July 2025

A DJI Mavic drone.
Photo: Mark Stone, Florida Media Now

By Mark Stone, Florida Media Now: A 71-year-old Chinese-born Canadian citizen, Xiao Guang Pan, has entered a guilty plea in a federal case involving unauthorized drone flights over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

According to court documents, Pan traveled to the U.S. on a tourist visa in early January and used a DJI Mavic Pro 3 drone to capture nearly 2,000 photos and videos—more than 250 of which showed military infrastructure including submarine docks, munitions bunkers, payload processing buildings and security checkpoints on federal defense property. A naval base located on the Cape Canaveral station frequently sees the comings and goings of US Nuclear submarines via the main channel of Port Canaveral.

A criminal information filed February 13, 2025, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida charges Pan with three counts of “using an aircraft for the unlawful photographing of a defense installation without authorization.” Each count carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Federal investigators reviewed flight logs showing Pan launched the drone on nine separate occasions between January 5 and 7. On January 5, from several miles away, he recorded two videos and 21 photos of launch complexes and contractor facilities using a telephoto lens. The following day, he moved closer, capturing an additional nine videos and 166 photographs from different angles—a day later, on January 7, Pan launched the drone from Class D controlled airspace outside the CCSFS restricted zone without FAA authorization, seizing images of roads, power lines, mission control buildings, fuel and munitions storage, and submarine infrastructure.

Pan maintained that he was unaware the drone was near a military installation, claiming it sent no alerts. But screenshots from his phone showed satellite images pinpointing “Cape Canaveral Space Force Station” at his takeoff point, and the drone’s flight data confirmed he did in fact receive violation warnings as he flew the drone. Pan maintains an Instagram account with dozens of photos of architecture and landscapes taken with his drone.

The investigation involved agencies such as Homeland Security Investigations, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the FBI, FAA, CBP, Federal Air Marshals, NASA’s OIG, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. In his plea agreement, Pan acknowledged these details and agreed to the terms; prosecutors noted the document “does not include … all the events, persons involved, or other information relating to this case”.

Pan was released from custody to return to Ontario for medical treatment, citing concerns related to his coronary artery disease and diabetes.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 1, 2025, in Orlando. If sentenced to the maximum for all counts, Pan could face up to three years in prison and fines totaling $300,000.

Concerns about drones spying on sensitive US facilities have heightened in the last year following a wave of suspicious drone sightings across the country. Even though most of those sightings have turned out to be hobbyists legally flying their drones, authorities remain concerned about spying by the Chinese. DJI, who makes the type of drone used by Pan, has been said by some to relay information to Chinese intelligence sources. That concern led to a ban on the use of DJI products by US agencies. Even so, DJI remains one of the most popular drone manufacturers in the world among hobbyists.

Talk of Titusville is republishing this story with permission from Florida Media Now, who is responsible for the content.

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Work on SpaceX’s Starship tower at LC-39A is underway. In the background, the Falcon 9 that carried the Ax-4 mission to orbit in a Crew Dragon is visible.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

July 11, 2025: it’s been over a year since the public scoping period for the FAA’s Environmental Impact Statement, and no Draft EIS or even a date for one has been announced for SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy project at Launch Complex 39A at KSC.

Casual onlookers may wonder if something is awry, but that’s probably not the case. The wheels of government turn slowly and often do so silently, and an announcement could come any day.

Two Separate Facilities, Two Seperate EIS

Many people who don’t live at the Space Coast don’t realize that Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are two adjoining but separately managed facilities. NASA operates KSC, of course, and SpaceX leases LC-39A from the government at KSC. Cape Canaveral SFS, located southeast of Kennedy, is a US Space Force Military facility and is operated by the Department of the Air Force. SpaceX leases SLC-40 at CCSFS and seeks to lease LC-37 there.

There are even gates between the two facilities, though they don’t seem to ever close. There is great cooperation between the Space Force and NASA, and they often work together when needed.

In this facilities map, the two different facilities that make up KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force station are clearly visible. In green is KSC and in yellow is CCSFS
Map: NASA

That’s important, because there are two authorities conducting two Environmental Impact Statements for two different launch pads: LC-37 and LC-39A. The former is the retired site of United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket, which flew its last flight last year.

