Space Launch Complexes

Images of space launch facilities featuring rockets in vertical positions at various launch pads. Clear skies highlight the advanced technology in preparation for upcoming space missions.

NASA's mobile launcher (ML) atop crawler-transporter 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39B on Aug. 31, 2018, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ML 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An aerial view of Launch Pad 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the background is the Vehicle Assembly Building. Atop the fixed service structure is the 80-foot-tall lightning mast. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tower that holds 300,000 gallons of water used at launch for sound suppression to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust reflected from the flame trench and Mobile Launcher Platform during launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After the mobile service tower has rolled away, the Delta II rocket with the STEREO spacecraft at top stands alone next to the launch gantry. Liftoff is scheduled in a window between 8:38 and 8:53 p.m. on Oct. 25. STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a two-year mission using two nearly identical observatories, one ahead of Earth in its orbit and the other trailing behind. The duo will provide 3-D measurements of the sun and its flow of energy, enabling scientists to study the nature of coronal mass ejections and why they happen. The ejections are a major source of the magnetic disruptions on Earth and are a key component of space weather. The disruptions can greatly effect satellite operations, communications, power systems, humans in space and global climate. Designed and built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) , the STEREO mission is being managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. APL will maintain co

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket reflects the rising sun as it stands at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will send NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M to orbit. TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:03 a.m. EDT Aug. 18.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The rising sun begins to cast its glow over space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Behind the shuttle is the new lightning tower erected for NASA's Constellation Program, which will use the pad for Ares rocket launches. First motion of Endeavour's rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 11:57 p.m. EDT April 16. 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.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, March 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad for the first time 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.

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. On either side of the pad are 100-foot fiberglass lightning masts mounted atop 500-foot towers. The rotating service structure, or RSS, was retracted from the rocket at midday. A full test of the rocket will be conducted, including a "hot fire" of the auxiliary power units as part of the integrated systems test.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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 17-B in Florida, the first stage of a Delta II rocket is lifted into the mobile service tower. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the STSS Demonstrators Program. STSS Demonstrators Program is a midcourse tracking technology demonstrator and is part of an evolving ballistic missile defense system. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors. It will be launched by NASA for the Missile Defense Agency on July 29.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Juno spacecraft, enclosed in its payload fairing atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-551 launch vehicle, is protected from potential stormy weather by the wire catenary system traversing the towers of the lightning protection system at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Atlantic Ocean behind the pad extends into the distance.Launch 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,

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building, to the Mobile Launcher east park site.The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is staged for launch on Launch Pad 39A at the National Aeronautical and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canveral, Florida, October 4, 2022. Falcon 9, commanded by U.S. Marine Corps Col. Nicole Mann, will transport Crew-5 members to the International Space Station for a six-month mission in space.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is staged for launch on Launch Pad 39A at the National Aeronautical and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canveral, Florida, October 4, 2022. Falcon 9, commanded by U.S. Marine Corps Col. Nicole Mann, will transport Crew-5 members to the International Space Station for a six-month mission in space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An aerial view of the newly erected lightning towers on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The two towers at left and center contain the lightning mast on top; the one at right does not. At center are the fixed and rotating service structures that have served the Space Shuttle Program. Beyond the pad is the Atlantic Ocean. The new lightning protection system is being built for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. Each of the towers is 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system. This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle. 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.

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.

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen after the rotating service structure is rolled back on Saturday Feb. 6, 2010 at pad 39a of the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Endeavour and the crew members of the STS-130 mission are set to launch on Sunday at 4:39 a.m. EST.

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.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen with the NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft onboard, Monday, May 21, 2018, at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The mission will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. GRACE-FO is sharing its ride to orbit with five Iridium NEXT communications satellites as part of a commercial rideshare agreement.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen at sunset atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 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 Sept. 3 at 2:17 p.m. EDT.

