NASA Launch Control Teams

Images of NASA personnel in control rooms, monitoring rocket launches, showcasing high-tech equipment and teamwork during critical space missions.

DATE: 5-16-11LOCATION: Bldg. 30south - WFCRSUBJECT: STS-134 flight controllers on console during the launch of Endeavour with Flight Director Richard Jones

Joel Montalbano, NASAs International Space Station Deputy Program Manager, and Mark Geyer, Director of NASAs Johnson Space Center, monitor the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to l

Members of the launch team monitor the launch of NASAs Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite inside Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carrying ICON was released from the companys L-1011 Stargazer aircraft at 9:59 p.m. EDT on Oct. 10, 2019, over the Atlantic Ocean about 50 miles from Daytona Beach following takeoff from CCAFS. ICON will spend two years studying the Earths ionosphere - the dynamic zone in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. The launch was managed by the agencys Launch Services Program.

Artemis I Liftoff Activities. Artemis I Assistant Launch Director Jeremy Graeber monitors countdown activities inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 16, 2022. Liftoff of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B was at 1:47 a.m. EST. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

NASA Kennedy Space Center Assistant Launch Director Pete Nickolenko monitors the countdown to the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) from Firing Room Four of the Launch Control Center (LCC), Monday May 16, 2011, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. During the mission, Endeavour and the STS-134 crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre.

DATE: 5-16-11LOCATION: Bldg. 30south - WFCRSUBJECT: STS-134 flight controllers on console during the launch of Endeavour with Flight Director Richard Jones

Members of the Artemis I launch team are seen at the test directors consoles in Firing Room One of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center as NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard atop a mobile launcher rolls out of High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for the first time to Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.

JSC2001-E-06209 (8 March 2001) ---At the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) console in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC), (from the left) Robbie D. Gest, Jeffrey W. Bantle and Steven A. Hawley monitor pre-launch activity for STS-102. Gest is Project Leader for Mission Operations for theUnited Space Alliance (USA); Bantle is with the Flight Director Office in MOD; and Hawley is with the Flight Crew Operations Directorate.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA managers participate in a live online Ask Me Anything, or AMA, session for reddit.com followers during Orion preflight activities at NASA Kennedy Space Center's News Center in Florida. Participating are Mike Bolger, Ground Systems Development and Operations program manager Mark Geyer, Orion program manager and Todd May, Space Launch System program manager. Discussion topics include Mars and technology. Monitoring the live discussion is Brandi Dean, public affairs specialist from Johnson Space Center in Houston.

JSC2000-E-29806 (30 November 2000) --- (From left) Astronauts Scott J. Kelly (Lt. Cdr., USN) , Dominic L. Gorie (Captain, USN) and Christopher J. Loria (Major, USMC), at the spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) console in the shuttle flight control room (WFCR) in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC), monitor audio from the crew onboard Endeavour just prior to liftoff of STS-97. The CAPCOM console is reponsible for communicating the largest majority of oral messages to the shuttle cew members throughout the duration of all mission.

Ken Schrock and teams at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center help monitor launch conditions for the Demo-2 mission from the Huntsville Operations Support Center, HOSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the firing room at the Launch Control Center, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach applauds the successful launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-116. Liftoff occurred on time at 8:47 p.m. EST. This was the second launch attempt for mission STS-116. The first launch attempt on Dec. 7 was postponed due a low cloud ceiling over Kennedy Space Center. This is Discovery's 33rd mission and the first night launch since 2002. The 20th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-116 carries another truss segment, P5. It will serve as a spacer, mated to the P4 truss that was attached in September. After installing the P5, the crew will reconfigure and redistribute the power generated by two pairs of U.S. solar arrays. Landing is expected Dec. 21 at KSC.

