🚀Liftoff! Go Vulcan

Hi friends, it’s your Space Coast correspondent James Sparvero and wow, what an exciting early morning as I got to record the first launch of the new United Launch Alliance heavy-lift rocket, the Vulcan Centaur. With my camera at the Kennedy Space Center press site pointed toward Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the maiden Vulcan launch was loud and it was bright as my video will show you!

There was a lot riding on this rocket, literally and figuratively speaking as well.

The new rocket isn’t just going to orbit. It’s going all the way to the moon! History will be made when the Astrobotic Peregrine lander becomes the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since Apollo 17 and the first commercial spacecraft to reach the lunar surface when it’s expected to touch down on Feb. 23.

I also enjoyed interviewing the CEO of Astrobotic ahead of the launch as John Thornton told me the mission is the “tip of the spear” for our country for returning astronauts to the moon. We know a human landing won’t happen until the Artemis 3 mission in a couple of years but until then, NASA believes studying the moon with the uncrewed Peregrine lander will help with those preparations.

If you were up overnight too to watch the launch, share your pictures and videos to my Facebook post linked above. I’m always especially impressed by how far away some launches can be seen!

📧 Any space topics you’d like to talk about? Send me an email here.

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👋 Here’s a little bit more about me.

Little did I know when watching Apollo 13 in the third grade that 20 years later, I was destined for a thrilling career as your Space Coast multimedia journalist.

Chemistry and biology weren’t so interesting to me in high school science, but I loved my Earth and Space class (Thanks, Mr. Lang).

Then in 2016, I traded Capitol correspondent in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for space correspondent. I’m proud that my first live report at News 6 happened to be the first time SpaceX landed a Falcon 9 booster on a barge. What seems so routine now was a really big deal that day in our newsroom!

From there, I’ve covered the Commercial Crew program and the return of human spaceflight to Kennedy Space Center (Demo-2 launched on my 33rd birthday!)

Now, as our coverage looks forward to missions to the moon and Mars, I often tell others I have the best job in local news. Because after all I’ve seen so far, I think I would be bored working somewhere else. I even bought a house near the Cape with a great view to the north so I never miss a launch even when I’m not working.

After seven years on the beat, though, I still consider myself a young space reporter and I always look forward to learning something new with every assignment.

Have a great launch into the rest of your week!