An aerial view shows the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T), secured on the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 28, 2022. GOES-T will lift off atop the Atlas V from SLC-41 on March 1, 2022, at 4:38 p.m. 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 is managed by NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Americas multi-user spaceport.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying 24 satellites as part of the Department of Defense's Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission is seen at Launch Complex 39A, Monday, June 24, 2019 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four NASA technology and science payloads which will study non-toxic spacecraft fuel, deep space navigation, "bubbles" in the electrically-charged layers of Earth's upper atmosphere, and radiation protection for satellites are among the two dozen satellites that will be launched. The three hour launch window opens at 11:30pm EDT on June 24.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Silhouetted against the early morning sky, space shuttle Atlantis begins to roll away from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion was at 6:48 a.m. EDT. At left are the fixed service structure topped by its 80-foot lightning mast and the rotating service structure. Atlantis is rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to await launch on its STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review. The space shuttle is mounted on a Mobile Launcher Platform and will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building atop a crawler transporter. traveling slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The rollback is expected to take approximately six hours.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is illuminated following the rollback of the mobile service tower, preparing the way for launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.Launch is scheduled for 5:56 a.m. EDT on July 1. OCO-2 is NASAs first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Reflected in the water of the Banana River is Space Shuttle Atlantis, sitting on Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis rolled out to the pad for the second time before dawn. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 5:02 a.m. EDT. In late February, while Atlantis was on the launch pad, Atlantis' external tank received hail damage during a severe thunderstorm that passed through the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 area. The hail caused visible divots in the giant tank's foam insulation, as well as minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the shuttle's left wing. The shuttle was returned to the VAB for repairs. The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117 is now targeted for June 8. A flight readiness review will be held on May 30 and 31.

The crawler-transporter 2, with NASA's mobile launcher atop, makes its way up the ramp to the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 31, 2018. The ML 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) for the MESSENGER spacecraft launch is held in a vertical position for lifting up the mobile service tower. The SRB will be mated to the Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket for the Aug. 2 launch of MESSENGER to the planet Mercury. The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around Mercury in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test mission, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test with be Starliners maiden mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for a 6:26 a.m. EST launch on Dec. 20, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

ML Arrives at Pad 39B

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module, stands ready for launch on the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission, CRS-7, is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on April 18, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:11 a.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, the Delta II 7925 rocket stands ready for launch following rollback of the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Atop the rocket is NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Kepler is a spaceborne telescope designed to search the nearby region of our galaxy for Earth-size planets orbiting in the habitable zone of stars like our sun. The habitable zone is the region around a star where temperatures permit water to be liquid on a planet's surface. The challenge for Kepler is to look at a large number of stars in order to statistically estimate the total number of Earth-size planets orbiting sun-like stars in the habitable zone. Kepler will survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft aboard stands at the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASAs RBSP mission will help researchers understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard an Atlas V rocket. Launch is targeted for Aug. 24.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Social media representatives photograph the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Capsule on Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Social participants are given the same access as news media in an effort to align the experience of social media representatives with those of traditional media, including the opportunity to view a launch of SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket, tour NASA facilities at Kennedy Space Center, speak with representatives from both NASA and SpaceX, view and take photographs of the SpaceX launch pad, meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media and meet members of SpaceX and NASA's social media teams.Scheduled for launch at about 4:58 p.m. EDT April 14, Dragon will be 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 o

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Around Launch Pad 39A, photographers pick their spot to snap shots of Space Shuttle Endeavour, which rolled to the pad over night. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 8:10 p.m. July 10, and the shuttle was hard down on the pad at 3:02 a.m. July 11. At far left is the rotating service structure, which can be rolled around to enclose the shuttle for access during processing. Barely visible behind it is the fixed service structure, topped by an 80-foot-tall lightning mast. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tank, which provides the deluge over the mobile launcher platform for sound suppression during liftoff. The proximity of the water and brush and grass signify the close relationship of Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Center, which surrounds it. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-118 on Aug. 7. During the mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and extern

A fully functional Launch Abort System (LAS) with a test version of Orion attached, launches on NASAs Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) atop a Northrop Grumman provided booster on July 2, 2019, at 7 a.m. EDT, from Launch Pad 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. During AA-2, the booster will send the LAS and Orion to an altitude of 31,000 feet, traveling at Mach 1.15 (more than 1,000 mph). The LAS three motors will work together to pull the crew module away from the booster and prepare it for splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight test will prove that the abort system can pull crew to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency during ascent.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen 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.

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-2 mission, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second 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 Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide are scheduled to launch at 5:49 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 23, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

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. The liftoff was postponed because of an issue related to fill and drain valves on the Delta IV Heavy rocket that teams could not troubleshoot by the time the launch window expired.

Artemis I Rollback Preparations. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as teams configure systems for rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA made the decision to rollback based on the latest weather predictions associated with Hurricane Ian. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' main engines and solid rocket boosters ignite on Launch Pad 39A as it lifts off 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-135 is 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.

Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 18, 2009 - Space shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A is viewed across the lagoon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis is targeted to launch May 12 on the STS-125 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

This long exposure photograph shows the Mobile Service Tower being rolled back to reveal the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket with the Parker Solar Probe onboard, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018, Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Parker Solar Probe is humanitys first-ever mission into a part of the Suns atmosphere called the corona. Here it will directly explore solar processes that are key to understanding and forecasting space weather events that can impact life on Earth.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After rollback of the Mobile Service Tower (right), the Delta II rocket with the Genesis spacecraft on top sits on Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, ready for liftoff. Genesis will be on a robotic NASA space mission to collect just 10 to 20 micrograms -- or the weight of a few grains of salt -- of solar wind, invisible charged particles that flow outward from the Sun -- and return them to Earth. This treasured smidgen of the Sun will be preserved in a special laboratory for study by scientists over the next century in search of answers to fundamental questions about the exact composition of our star and the birth of our solar system. The Genesis launch is scheduled for Aug. 1, 2001, from CCAFS

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Delta II rocket is lifted up the mobile service tower. In the background is pad 17-A. The rocket is being erected to launch the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

NASAs mobile launcher (ML) atop crawler-transporter 2 moves along the crawlerway on Sept. 10, 2019, after spending a week and a half inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida due to the approach of Hurricane Dorian. The nearly 400-foot-tall structure was moved from Launch Pad 39B to the VAB for safekeeping on Aug. 30. The storm passed about 70 miles east of the spaceport during the overnight hours Tuesday, Sept. 3, and Wednesday, Sept. 4. NASAs Exploration Ground Systems is moving the mobile launcher back to the launch pad, where teams will complete testing and checkout on the launcher in the coming weeks for the Artemis I mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - This rare view on September 5 shows on adjacent Launch Complex 39 pads with the Rotating Service Structures retracted. The orbiter Columbia on Pad A foreground was being readied for a September 6 early morning launch on Mission STS-39, while it sister spaceship, the orbiter Discovery, was set to begin preparations for an October liftoff on Mission STS- 41.

The two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle lifts off Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center carrying the Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 12:31 p.m. EDT. On its 12th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, Dragon will bring up more than 6,400 pounds of supplies and new science experiments and equipment for technology research.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, as the Artemis I launch teams load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as the launch countdown progresses 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. The launch director halted todays launch attempt at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET.

NASA/SpaceX Crew-6 Rollout for Launch. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon spacecraft Endeavour is secured on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 22, 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Only the tip of the orange external tank on Space Shuttle Atlantis is visible above the Rotating Service Structure surrounding Atlantis on Launch Pad 39B. The Shuttle is undergoing pre-launch preparations for mission STS-112, scheduled to launch Oct. 2, 2002. The sky above the Shuttle is filled with dark clouds sweeping over Florida from Hurricane Isidore.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the sun begins it rise in the East overlooking Launch Pad 39A and space shuttle Discovery, newly arrived for its upcoming launch. First motion on its 3.4-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 7:58 p.m. EST Jan. 31, and was secured or "hard down" on the pad a little before 3 a.m. Feb. 1.Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Monday, April 4, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team conducts the wet dress rehearsal test at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An aerial view of Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The pad will be used to support the new Falcon rockets to be launched by Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher as it rolls out to Launch Complex 39B for the first time, 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the GOES-O satellite arrives at mobile service tower on Launch Complex 37. It will be lifted into the tower and mated with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle. The GOES-O satellite is targeted to launch no earlier than June 26. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This aerial view shows the Delta II launch pads at Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, rimmed by the blue Atlantic Ocean in the background.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 2 in preparation for the liftoff of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket now is poised to boost the satellite to a polar orbit. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon capsule secured atop is lifted into a vertical position between the lightning masts on the pad at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, built both the rocket and capsule for NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station. The vertical lift was complete at 1 p.m. EDT. SpaceX CRS-1 is an important step toward making Americas microgravity research program self-sufficient by providing a way to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to and from the orbiting laboratory. Launch is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7. NASA has contracted for 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

The Titan IVB core vehicle and its twin Solid Rocket Motor Upgrades (SRMUs) which will be used to propel the Cassini spacecraft to its final destination, Saturn, approaches the pad at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station. At the pad, the Centaur upper stage will be added and, eventually, the prime payload, the Cassini spacecraft. Cassini will explore the Saturnian system, including the planets rings and moon, Titan. Launch of the Cassini mission to Saturn is scheduled for Oct. 6

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Backdropped by the Atlantic Ocean, the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rolls toward the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Atop the rocket is NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), enclosed in its payload fairing. The rocket began its move from the Vertical Integration Facility at 8 a.m. EST, arriving at the launch pad at 8:40 a.m.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 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, Monday, April 25, 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 27 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

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.

The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, is seen on Pad-0A at sunrise, 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 Saturday, Nov. 17 at 4:01 a.m. EST.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A new NASA helicopter circles space shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39A prior to launch on the STS-124 mission. To the left of the shuttle is the fixed service structure with the 80-foot lightning mast on top. The rotating service structure, normally closed around the shuttle, is open for liftoff. At right of the pad is the 300,000-gallon water tower that provides the water used for sound suppression on the pad during liftoff. In the background is the Atlantic Ocean. Discovery is making its 35th flight. The STS-124 mission is the 26th in the assembly of the space station. It is the second of three flights launching components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory.