Members of the Artemis I launch team are at their consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch countdown Sept. 3, 2022. Launch of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B was waved off due to an issue during tanking. Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center NASA and contractor managers and engineers monitor progress of the countdown for the launch the agency's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft.MAVEN was launched on Nov. 18, 2013 from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

Stewart Whaley, Cameron Muelling, foreground, and teams at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center help monitor launch conditions for the Demo-2 mission from the Huntsville Operations Support Center, HOSC.

PHOTO DATE: 11-17-08LOCATION: Bldg. 30 south - (Rooms)SUBJECT: STS-126 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift1) - (Subject)

From Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Orion team conducted the successful flight test of the Launch Abort System on Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) on July 2, 2019.

Teams conduct powerup and docking operations for the Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM) in a payload support room at Johnson Space Centers Mission Control Center in Houston on May 18, 2011. STORMM was successfully demonstrated on Space Shuttle Endeavours STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. The goal of STORRM was to validate a new relative navigation sensor based on advanced laser and detector technology that will make docking and undocking spacecraft easier and safer. It also tested the hardware in the same environment that the sensors would experience on the first Orion rendezvous to another vehicle.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will monitor the landing of NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko from their #YearInSpace Mission. Goddard's Networks Integration Center, pictured above, leads all coordination for space-to-ground communications support for the International Space Station and provides contingency support for the Soyuz TMA-18M 44S spacecraft, ensuring complete communications coverage through NASA's Space Network. The Soyuz 44S spacecraft will undock at 8 02 p.m. EST this evening from the International Space Station. It will land approximately three and a half hours later, at 11 25 p.m. EST in Kazakhstan. Both Kelly and Kornienko have spent 340 days aboard the International Space Station, preparing humanity for long duration missions and exploration into deep space. Read more a href= http //www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/ending-year-in-space-nasa-goddard-network-maintains-communications-from-space-to-ground rel= no

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center, NASA launch team members cheer and wave American flags at the successful launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121. The launch made history as the first to occur on Independence Day. Liftoff was on-time at 2:38 p.m. EDT. During the 12-day mission, the STS-121 crew of seven will test new equipment and procedures to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the International Space Station. Landing is scheduled for July 16 or 17 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility.

From Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Orion team conducted the successful flight test of the Launch Abort System on Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) on July 2, 2019.

JSC2007-E-41734 (8 Aug. 2007) --- At the CAPCOM console in the space shuttle flight operations control room of Houston's Mission Control Center, astronaut James P. (Jim) Dutton Jr., STS-118 spacecraft communicator, monitors pre-launch activities of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, several hundred miles away in Florida. Dutton was assigned to watch weather at geographic areas involved in the launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, NASA management watches and waits for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-122 mission to the International Space Station. Standing at left is Center Director Bill Parsons. Seated at right are Associate Administrator for NASA Space Operations William H. Gerstenmaier and NASA Administrator Mike Griffin. The launch is the third attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective is to attach the laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the station's size and capabilities.

Test Project Engineer Rick Brown, left, and Master Console Operator Jason Robinson, both with Jacobs, monitor operations from their consoles in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

NASA astronaut TJ Creamer talks about his experience in space during a "Tweetup" at NASA Headquarters, Thursday, July 29, 2010, in Washington as Twitter followers looks on. Creamer, who spent 161 days living aboard the International Space Station as part of the Expedition 22/23 crew, set up the orbiting outpost's live Internet connection and posted updates about the mission to his Twitter account, sending the first live tweet from orbit.

The Orion team watches the flight in Building AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) on Dec. 5, 2014. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate William Gerstenmaier, are in frame. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Launch Control Center, NASA and Kennedy Space Center officials observe proceedings before the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 to the International Space Station. Second from left is KSC Director Bill Parsons. Second and third from the right are William Gerstenmeier, associate administrator for NASA Space Operations Mission, and Wayne Hale, shuttle program manager, Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on-time at 7:38:04 p.m. EDT. The shuttle is delivering a new segment to the starboard side of the International Space Station's backbone, known as the truss. Three spacewalks are planned to install the S3/S4 truss segment, deploy a set of solar arrays and prepare them for operation. STS-117 is the 118th space shuttle flight, the 21st flight to the station, the 28th flight for Atlantis and the first of four flights planned for 2007.

