Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Watching a rocket tear skyward from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is a visceral thrill—one that most people will remember for the rest of their lives. If you are a photographer, the memories are amplified when you freeze the moment in sharp, vibrant photographs. Even though a still photograph won’t come with the incredible sounds of the engines of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy as it breaks free of the bonds of gravity, a good photo will last a lifetime and keep the memories of your time here in Florida.

Read more

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 3, 2023. This mission carried another batch of Starlink satellites to orbit and it was a record-breaking 62nd orbital launch of the year for SpaceX. There have been 46 launches from Cape Canaveral / Kennedy Space Center this year, with all but two coming from SpaceX.

A long exposure of the SpaceX Starlink 6-14 launch resulted in a “launch streak” showing the trajectory of the rocket. The curve is an optical illusion — the rocket was constantly ascending, but the curve of the Earth shows it getting lower.
Read more

One of the things that many people do not realize about Kennedy Space Center is that it is divided into three major sections: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Relativity and eventually Blue Origin conduct most of their launches (SpaceX occasionally lands returning booster there too), which is adjoined by Kennedy Space Center, where the VAB, pads LC-39A (SpaceX) and LC-39B (Artemis) are located, and finally, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to the north of KSC. The latter is where Playalinda Beach is….along with hundreds of acres of completely undeveloped coastal marshlands are located. It is actually a part of KSC, something made clear at each entrance.

Wildlife is everywhere in MINWR — birds, alligators, snakes, armadillo, bobcats, perhaps even a Florida panther are out there.

Here are some birds I’ve photographed recently in MINWR and KSC.

A Roseate spoonbill foraging in Kennedy Space Center.
Read more