Student Journalist Covers NASA/SpaceX Launch

Maximilian Kent, an Arts Leadership major at Dean College, recently traveled to Cape Canaveral, FL, to cover the joint NASA/SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for The Dean Daily. The two astronauts who had been on the ISS for nine months, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, were safely returned to Earth during this historic mission. 

Maximilian was the first Dean student ever to secure official press credentials to report on a rocket launch. His article about his experience was published in The Dean Daily on March 20, 2025. A short film he produced that delves into humanity's pursuit of space exploration will also be released this month.  We recently sat down with Maximilian to learn more about his love of space and his exciting trip to NASA.

Q: Why did you want to cover this mission for the Dean Daily?

As a journalist for the Dean Daily, I knew that this mission would be historic and newsworthy. It involved humans going to space, was a mission to bring astronauts back to Earth, and utilized an American rocket, not a Russian one. 

So, I began to wonder how journalists are chosen to cover these launch events. It was also happening over Dean’s spring break, and I knew it would be a great time for me to make the trip to Cape Canaveral to tell this story. I thought the Dean community would love to hear from a student about the launch, and it was an opportunity I never thought I would have in my lifetime.

Q: Did you have an interest in space exploration prior to this opportunity?

I spent part of my childhood in Florida and have always been more drawn to the Kennedy Space Center than to Disney World. I knew I probably wasn’t cut out to be an astronaut, but space fascinated me. During one visit to the Center, I remember standing in awe underneath the Saturn V rocket and then sitting in a simulated mission control, thinking how much I would love to be involved in this world in some capacity. I soon realized that the Kennedy Space Center, NASA, and SpaceX all have marketing communications departments, and they get to tell the stories of space exploration every single day. This made me think that maybe one day, this could be my career path. I’m still considering it!

Q: So, how did you secure the press credentials? 

I looked it up online and went through NASA's press accreditation process, which involves completing a form and then undergoing a vetting process. I really didn’t expect to hear back since I’m just a student journalist writing for a small college newspaper. But then I got an email saying, “we've received your application,” and an hour later, another email saying that I had been approved for attending the Crew-10 launch as a member of the press.  

Q: What was your day like at Cape Canaveral?

I arrived at 7:00 a.m., secured my official press badge, and was then escorted into the building where journalists were permitted to camp out and set up equipment. The launch wasn’t scheduled until later that evening, so I had the whole day to take photographs, record videos, speak to some staff, and meet other journalists from around the world. I also had the opportunity to meet one of the communications staff, Ashley Atwood, and she was extremely accommodating and helpful. Prior to the event, I could apply for a variety of press opportunities. Because there was room available, Ashley also got me registered for the remote camera area, which is less than half a mile from the launch site. I got to take some really cool photos and videos, and I met two lovely Brazilian photographers, Jay Castro and Andrea Capponi, who work for Space Orbit. They helped me grab some video and photos of myself since I was there alone.  

Then in the afternoon, we were bussed over to see the crew walk out to start their journey over to the rocket. That was a cool experience to see them up close and watch them say goodbye to their families. At that point, it was down to four hours and counting and we had some more downtime. It was a lot of waiting and talking to other journalists, but also really interesting and fun. Finally, we were down to less than an hour before launch. At around 40 minutes, they scrubbed the launch because of a hydraulic issue with the ground support system. Even though I didn’t get to see the actual launch, the whole day was a very cool experience. 

Q:  How do you think Dean prepared you for this experience?

One of the reasons I decided to come to Dean was the supportive environment here. I love that I had this wild idea to cover a rocket launch, which no Dean student had ever done, and instead of hearing from faculty and staff that I couldn’t, it was the opposite. They wanted to know how they could help make it work. Because I'm not a photographer or videographer, I got great assistance from Professor Greg Siebert and Peter Leger, manager of the Dean Digital Media Arts Center. They lent me the equipment I would need and showed me how to use it. And, one of my Arts Leadership professors, David Rowell, helped prepare me for what I could expect as a member of the press and how to present myself. The advisor for The Dean Daily, Professor John Rooke, was also a great help during this entire process.

So it was definitely the collaboration and support of Dean College that helped make this happen for me. I’m not someone who likes to limit themselves, so being at a college where I feel so supported is really great.

So now, if another Dean student comes along and wants to go to NASA as a representative of Dean College, the path has been paved. And Dean made it possible for me to create that relationship.

Q: What do you think was the most exciting aspect of this mission?

I think, in general, it is so exciting to see the space industry in the United States expanding through partnerships with companies like SpaceX and Boeing. Sending people to space is not just NASA anymore. There are so many entities involved, which means so many more opportunities for people my age. 

Also, we are in a new space race, but we’re supportive of other countries' achievements in rocket science and space exploration because it benefits us all. And you know, in the Crew-10 mission, there were two American astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and a Japanese astronaut, and they're all coming together, right? To go to the ISS, to do experiments, to ultimately help the world.