, 2015, Lockheed Martin delivered the 1,380 lbs (626 kg) InSight (Interior Exploring using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California from Buckley Air Force base in located in Colorado. The delivery of the spacecraft was an important milestone in terms of getting the spacecraft to the Red Planet.

  • Has the Kepler Space Telescope discovered an alien megastructure?

    October 19th, 2015

    The recent developments in exoplanet research has led to the discovery of hundreds of planets in distant star systems. When this area of research first arose, astronomers believed they would only find exoplanets numbering in the dozens in other star systems. One of these in particular has captured the imagination of the public. This is because it has stymied scientists' efforts to explain it – leading to public speculation of an alien "megastructure".

  • ULA prepares Atlas V 551 for MUOS-4 mission after Erika delays flight

    August 31st, 2015

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — On Sept. 2, 2015, ULA is planning to launch the fourth of Lockheed Martin’s Mobile User Objective System (MUOS-4) satellites. The payload will be delivered to geosynchronous orbit by an Atlas V 551 booster. The flight was delayed from taking aloft on August 31, thanks to Tropical Storm Erika.

  • SpaceX’s Merlin 1D: Built to enable human space exploration

    May 3rd, 2015

    Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX ) Falcon 9 rocket V1.1 gets part of its name from the fact that the booster uses nine Merlin 1D engines in its first stage. With the aerospace firm planning on conducting a pad abort test of the crew rated version of their Dragon spacecraft (V2) on May 6, SpaceFlight Insider and […]

  • RS-68’s legacy of accomplishment – set for new chapter with RS-68A

    March 31st, 2015

    Over the past 12 years, flights of the United Launch Alliance (ULA ) Delta IV have become a familiar sight at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. As reported on SpaceFlight Now, after the successful March 25 launch of the GPS IIF-9 satellite, all Delta IVs will now fly using the RS-68 engine to the new RS-68A. The Delta IV […]

  • NASA’s MMS set to reveal nature of magnetic reconnection

    March 11th, 2015

    On March 12, 2015, a United Launch Alliance (ULA ) Atlas V 421 is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 at 10:44 p.m. EST (03:44 GMT) and send a group of 4 Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft into low-Earth orbit, more commonly referred to as “LEO.” This mission is […]

  • Atlas V’s RD-180 integral part of MUOS-3 launch

    January 17th, 2015

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — United Launch Alliance (ULA ) is currently planning to conduct the first launch of the year on Jan. 20, 2015, from Space Launch Complex-41, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. To deliver the payload to orbit, ULA will use an Atlas V 551 launch vehicle to place the Mobile […]

  • SABOL experiment to ride SpaceX Falcon 9 to International Space Station

    January 4th, 2015

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — On Jan. 6, 2015, a Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX ) Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle along with its Dragon cargo spacecraft, will lift off at 6:18 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. On board will be a unique experiment to study how […]