GOES-R: Monitoring Space Weather

R will be game changer for forecasting across the United States, but did you know Earth's weather is not the only weather the satellite will monitor? In today's digital world, space weather is no joke. Geomagnetic storms, caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun, can interfere with communications and navigation systems on Earth, threaten power utilities, damage satellites, and cause risk to astronauts.

SpaceX Rocket Blast Destroys Satellite for Facebook Project

A SpaceX rocket blew up on a launchpad in Florida, marking the second loss of a spacecraft by Elon Musk's venture in a little more than a year and hobbling a Facebook Inc. initiative to spread internet access across Africa. The accident occurred Thursday at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 40 as SpaceX held a dress rehearsal for Saturday's planned launch of an Israeli communications satellite.