Rocket Launch Pads and Preparations

Dramatic images of rockets at launch pads, showcasing significant space missions and preparations for groundbreaking launches.

As a Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. The rocket will boost a Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. EDT. On its 11th commercial resupply services mission to the space station, Dragon will bring up 6,000 pounds of supplies, such as the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, instrument to study the extraordinary physics of neutron stars.

Artemis I Prelaunch. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Nov. 16 at 1:04 a.m. EST.

As a Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. The rocket will boost a Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. EDT. On its 11th commercial resupply services mission to the space station, Dragon will bring up 6,000 pounds of supplies, such as the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, instrument to study the extraordinary physics of neutron stars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Daybreak at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida reveals the rotating service structure rolled back from around the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket for launch.The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, and the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27.

Artemis I Rollout for Launch. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, standing atop the mobile launcher, arrive at Launch Pad 39B at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 4, 2022, ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I launch. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASAs SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and is scheduled to launch Monday, Nov. 14. 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.

On May 18, 2022, Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket roll out from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Starliner will launch on the Atlas V for Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) for NASAs Commercial Crew Program at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 19. OFT-2 is an important uncrewed flight test designed to test the end-to-end capabilities of the system tohelp the agency certify Starliner to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, catenary wires are being suspended from the lighting masts on the lightning towers. The catenary wire system under development for the Constellation Programs next-generation vehicles will significantly increase the shielding level, providing better protection, and further separate the electrical current from vital launch hardware. The system will help avoid delays to the launch schedule by collecting more information on the strike for analysis by launch managers.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off at 11:11 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module on the company's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T), lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 1, 2022. Liftoff was at 4:38 p.m. EST. GOES-T is the third satellite in the GOES-R series that will continue to help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events that affect public safety. GOES-T will be renamed GOES-18 once it reaches geostationary orbit. GOES-18 will go into operational service as GOES West to provide critical data for the U.S. West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean. The launch was managed by NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Americas multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Endeavour sits poised for launch after technicians replaced the Load Control Assembly-2 (LCA-2) in its aft section.Located in 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 and has been replaced. 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.

An aerial view of Launch Complex 39B with Exploration Ground Systems mobile launcher for the Artemis 1 mission on the pad. The mobile launcher, atop crawler-transporter 2, made its final solo trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building on June 27, 2018, and arrived on the surface of pad B on June 28, 2019, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher will remain at the pad over the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agencys Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen after being raised into a vertical position on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Demo-1 mission, Feb. 28, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 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, currently targeted for a 2:49am launch on March 2, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch vehicle carrying NASA's Juno spacecraft has arrived on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41. On Kennedy Space Center property, at right, is Launch Pad 39A, which supported the last space shuttle launch in July.Liftoff is planned during a launch window which extends from 11:34 a.m. to 12:43 p.m. EDT on Aug. 5. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the s

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. ET.

NASA/SpaceX CRS-26 Liftoff. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 26, 2022, on the companys 26th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 2:20 p.m. EST. Dragon will deliver more than 7,700 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the space station, including the next pair of ISS Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