STS122-S-010 (7 Feb. 2008) --- NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and other management watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-122) from the Launch Control Center Feb. 7, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Partially visible behind Griffin are William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations; and Michael Coats, director of the Johnson Space Center. The Shuttle lifted off from launch pad 39A at 2:45 p.m. (EST).

JSC2010-E-121049 (27 Aug. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel (foreground), STS-134 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, left, meets with NASA James Webb Space Telescope Mission Planner Kari Bosley during a tour of the NASA James Webb Space Telescope Mission Operations Center, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore. Prior to the tour the deputy spoke at a briefing that focused on the status of NASAs James Webb Space Telescope in its final weeks of preparing for its science mission, as well as overviews of planned science for Webbs first year of operations.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (right), Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier and Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon monitor the countdown to the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis with its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, lifted off at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2011 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center, NASA's Ares I-X mission engineers (from front) George Odom, Jeremy Graeber, Roberta Wyrick and Rudy Tench monitor data in the firing room as the rocket undergoes its first power-up. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Launch. Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, left, Steve Stich, manager of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, center, and Benji Reed, senior director of Human Spaceflight Programs at SpaceX, right, monitor the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Thursday, March 2, 2023, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev launched at 12:34 a.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Launch Control Center, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach (center, standing) watches the computer screen as cameras document Space Shuttle Atlantis' climb toward space on mission STS-115. Mission STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. sts-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

NASA mission managers watch the latest weather radar on a monitor in Firing Room Four of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Sunday, July 12, 2009. Endeavour is set to launch at 7:13p.m. EDT with the crew of STS-127 and start a 16-day mission that will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Engineers in the Morpheus Control Room monitor conditions in preparation for the first free flight test at night of NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 10:02 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the test field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliv

STS-130 ascent flight controllers on console in WFCR with Flight Director Norm Knight during launch attempt of Endeavour. Photo Date: February 7, 2010. Location: Building 30 south - WFCR.

Adam Butt andTeams at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center help monitor launch conditions for the Demo-2 mission from the Huntsville Operations Support Center, HOSC.

NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands next to her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a terminal countdown demonstration for Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1. The launch will be the first integrated test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars. Taking place on Dec. 14, 2018, the countdown demonstration was intended to validate the launch team's capability to perform an EM-1 countdown and respond to challenges put into the system for practice.

STS-132 crew members Garrett Reisman and Stephen Bowen during preparations for STS-132 ULF4 EVA 1 training. Photo Date: February 8, 2010. Location: NBL - Pool Topside.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Launch. Joe Acaba, Chief of the Astronaut Office, center, is seen alongside NASA International Space Station program manger Joel Montalbano, and Norm Knight, director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, as they monitor the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in SpaceXs Launch and Landing Control Center in HangerX at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov launched at 3:27 a.m. EDT from Launch

JSC2002-E-34629 (21 August 2002) --- Astronaut Sandra H. Magnus, STS-112 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for her duties aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with ISS elements.

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, at left, NASA Artemis launch director; and Wes Mosedale, technical assistant to the launch director, monitor a cryogenic propellant loading simulation inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center on Nov. 2, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A team of engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs, members of the cryogenics launch team, are rehearsing the steps to load the super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the Space Launch Systems (SLS) core and second stages to prepare for Artemis I. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

JSC2006-E-47420 (1 Nov. 2006) --- Astronauts Patrick G. Forrester (foreground) and John D. (Danny) Olivas, both STS-117 mission specialists, use the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Dr. Mason Peck, NASA's chief technologist, visits United Launch Alliance's Atlas V Space Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Artemis I team members monitor their consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida during launch countdown Sept. 3, 2022. Launch of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B was waved off due to an issue during tanking. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

STS-134 Orbit 1 flight controllers on console during AMS install with Flight Director Gary Horlacher in WFCR and Dana Weigel in FCR-1. Photo Date: May 19, 2011. Location: Building 30 - WFCR, FCR1 and backrooms.