The last Delta IV Heavy on the launch pad at LC-37 last year. It’s successful flight marked the end of an era.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

The latter, LC-39A, is of course the historic launch facility that served Apollo and STS (Shuttle) missions in its long and storied career. SpaceX has made their own history at LC-39A: the return of crew to orbit after a long gap following the end of the Shuttle program, the launch site of Falcon Heavy and other commercial spaceflight firsts.

Apollo 17 stands tall at LC-39A in 1972. It was the penultimate launch of a Saturn V.
Photo: NASA

Current Status

The EIS process for LC-39A continues to be underway. No statements otherwise have been released by any of the parties involved, so it is safe to say that work is continuing.

SpaceX is preparing the EIS under FAA supervision, analyzing the environmental impacts of proposed Starship-Super Heavy operations, including up to 44 launches per year, infrastructure construction; a Super Heavy booster catch tower, propellant systems, and stormwater/deluge ponds), and landings at LC-39A or on a droneship.

The process is evaluating changes from the 2019 Environmental Assessment (EA), which found no significant impact but did not account for the current scope of operations. The next step is the release of the draft EIS for public review and comment, followed by a final EIS and a Record of Decision.

Release Date of the LC-39A Draft EIS

There is no specific release date publicly announced for the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy project at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated the EIS process with a Notice of Intent published on May 9, 2024, and held public scoping meetings in June 2024.

Based on typical EIS timelines (often 12-18 months) and the FAA’s ongoing work, the draft EIS is likely to be released in mid-to-late 2025. For comparison, the draft EIS for Starship launches at Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was released on June 6, 2025, after a scoping period starting in February 2024, fifteen months earlier. The LC-39A EIS Draft should come in the next 5-6 months, or roughly the same time as a final decision on LC-37 is due, according to DAF project timelines.

New Federal NEPA Rules

The FAA has issued a notice rescinding its existing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing procedures outlined in FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, and replacing them with streamlined procedures in FAA Order 1050.1G. This change is driven by Executive Order 14154 of the President, entitled “Unleashing American Energy.”

The new order accelerates environmental reviews projects by imposing strict timelines and page limits on EISs (e.g., 2-year completion cap), expanding CATEX (Categorical Exclusion) usage, allowing combined exclusions, and promoting early collaboration to minimize delays. This aligns with the Trump Administration’s policy to expedite permitting. That could potentially benefit commercial space operators like SpaceX by shortening review periods for future licenses or modifications, thus supporting faster integration of technologies like Starship.

However, for the specific ongoing EIS for SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy operations at LC-39A, the new rules should not apply directly. Order 1050.1G applies only to FAA actions requiring environmental review that “commence on or after” July 3, 2025, and since the LC-39A EIS was started in 2024, the new order is moot.

Responsible Agencies

There is a mix of federal agencies responsible for completing aspects of the LC-39A EIS.

Lead Agency: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), responsible for overseeing the EIS process and issuing a commercial launch Vehicle Operator License to SpaceX if the final decision of the EIS is to allow work on 39A to proceed.

Preparing Entity: SpaceX, tasked with preparing the EIS under FAA supervision.

Multiple Cooperating Agencies:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Manages KSC and leases LC-39A to SpaceX, providing oversight for space-related activities.permits.performance.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS): Manages the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which includes KSC property, and provides expertise on wildlife impacts.permits.performance.gov

National Park Service (NPS): Oversees Canaveral National Seashore, partially within KSC boundaries, and contributes expertise on affected lands.permits.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG): Involved due to maritime safety and airspace closures for launches.

Department of the Air Force (DAF): Coordinates due to proximity to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and shared range.

For the most current LC-39A information, check the FAA’s website (www.faa.gov) or the project-specific page at :

https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/spacex_starship_ksc

For the most current LC-37 information the Department of the Air Force maintains an informational site at:

https://spaceforcestarshipeis.com/

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KSCVC rendering of the newly updated Gantry at LC-39A

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has expanded its popular bus tour to include The Gantry at Launch Complex 39—a multi-level attraction nestled inside KSC that was updated and upgraded over the past several months.

Perched just 1.5 miles from LC-39A and 2.25 miles from LC-39B—the primary pads for NASA’s Artemis lunar missions—The Gantry offers a front-row seat to the agency’s current and future launch operations. Guests will find four stories of interactive exhibits, an Earth Information Center that explores how space science benefits life on our planet, and carefully preserved artifacts from NASA’s storied past.