As a Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. The rocket will boost a Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:31 p.m. EDT. On its 12th commercial resupply services mission to the space station, Dragon will bring up more than 6,400 pounds of supplies. The historic launch site now is operated by SpaceX under a property agreement signed with NASA.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket is in position for a wet dress rehearsal at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. During the rehearsal, the rocket will be fully fueled and launch controllers will perform a countdown demonstration. The rehearsal is in preparation for the company's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS, mission to the International Space Station aboard the Dragon capsule. The SpaceX CRS contract with NASA provides for 12 cargo resupply missions to the station through 2015, the first of which is targeted to launch in October 2012.SpaceX became the first private company to berth a spacecraft with the space station in 2012 during its final demonstration flight under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program managed by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket carrying NASAs twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, rolled out of the ULA Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at 1:59 p.m. EDT heading to the launch pad. The Atlas V rocket had been rolled back to the facility on August 26 to ensure the launch vehicle and RBSP spacecraft were secured and protected from inclement weather caused by Tropical Storm Isaac. RBSP will explore changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- known as "space weather" -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will provide data on the fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe. The launch is rescheduled for 4:05 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30, pending approval from the range.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The mobile service tower, or gantry, in the foreground at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, is scheduled for demolition. The tall lightning towers around it will remain. This mammoth structure, with its cavernous clean room, was used for the final spacecraft launch preparations for NASAs Cassini spacecraft, currently orbiting Saturn. The launch occurred on Oct. 15, 1997, aboard an Air Force Titan IV-Centaur rocket. The facilities at the pad are being dismantled to make room for the construction of launch pad access and servicing facilities for the new Falcon rockets to be launched by Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, launch pad 39A looks much like it did after the liftoff of STS-135, the final space shuttle mission, on July 8, 2011. The mobile launcher platform remains in place next to the fixed service structure and rotating service structure. During the shuttle program, water was stored in the 290-foot-high, 300,000 gallon tank on the right. Water was released just prior to the main engine ignition and flows by gravity to special outlets on the platform to protect the orbiter and its payloads from being damaged by acoustical energy reflected from the platform during liftoff. Both launch pad 39A and 39B pad 39A was originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the companys Crew Dragon attached, stands at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on Jan. 3, 2019. The rocket will undergo checkouts prior to the liftoff of Demo-1, the inaugural flight of one of the spacecraft designed to take NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing Commercial Crew Program spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations such as the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to launch NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, awaits liftoff at 6:10 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. DSCOVR will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts and forecasts.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The mobile launcher, or ML, nears the base of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, away from the protection of the pad's three 600-foot-tall lightning masts. The ML is making the 4.2-mile trek back to the park site near the Vehicle Assembly Building. Data on the ML collected from structural and functional engineering tests during its two-week stay on the pad will be used in the next phases of construction. The 355-foot-tall ML structure, which took about two years to construct, will be modified by NASAs 21st Century Ground Systems Program to support NASAs Space Launch System, the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts into deep space on future exploration missions.

The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen at launch Pad-0A, Sunday, May 20, 2018 at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch with the Cygnus spacecraft filled with 7,400 pounds of cargo for the International Space Station (ISS), including science experiments, crew supplies, and vehicle hardware. The mission is Orbital ATK's ninth contracted cargo delivery flight to ISS for NASA.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Minutes before launch was scrubbed, space shuttle Endeavour waits for liftoff on Launch Pad 39A. The scrub was due to weather conditions near the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy that violated rules for launching. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy. Launch was rescheduled for July 13 at 6:51 p.m. EDT. This was the fourth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The first two launch attempts on June 13 and June 17 were scrubbed when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. Mission managers also decided to delay tanking on July 11 for a launch attempt later in the day to allow engineers and safety personnel time to analyze data captured during lightning strikes near the pad on July 10. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands at Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida during a "wet dress rehearsal." The test called for the launch vehicle to be fully loaded with propellants and put through a countdown procedure, ending just before the T-0 mark. The spacecraft is undergoing prelaunch processing activities in the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and was not atop the rocket for this rehearsal.The Atlas V rocket is slated to launch the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft on a journey to the Red Planet on Nov. 18. The spacecraft is undergoing prelaunch processing activities in the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and was not atop the rocket for this rehearsal. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

Artemis I Rollout. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher as it arrives at Launch Pad 39B, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for Nov. 14 at 12:07 a.m. EST.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As nightfall comes to Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, xenon lights reveal the Ares I-X rocket awaiting the approaching liftoff of its flight test.This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Atlas V expendable launch vehicle with the New Horizons spacecraft rolls out of the Vertical Integration Facility on its way to the pad. The liftoff is scheduled for 1:24 p.m. EST Jan. 17. After its launch aboard the Atlas V, the compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Horizons science payload, developed under direction of Southwest Research Institute, includes imaging infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a multi-color camera, a long-range telescopic camera, two particle spectrometers, a space-dust detector and a radio science experiment. The dust counter was designed and built by students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A launch before Feb. 3 allows New Hori