As part of the joint team that will launch Boeings CST-100 Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Boeing Spacecraft Mission Director LeRoy Cain participated in a successful Integrated Crew Exercise on Feb. 12. NASA, ULA, Boeing and Department of Defense personnel executed a mock countdown that practiced fueling the rocket and operating on the unique launch day timeline that features a four-hour built-in hold at the T-minus 4 minute mark. OFT is Boeings uncrewed flight test of Starliner and part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which will return human spaceflight launches into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil.

JSC2007-E-053898 (23 Oct. 2007) --- Astronaut Terry W. Virts Jr., spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), monitors data at his console in the space shuttle flight control room of Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center (MCC) during launch countdown activities a few hundred miles away in Florida, site of Space Shuttle Discovery's scheduled STS-120 launch. Liftoff occurred at 11:38 a.m. (EDT) on Oct. 23, 2007 from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, is seen following the docking of SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken onboard to the International Space Station, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center and docked with the International Space Station at 10:16am EDT on Sunday, May 31. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time si

Ken Bowersox, acting Associate Administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, left, and NASA Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk monitor the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an Am

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility observe consoles during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

PHOTO DATE: 09-17-13LOCATION: Bldg. 9NW - ISS Mockups SUBJECT: Expedition 40/41 emergency scenario crew training with crew members Maxim Suraev, Alexander Gerst and Reid Wiseman.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the NASA Shuttle Logistics Depot in Cape Canaveral, Florida, technicians remove the cover on the Load Control Assembly-2 (LCA-2) to begin the testing process.Located in space shuttle Endeavour's aft avionics bay 5, the LCA-2, which distributes power to nine shuttle systems, is believed to have caused fuel line heaters for Endeavour's auxiliary power unit-1 (APU-1) to fail April 29 during the first launch attempt for the STS-134 mission. The LCA-2 will be replaced and systems will be retested before the launch is rescheduled. STS-134 will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the International Space Station. The mission also will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

Joint Information Center (JIC), Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Radiation Control Center (RADCC) members prepare for the launch of NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter on July 30, 2020, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JIC members include representatives on the local, regional and national level. Mars 2020 launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Liftoff was at 7:50 a.m. EDT. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

Kathy Lueders, Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, left; Steve Stich, program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, center, and Benji Reed, director of crew mission management at SpaceX, monitor the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi onboard, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi launched at 7:27 p.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA Ares I-X Launch Director Ed Mango, 3rd from left, along with other mission managers watches the launch of the Ares I-X rocket from Firing Room One of the Launch Control Center (LCC) at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

Stephen Koerner, Director of the Flight Operations Directorate at NASAs Johnson Space Center, monitors the countdown of the launch attempt of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Todays launch of Behnken and Hurley was scrubbed due to weather and is now scheduled for 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an A

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Launch Control Center, NASA and KSC officials turn from their computers to watch through the broad windows the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115. Second from left is Kennedy Space Center Director Jim Kennedy. Mission STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

STS122-S-012 (7 Feb. 2008) --- NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and other management watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-122) from the Launch Control Center Feb. 7, 2008, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Michael Coats, director of the Johnson Space Center, is at right edge of frame. The Shuttle lifted off from launch pad 39A at 2:45 p.m. (EST).

Inside the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 29, 2020, engineer Danny Zaatari, with Exploration Ground Systems, works on software for the launch of Artemis I. Engineers at the Florida spaceport are staying focused on the Path to the Pad.” Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana congratulates the launch team in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center following the successful launch of space shuttle Endeavour. To Cabana's left is NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and to his right is Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. The shuttle lifted off on its STS-134 mission to the International Space Station on time at 8:56 a.m. EDT on May 16.The shuttle and its six-member crew are embarking on a mission to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the space station. Endeavour's first launch attempt on April 29 was scrubbed because of an issue associated with a faulty power distribution box called the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Firing Room of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach (right) and others applaud the successful launch of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-126 mission. Liftoff was on time at 7:55 p.m. EST. STS-126 is the 124th space shuttle flight and the 27th flight to the International Space Station. The mission will feature four spacewalks and work that will prepare the space station to house six crew members for long-duration missions.