No word has been given about launch viewing at the site. LC-39A and LC-39B are too close, of course, as there is at least a 3.5 mile exclusion area surrounding each pad and The Gantry will be too close for viewers. In the past, The Gantry has hosted spectators for launches from ULA’s pad at LC-41 and SpaceX’s pad at SLC-40 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and given them a point blank (relatively speaking) view of the launch equal to what the working press sees.

An Atlas V launch as seen from The Gantry
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Static Fire Simulator

The RS-25 on display at The Gantry in 2010. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

For years, The Gantry had a real flight-worthy Aerojet-Rocketdyne RS-25 engine on display — one where users could get a close view of the engines that powered the launches of space shuttle orbiters and SLS rockets. When the Artemis program got started in earnest, that display was removed, leaving a huge hole in each level of The Gantry. That has been replaced by a new Static Fire simulator.

The new simulator, unique to The Gantry, recreates the moment a rocket engine fires for a ground test. Under the guidance of a NASA engineer and an on-site AI assistant named Sōl, visitors will witness an amplified demonstration: a 30-minute countdown culminates in a dramatic eruption of noise, light and cooling fog.

Education Is A Prominent Display At The Gantry

The Gantry’s designers also emphasize education. From its vantage point, guests can gaze across the wildlife refuge’s swamps and scrublands to active launch pads at both Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Interactive displays illustrate how each mission contributes to our understanding of Earth’s climate, ecosystems and natural resources.

For more information, contact the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center.

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Traveling from Albuquerque to Valles Caldera and the Dark Sky areas inside it, we passed by a gorgeous little waterfall on the Jemez River as the road wound through the Jemez Reservation. We stopped and took a quick look around, and I saw a beautiful place that was inspirational all on its own. It’s actually a a grouping of fifteen hot springs which have formed a unique calcium carbonate and travertine formation creating a bridge over the Jemez River and the waterfall below it where the river continues.

The waterfall at Jemez Soda Springs in New Mexico
The waterfall at Jemez Soda Springs in New Mexico
Photo: Charles Boyer

The dam was formed by deposits from thermal spring water that accumulated over the course of 7,000 years or more. The river flows through a dome-like bridge created by the deposition of these minerals across the river. The waterfall is over 300 feet long, 50 feet high, and 50 feet wide at the base.

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photo spacex

In the overnight hours this morning, SpaceX achieved a landmark in its launch manifest: the company’s 500th Falcon 9 flight. Launching on its 500th mission overall, the Falcon 9 rocket roared off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 UTC).

The flight also set a new high-water mark for booster reuse, as first stage B1067 chalked up its 29th trip to space and back when it touched down safely aboard ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ That’s more flights than any other Falcon booster on record. To put it into perspective, this morning’s flight of B1067 is one more than Columbia, the Shuttle orbiter that flew 28 missions before tragedy struck it and its crew during re-entry in February  2003. It is also ten less than the all-time reuse leader, STS Orbiter Discovery, which flew 39 missions with the last being STS‑133 in March 2011. SpaceX has stated that their goal for Falcon 9 booster reuse is forty mission, and at this point in time, B1067 is nearly three-quarters of the way there.

Booster B1067 and ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be offloaded, returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X at Kennedy Space Center for inspection, refurbishment and preparation for its next mission at some date in the future.

Starlink Notes

Starlink 10-25 was the first Starlink launch of July and deployed 27 Starlink V2 Mini-Optimized satellites into a 279-kilometer orbit inclined 53.2 degrees to the equator. After a textbook ascent on a northeast trajectory, the second stage released its payload approximately 55 minutes after liftoff, marking another routine deployment for SpaceX’s rapidly growing broadband constellation.

Timelapse of Starlink 10-25
Photo: SpaceX

Starlink 10-25 added to the more than 7,900 operational satellites that make up the world’s largest low-Earth-orbit constellation, designed to deliver high-speed internet to underserved and remote regions around the globe. This latest batch of V2 Mini satellites is optimized for quicker deployment and greater data throughput, continuing SpaceX’s strategy of incremental upgrades to the network’s overall performance.