Psyche on the Launch Pad. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is seen at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Psyche mission, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket is not the tallest structure on Launch Pad 39B beside the Atlantic Ocean at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Situated around the pad are three 100-foot fiberglass lightning masts mounted atop 500-foot towers. This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Pad modifications to support the Ares I-X include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, and the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour stands majestically on Launch Pad 39A, totally revealed after the rotating service structure (RSS) was rolled away in preparation for the shuttle's upcoming launch. Retraction of the structure, which provides weather protection and access to the shuttle, began at 11:44 a.m. EDT and was completed at 12:24 p.m. RSS "rollback" marks a major milestone in Endeavour's STS-134 mission countdown. Liftoff is scheduled for May 16 at 8:56 a.m. EDT. Endeavour and its crew 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 station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - At Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-2 in California, a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft aboard stands by itself on the launch pad following rollback of the mobile service tower. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As nine engines ignite under the SpaceX Falcon 9, the rocket springs to life at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, boosting the Dragon resupply spacecraft on the SpaceX-3 mission to the International Space Station. Launch was at 3:25 p.m. EDT.Dragon is making its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission, carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments, is the third of 12 flights through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support more than 150 experiments that will be conducted during the station's Expeditions 39 and 40.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. ET.

This helicopter view of Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida shows the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket as it stands ready to boost NASA's Orion spacecraft on a 4.5-hour mission.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth 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. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 12:34 a.m. EST on March 2, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASAs Orion spacecraft mounted atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket is visible inside the Mobile Service Tower where the vehicle is undergoing launch preparations on Dec. 3, 2014 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37 in Florida. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

After successfully arriving at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39B, Exploration Ground Systems mobile launcher is photographed at the pad surface on June 28, 2019. The mobile launcher began its final solo trek to the pad at midnight on June 27, departing from NASAs Vehicle Assembly Building. The mobile launcher will remain at the pad over the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agencys Space Launch System rocket and Orion in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASAs Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket takes off from Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds. This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kenney Space Center in Florida. This is the company's 10th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 9:39 a.m. EST from the historic launch site now operated by SpaceX under a property agreement with NASA. The Dragon spacecraft will deliver about 5,500 pounds of supplies to the space station, including the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III instrument to further study ozone in the atmosphere.

Commercial Crew astronauts participate in a Boeing/United Launch Alliance (ULA) emergency egress system demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Launch Complex 41 in Florida on June 19, 2018. The emergency egress system will allow for a safe evacuation in the unlikely event of an emergency on the launch pad on launch day. It can carry up to 20 people more than 1,300 feet away from the crew access tower and the launch vehicle. The Boeing CST-100 Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket, carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket rolls out of its processing hangar toward Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for a wet dress rehearsal. During the rehearsal, the rocket will be fully fueled and launch controllers will perform a countdown demonstration. The rehearsal is in preparation for the company's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS, mission to the International Space Station aboard the Dragon capsule. The SpaceX CRS contract with NASA provides for 12 cargo resupply missions to the station through 2015, the first of which is targeted to launch in October 2012.SpaceX became the first private company to berth a spacecraft with the space station in 2012 during its final demonstration flight under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program managed by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. ET.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the mobile launcher, or ML, stands at Launch Pad 39B. Data on the ML will be collected from structural and functional engineering tests and used for the next phases of construction overseen by NASAs 21st Century Ground Systems Program. The 355-foot-tall ML structure, which took about two years to construct, is being modified to support NASAs Space Launch System, the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket carrying NASAs twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, rolled out of the ULA Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at 1:59 p.m. EDT and was fully secured in position on the pad at 2:57 p.m. The Atlas V rocket had been rolled back to the facility on August 26 to ensure the launch vehicle and RBSP spacecraft were secured and protected from inclement weather caused by Tropical Storm Isaac.RBSP will explore changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- known as "space weather" -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will provide data on the fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe. The launch is rescheduled for 4:05 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30, pending approval from the range.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Endeavour sits poised for launch after technicians replaced the Load Control Assembly-2 (LCA-2) in its aft section.Located in 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 and has been replaced. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K, TDRS-K, sits atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket on Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, ready to begin its journey to orbit. Liftoff is set for 8 48 p.m. EST at the opening of a 40-minute launch window. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.

