A classified SpaceX mission launching Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will produce a sonic boom audible across Brevard County. The NROL-95 mission is scheduled for no earlier than 3:09 a.m. July 30 from Launch Complex 40, with the Falcon 9 booster landing at the same site after a nighttime flight. The launch window is narrow, and officials warn residents to expect a loud boom during the landing phase. "This is a routine operation," said a SpaceX spokesperson, though details of the payload remain classified under a National Reconnaissance Office contract. "We’ve conducted similar missions before, but the timing adds a unique challenge."
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to image over 50 times more sky than Hubble did in 30 years during its first five years of operation, according to Jeremy Perkins, a test scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The telescope’s wide-field survey could help scientists study dark energy and dark matter by analyzing millions of galaxies and supernovae. "We need data from billions of stars to answer fundamental questions about the universe," Perkins said in a July 28 briefing. The telescope is set to launch in 2027 from Kennedy Space Center.
Residents will have multiple chances to view celestial events this week. The full moon on July 27 will outshine the predicted peak of the Alpha Centaurid meteor shower, which is expected to produce 10-20 meteors per hour. The Delta Aquariid shower will peak on July 29, with rates up to 25 meteors per hour, and the Perseid shower will begin later this month. "The Perseids will be better in mid-August," said Patrick Wiggins, a NASA planetary scientist. "But the Delta Aquariids are visible now."
More than 100 retired NASA astronauts are touring college campuses across the U.S. to encourage voter registration ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The group, organized by the nonprofit Vote for the Moon, plans to visit 20 universities by September. Former astronaut Mae Jemison, who leads the initiative, said the tour aims to "connect space exploration with civic responsibility." The group will visit Florida State University and the University of Central Florida in August.
Elon Musk’s Starship prototype recently completed a successful landing test at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas, marking a key step toward potential Mars missions. The test involved a controlled descent and landing, though details of the flight data remain undisclosed. SpaceX has not announced plans for a launch from Brevard County for Starship, which is still in development.