Beating The Weather

Meteorologists from the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron had forecast a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions for the pre-dawn launch, with only scattered cumulus clouds expected to drift through the Cape Canaveral area. Skies remained clear at ignition, ensuring uninterrupted visibility for the mission’s live webcast and ground observers alike.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

Setting Value
Mission Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-28 Awaiting Confirmation
Organization SpaceX
Location Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Rocket Falcon 9
Pad Space Launch Complex 40
Status To Be Confirmed
Status Info Awaiting official confirmation – current date is known with some certainty.
Window Opens Tuesday, 07/08/2025 1:48:00 AM
Window Closes Tuesday, 07/08/2025 5:48:00 AM
Destination Low Earth Orbit
Mission Description A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

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Florida has a unique climate: about 80% of the rain the Space Coast receives comes in summer, and this year is no different: the area has been in a slight drought for months, but now that it’s summer, the rains are back. Those rains might just put a kink in SpaceX’s plans tonight as it plans to launch the MTG-S1 satellite from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

According to SpaceX, “The 150-minute window opens at 5:04 p.m. ET. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Wednesday, July 2 at the same time.” Today’s window ends at 7:32PM local time.

The 45th Weather Squadron, part of Space Launch Delta 45 of the US Space Force tells the tale pretty quickly: a weather system south of us has been pumping storms along its boundary. As a result, there is only a 20% chance for weather conditions to be acceptable during the launch window today, and it gets a bit worse tomorrow, July 2: only a 10% chance.

On the other hand, SpaceX can and does find gaps in the weather to get launches off of the pad, as they have proven time and time again that unfavorable weather forecasts can change minute by minute and that it only takes a gap where there are no thunderstorms nearby the launch pad for them to get the mission in safely.

Stay tuned.

SpaceX launched Falcon 9 carrying the ESA – Galileo L13 mission last September only minutes after this photograph was taken. Minutes after the launch, it was pouring rain on the Cape.
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

At A Glance

Setting Value
Mission Falcon 9 Block 5 | MTG-S1
Organization SpaceX
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Rocket Falcon 9
Pad Launch Complex 39A
Status Go for Launch
Status Info Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources.
Window Opens Tuesday, 07/01/2025 5:04:00 PM
Window Closes Tuesday, 07/01/2025 7:34:00 PM
Destination Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Mission Description Second of EUMETSAT’s third generation of weather satellite.

Trajectory

East, but slightly south towards the Equator. This is a typical path for weather satellites like MTG-S1.

Payload

According to ESA, “The Meteosat Third Generation Sounder satellite (MTG-S) will generate a completely new type of data product, especially suited to nowcasting severe weather events.”

They continue, “From an orbit 36 000 km from Earth, the MTG-S1 satellite is set to revolutionise the way we forecast severe weather. Unlike the imaging satellites, which complete the constellation of the MTG mission, MTG-S1 uses its Infrared Sounder to capture data on temperature, humidity and trace gases. Its data is used to generate three-dimensional maps of the atmosphere.

“This data will help to detect and predict rapidly evolving and potentially dangerous weather systems. It will support applications to provide more accurate weather warnings, helping communities prepare for storms, alert pilots to areas of invisible turbulence and support plans to mitigate climate risks – ultimately saving lives and reducing damage to property and infrastructure.

“This mission will change forecasting, using innovative space technology to bring us three-dimensional data on the atmosphere and enabling faster responses to extreme weather,” said Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, adding, “Throughout the development of this mission, I’ve been impressed by the dedication and expertise shown by the teams across ESA and our European partners, and I would like to thank everyone involved for their spirit of cooperation. Their hard work means that this mission will contribute to better forecasting to benefit citizens.”

Online Viewing

SpaceCoastLaunchCalendar.com will have a livestream of the launch if you’re not able to watch the launch in person: Livestream

SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: SpaceX MTG-S1. This stream will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about fifteen minutes before liftoff.

Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link

For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.

Next Space Flight an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play. They are also on the web: nextspaceflight.com.

Launch Viewing: In Person

The best free options are available for spectators: Northern Titusville parks on Washington Avenu / US-1 are your best bets: Space View Park, Sands Park, Rotary Riverfront Park.

The Space Bar will be open through the launch window. New York New York in Titusville will be open to roughly 7 PM, and is a great place to watch as well. Restaurants in Port Canaveral, specifically Gators Dockside, Fishlips and Grills Seafood should have good views after the rocket clears obstructions.

If you are planning to go and watch, be sure to be lightning aware and you might just need an umbrella.

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