On May 18, 2022, Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket roll out from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Starliner will launch on the Atlas V for Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) for NASAs Commercial Crew Program at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 19. OFT-2 is an important uncrewed flight test designed to test the end-to-end capabilities of the system tohelp the agency certify Starliner to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The towering 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket, secured to a mobile launcher platform, nears its place beside the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The test rocket left the Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m. EDT on its 4.2-mile trek to the pad and was "hard down" on the pads pedestals at 9:17 a.m. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, along with the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27.

The two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 10:36 a.m. EST. On its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, Dragon will bring up supplies, equipment and new science experiments for technology research. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will deliver about 4,800 pounds of cargo and material to support science investigations aboard the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Juno spacecraft, enclosed in its payload fairing atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch vehicle, rolls between the towers of the lightning protection system toward the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.Liftoff is planned during a launch window which extends from 11:34 a.m. to 12:43 p.m. EDT on Aug. 5. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Partially hidden behind a flame and exhaust deflector, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff with the SpaceX Dragon capsule aboard is set for 4:55 a.m. EDT on May 19. The launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, or COTS.During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of check-out procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. If the capsule performs as planned, the cargo and experiments it is carrying will be transferred to the station. The cargo includes food, water and provisions for the stations Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two aerospace companies to deliver cargo to the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A crane brings the umbilical swing arm for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1, closer for installation on the fixed umbilical tower at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The swing arm is the uppermost of three swing arms that will be attached to the fixed umbilical tower.The swing arm will carry umbilicals that will be mated to Orion's launch abort system and environmental control system. During launch, the umbilicals will pull away from Orion and the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at T-0. During the EFT-1 mission, Orion will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, as well as reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights. Liftoff of Orion on its first flight test is planned for fall 2014.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen on launch Pad-0A during sunrise, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch with the Cygnus spacecraft filled with over 5,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. The Orbital-3 mission is Orbital Sciences' third contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA. Launch is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27 at 6:45 p.m. EDT.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth 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. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Demo-2 mission, Friday, May 29, 2020, 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. Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are scheduled to launch 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 low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - As the sun rises, a Boeing Delta IV rocket stands ready to launch the GOES-N satellite at Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. GOES-N is the latest in a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites for NOAA and NASA. A geostationary orbit is one in which a satellite remains in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth. Thus, the satellite hovers continuously over one position on the Earth's surface, appearing stationary. As a result, GOES provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric "triggers" for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms, and hurricanes. GOES-N is scheduled for launch May 24 in an hour-long window between 6:11 and 7:11 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands at Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida during a "wet dress rehearsal." The test called for the launch vehicle to be fully loaded with propellants and put through a countdown procedure, ending just before the T-0 mark. The spacecraft is undergoing prelaunch processing activities in the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and was not atop the rocket for this rehearsal.The Atlas V rocket is slated to launch the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft on a journey to the Red Planet on Nov. 18. The spacecraft is undergoing prelaunch processing activities in the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and was not atop the rocket for this rehearsal. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

NASA's mobile launcher (ML) atop crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2) moves along the crawlerway on its trek to Launch Pad 39B on Aug. 31, 2018, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CT-2 will move the ML up to the surface of the pad where it will undergo a fit check, followed by several days of systems testing. The 380-foot-tall mobile launcher is equipped with the crew access arm and several umbilicals that will provide power, environmental control, pneumatics, communication and electrical connections to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Ground Systems is preparing the ground systems necessary to launch SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission-1, missions to the Moon and on to Mars.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-4 mission, Friday, April 22, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth 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. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti are scheduled to launch no earlier than April 26, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The sun rises over Launch Pad 39A and space shuttle Atlantis at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after completing its historic and final journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Atlantis was secured or "hard down," at its seaside launch pad at 3:29 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 1.The milestone move, known as "rollout," paves the way for the launch of the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for July 8. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