A daruma doll is seen amongst the NASA GPM Mission launch team in the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2) during the all-day launch simulation for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Tanegashima Island, Japan. One eye of the daruma doll is colored in when a goal is set, in this case a successful launch of GPM, and the second eye is colored in at the completion of the goal. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch an H-IIA rocket carrying the GPM Core Observatory on Feb. 28, 2014. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Assistant Launch Director Mike Leinbach (right) speaks with NASA Commentator Mike Curie in Firing Room 4 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida prior to the launch of space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 mission. The seven-member STS-131 crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the stations truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the stations exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

Richard Jones, manager, NASA Mission Management and Integration Office, Commercial Crew Program, left, speaks with Joel Montalbano, NASAs International Space Station deputy program manager, after the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi onboard, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi launched at 7:27 p.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach, standing, and his launch team monitor the countdown to liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour lifted off on its STS-134 mission to the International Space Station on time at 8:56 a.m. EDT on May 16.The shuttle and its six-member crew are embarking on a mission to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the space station. Endeavour's first launch attempt on April 29 was scrubbed because of an issue associated with a faulty power distribution box called the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2).

PHOTO DATE: 12 July 2011LOCATION: Bldg. 30 - WFCRSUBJECT: STS-135 Orbit 3 Flight Controllers in WFCR.

NASA astronaut Bob Behnken monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Demo-1 mission from firing room four of the Launch Control Center, Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Behnken, along with NASA astronaut Doug Hurley are assigned to fly on the crewed Demo-2 mission. The Demo-1 mission will be the first launch of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft and space system designed for humans as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

Master console operator David Walsh monitors operations from his position in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Pat Forrester, NASAs chief of the astronaut office monitor the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi onboard, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi launched at 7:27 p.m. EST, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Launch. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson monitors the countdown of the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in SpaceXs Launch and Landing Control Center in HangerX at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov launched at 3:27 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Artemis I Launch Simulation. Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson stands at her console in Firing Room 1 as Artemis teams conduct a launch simulation for the Artemis I mission inside the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 27, 2022. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by launching Orion atop the SLS rocket, operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. During the flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown, paving the way for human deep space exploration and demonstrating our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Final Launch Operations Rehearsal . Nicole Jordan, manager of the Spacecraft Office for NASA's Commercial Crew Program monitors the countdown during a dress rehearsal in preparation for the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev onboard, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in firing room four of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

PHOTO DATE: 12 July 2011LOCATION: Bldg. 30 - WFCRSUBJECT: STS-135 Orbit 3 Flight Controllers in WFCR.

STS-133 flight controllers on console during the launch of Discovery with Flight Director Richard Jones. Photo Date: February 24, 2011. Location: Building 30 south - WFCR.

A member of the Artemis I launch team monitors his console inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida during launch countdown Sept. 3, 2022. Launch of the agencys Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B was waved off due to an issue during tanking. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

Norm Knight, deputy director of Flight Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, left, talks with Joel Montalbano, NASAs International Space Station deputy program manager, following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Demo-2 mission with NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in firing room four of the Launch Control Center at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocke

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Stephanie Stilson, NASA vehicle manager for Discovery, is being filmed for a special feature on the KSC Web about the recent Orbiter Major Modification period, which included inspection, modifications and reservicing of most systems onboard Discovery, plus installation of a Multifunction Electronic Display Subsystem (MEDS) - a state-of-the-art glass cockpit.” The orbiter is now being prepared for eventual launch on a future mission.

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