Air and Space

SpaceX is planning to launch a Falcon 9 rocket to send supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow. The flight will carry thousands of pounds of science investigations and other technology to the crews on board. The launch is expected to take off at 4:15 a.m. Monday.

The early morning sky will literally be smiling down at you as the planets and the moon align just right to create a celestial smiley face on Friday, April 25. Two planets and the moon will align just right just above the horizon, creating what looks like a two eyes and a mouth. The moon will also be in its thin waning crescent phase, so it will look like a big happy smile.

The Lyrid meteor shower has been a spectacle for star gazers during the month of April for the past 2,700 years. The Lyrid Meteor shower is an annual celestial event that happens thru the month of April when earth passes by a cluster of space rock debris as it makes its way around the sun. When these particles interact with the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up creating streaks of light across the sky. This meteor shower will reach its peak at the beginning of the week, and we will be able to see it here in Central Florida.

SpaceX is gearing up to send another batch of Starlink satellites soaring into low-Earth orbit on Saturday night from Florida. Liftoff is set for 8:53 p.m. Saturday, April 12, with backup launch options available until 12:42 a.m. on Sunday. The launch was previously scrubbed on Thursday, Friday and early Saturday morning.

SpaceX has pushed back its Starlink launch again. Liftoff was rescheduled for 1 a.m., but it got scrubbed. The company will now launch the Falcon 9 rocket tonight, with the window opening at 8:53 p.m. Another batch of Starlink satellites is also expected to launch Sunday night.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida District 10, spoke with FOX 35's Garrett Wymer about the investigation that congressional Democrats hope to launch into potential conflicts of interest with Elon Musk when it comes to NASA and contracts with his private space company, SpaceX.

The first crewed launch to orbit the Earth's pole has arrived back on Earth. The team splashed down this afternoon in the Pacific Ocean. The crew first blasted off on Monday from Cape Canaveral. FOX 35's Marie Edinger walks us through the moments these space travelers were welcomed back on Earth.

Four space explorers are getting ready to come home today. The Fram2 mission will end with splashdown around 12:20 p.m. off the coast of California. The crew lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on Monday evening, and they have been in space conducting 22 research studies.

Sending ashes to space isn't a new concept, but one company says they are making it more affordable. A local business claims they can send your loved ones off to their final resting place for a fraction of the previous costs. FOX 35's Matt Trezza meets with Ryan Mitchell, Space Beyond founder, to find out how.

The SpaceX Fram2 polar mission is off to a rocky start. These travelers have never been to space before, and they are having a hard time adjusting. They all got motion sickness!

Dr. Don Platt, associate professor of space systems at Florida Institute of Technology and the director of the Spaceport Education Center, spoke with FOX 35's Garrett Wymer about the FRAM2 mission, how it will make history and what scientists hope to learn from its polar orbit. SpaceX is targeting tonight for the crewed mission's launch.

Four space explorers will blast off from the Space Coast next week as part of a mission that could unlock a new area in space. It's a four-day mission called "Fram2."

NASA has said that they cannot send any new supplies to astronauts aboard the International Space Station because of a damaged capsule. The cargo capsule was damaged on its way to Florida. NASA says it can't fly, which means it may take a while for more food to make it to space.