During the morning on Oct. 30, 2020, the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission, atop crawler-transporter 2, moves slowly along the crawlerway after departing Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building after being at the pad for 10 days, while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs performed several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch teams countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The engine ignites under the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, lifting NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft off Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.Launch was on schedule at 1:28 p.m. EST Nov. 18 at the opening of a two-hour launch window. After a 10-month journey to the Red Planet, MAVEN will study its upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail from orbit above the planet. Built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., MAVEN will arrive at Mars in September 2014 and will be inserted into an elliptical orbit with a high point of 3,900 miles, swooping down to as close as 93 miles above the planet's surface.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will send the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) to a geostationary position over the U.S. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES satellites.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASAs Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. ET.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad-0A at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Friday, April 19, 2013 in Virginia. NASA's commercial space partner, Orbital Sciences Corporation, is scheduled to test launch its first Antares on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is vertical with the companys Crew Dragon atop for NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission at Launch Pad 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 19, 2022. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watson, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, will launch aboard Dragon, named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, atop the Falcon 9 on April 23, 2022, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 5:26 a.m. EDT from Pad 39A. The astronauts will conduct scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

JPSS-2/LOFTID Rollback for Launch. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite with NASAs Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) as a secondary payload, stand ready to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Nov. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Nine engines roar to life under the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, lifting it off Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and boosting the Dragon resupply spacecraft on the SpaceX-3 mission to the International Space Station. Launch was at 3:25 p.m. EDT.Dragon is making its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission, carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments, is the third of 12 flights through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support more than 150 experiments that will be conducted during the station's Expeditions 39 and 40.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is moved from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. A Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to deliver 7,700 pounds of supplies and research experiments on the Orbital ATK CRS-6 mission to the International Space Station.

NASA SpaceX CRS-28 Vertical on SLC-39A. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon spacecraft atop is on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 2, 2023. SpaceX is scheduled to launch its 28th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA. Launch is scheduled for June 3 at 12:35 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver approximately 7,000 pounds of crew supplies, equipment, and science experiments to the orbiting laboratory. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

Psyche Liftoff. NASAs Psyche spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, lifts off from Kennedy Space Centers historic Launch Complex 39A in Florida at 10:19 a.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. The Psyche mission will study a metal-rich asteroid with the same name, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This is NASAs first mission to study an asteroid that has more metal than rock or ice. Riding with Psyche is a pioneering technology demonstration - NASAs Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment - which will be the first test of laser communications beyond the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASAs Ares I-X test rocket ignites its first stage during liftoff at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds. This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket set to carry NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, moves from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad. Liftoff for the TDRS-K is planned for Jan. 30, 2013. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 37-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta IV rocket is erect in the gantry. The Delta IV is the launch vehicle for the GOES-N satellite, the first of three for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will provide continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. GOES-N will provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric triggers of severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, GOES-N will be able to monitor storm development and track their movements. NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for development of the satellite and testing of the spacecraft and its instruments. GOES-N is scheduled for launch on May 4.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands at Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida during a "wet dress rehearsal." The test called for the launch vehicle to be fully loaded with propellants and put through a countdown procedure, ending just before the T-0 mark. The spacecraft is undergoing prelaunch processing activities in the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and was not atop the rocket for this rehearsal.The Atlas V rocket is slated to launch the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft on a journey to the Red Planet on Nov. 18. The spacecraft is undergoing prelaunch processing activities in the Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and was not atop the rocket for this rehearsal. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V with NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft atop, arrives at the launch pad. The TDRS-L spacecraft is the second of three new satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for NASA by expanding the lifespan of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System TDRSS fleet, which consists of eight satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The spacecraft provide tracking, telemetry, command and high bandwidth data return services for numerous science and human exploration missions orbiting Earth. These include NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. TDRS-L has a high-performance solar panel designed for more spacecraft power to meet the growing S-band communications requirements. TDRSS is one of NASA Space Communication and Navigations SCaN three networks providing space communications to NASAs missions.

The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, is seen on Pad-0A, Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman's 10th contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 7,400 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Launch is currently scheduled for Nov. 17 at 4:01 a.m. EST.

Psyche on the Launch Pad. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is seen at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Psyche mission, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.

The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission, atop crawler-transporter 2, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 30, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher was at Launch Pad 39B for 10 days, while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs performed several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch teams countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

SpaceX Crew-6 Sunset at LC-39A. A colorful sunset serves as the backdrop for SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft Endeavour on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 23, 2023, for NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission. The crew access arm has been moved into position at the Dragon spacecraft. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander, and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot, along with mission specialists Sultan Alneyadi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut, and Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut, are slated to launch to the International Space Station at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A. Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of Dragon with people as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is moved from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. A Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to deliver 7,700 pounds of supplies and research experiments on the Orbital ATK CRS-6 mission to the International Space Station.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher as it 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.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen illuminated by spotlights on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeings Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliners second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch on 6:54 p.m. ET on May 19, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Early morning light falls on space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It joins space shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A. This is probably the final time two shuttles will be on launch pads at the same time with the space shuttle fleet set for retirement in 2010. Endeavour will be prepared on the pad for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary following space shuttle Atlantis' launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. After Atlantis is cleared to land, Endeavour will move to Launch Pad 39A for its upcoming STS-127 mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch June 13.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket is not the tallest structure on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Situated around the pad are three 100-foot fiberglass lightning masts mounted atop 500-foot towers. This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has been processed on the pad. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Pad modifications to support the Ares I-X include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, and the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27.

As a Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. The rocket will boost a Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. EDT. On its 11th commercial resupply services mission to the space station, Dragon will bring up 6,000 pounds of supplies, such as the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, instrument to study the extraordinary physics of neutron stars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, lightning masts protect the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket as it leaves behind the safety of the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex-41 to take its position on the pad's surface. Atop the rocket is NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), enclosed in its payload fairing. The rocket began its move from the VIF at 8 a.m. EST.Liftoff is planned during a launch window which extends from 10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST on Nov. 26. MSL's components include a car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological or geological source.

A view of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher on Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 21, 2022. Also in view are the three lightning protection towers and water tower. The SLS and Orion atop the mobile launcher were transported to the pad on crawler-transporter 2 for a prelaunch test called a wet dress rehearsal. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In future Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

Psyche on the Launch Pad. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is seen at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Psyche mission, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Progress is being made on construction of the new lightning towers on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. New sections are being added with the help of a giant crane. Three new lightning towers on the pad will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket carrying NASAs twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, rolled out of the ULA Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at 1:59 p.m. EDT and was fully secured in position on the pad at 2:57 p.m. The Atlas V rocket had been rolled back to the facility on August 26 to ensure the launch vehicle and RBSP spacecraft were secured and protected from inclement weather caused by Tropical Storm Isaac.RBSP will explore changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- known as "space weather" -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will provide data on the fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe. The launch is rescheduled for 4:05 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30, pending approval from the range.

At NASA Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A, the nine engines of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roar to life in a brief static firing on Jan. 24, 2019. The test was part of checkouts prior to its liftoff for Demo-1, the inaugural flight of one of the spacecraft designed to take NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing Commercial Crew Program spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations such as the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This helicopter view of Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida shows the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket as it stands ready to boost NASA's Orion spacecraft on a 4.5-hour mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7 43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth.

The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen a few hours after arriving at launch Pad-0A, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grummans 12th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 8,200 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Launch is scheduled for 9:59 a.m. EDT Saturday, Nov. 2.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An exhaust cloud forms around the Falcon 9 rocket on Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as the SpaceX-3 mission lifts off, carrying the Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was during an instantaneous window at 3:25 p.m. EDT.Dragon is making its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission, carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments, is the third of 12 flights under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract to resupply the orbiting laboratory.

Mobile Launcher 1 (ML-1) Rolls to Launch Pad 39B for Artemis ll Testing. The mobile launcher, carried by the crawler-transporter 2, rolls out from its park site location to Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 16, 2023. While at the pad, it will undergo testing for the agencys Artemis II mission. Under Artemis, the mobile launcher will transport NASAs Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to pad 39B for liftoff.

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