Exterior view of Launch Complex 39A

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An aerial view of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B. The pad is surrounded by lightning towers erected for NASA's Constellation Program, which will use the pad for Ares rocket launches.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Umbilical lines are attached to a Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon capsule secured atop on the pad at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, built both the rocket and capsule for NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station. The vertical lift was complete at 1 p.m. EDT. SpaceX CRS-1 is an important step toward making Americas microgravity research program self-sufficient by providing a way to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to and from the orbiting laboratory. Launch is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7. NASA has contracted for 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Social media representatives photograph the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Capsule on Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Social participants are given the same access as news media in an effort to align the experience of social media representatives with those of traditional media, including the opportunity to view a launch of SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket, tour NASA facilities at Kennedy Space Center, speak with representatives from both NASA and SpaceX, view and take photographs of the SpaceX launch pad, meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media and meet members of SpaceX and NASA's social media teams.Scheduled for launch at about 4:58 p.m. EDT April 14, Dragon will be 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The gate is open to Launch Pad 39B where Space Shuttle Discovery remains on the pad after scrub of Return to Flight mission STS-114. The July 13 mission was scrubbed when a low-level fuel cut-off sensor for the liquid hydrogen tank inside the External Tank failed a routine prelaunch check during the countdown July 13, causing mission managers to scrub Discovery's first launch attempt. The sensor protects the Shuttle's main engines by triggering their shutdown in the event fuel runs unexpectedly low. The sensor is one of four inside the liquid hydrogen section of the External Tank (ET).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Preparing for Return to Flight, workers at KSC walk the grounds around Launch Pad 39B looking for Foreign Object Debris, or FOD. The pad was recently refurbished and any possible debris left behind must be removed from the area prior to launch. Foreign objects that are alien to flight systems may cause material damage or may make the system or equipment inoperable, unsafe or less efficient. The Return to Flight mission STS-114 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery will carry supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. Discovery is scheduled for launch in a window from May 15 to June 3.

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The STS-135 crew members gather at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A in Florida for a question-and-answer session with media. With the microphone in hand is Commander Chris Ferguson as Pilot Doug Hurley (red cap), Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim look on. Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts are at Kennedy to participate in a launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training.Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle miss

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 2 in preparation for the liftoff of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket now is poised to boost the satellite to a polar orbit. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A on NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery is fully revealed after rollback of the rotating service structure, at far left. Seen above the golden external tank is the vent hood (known as the "beanie cap") at the end of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, extending from the fixed service structure. Vapors are created as the liquid oxygen in the external tank boil off. The hood vents the gaseous oxygen vapors away from the space shuttle vehicle. Below it, also extending toward Discovery from the structure, is the orbiter access arm with the White Room at the end. The crew gains access into the orbiter through the White Room. At right is the 300,000-gallon water tank that provides water for sound suppression during liftoff. Rollback of the RSS started at 3:34 p.m. EDT and was complete at 4:20 p.m. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. Rollback of the pad's RSS is one of

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Sunlight spotlights space shuttle Endeavour poised on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the foreground is the railway that services Kennedy. Surrounding the pad are the lightning towers erected for NASA's Constellation Program, which will use the pad for Ares rocket launches. Endeavour will be prepared on the pad for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary following space shuttle Atlantis' launch May 12 on the STS-125 mission to upgrade 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 STS-135 crew members gather at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A in Florida for a question-and-answer session with media. With the microphone in hand is Commander Chris Ferguson as Pilot Doug Hurley (red cap), Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim look on. Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts are at Kennedy to participate in a launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training.Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The slings from a large crane swing the detached orbiter access arm, which ends in the White Room, away from the fixed service structure, or FSS, on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The White Room provided entry into space shuttles that were on the pad. The arm is being removed from the FSS for the pad's conversion as launch site for the Constellation Program's Ares I-X. The launch of the Ares I-X flight test is targeted for August 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A "Go Endeavour" banner adorns the perimeter gate on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rotating service structure (RSS), which has been providing weather protection and access to space shuttle Endeavour while it awaits lift off on the pad, soon will move away in preparation for launch. RSS "rollback," as it's called, began at 11:44 a.m. EDT on May 15 and was completed at 12:24 p.m. STS-134 will 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 International Space Station. May 16 at 8:56 a.m. will be the second launch attempt for Endeavour. The first 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). STS-134 will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket are being prepared for launch. Behind Bolden, from the left, are United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes partially hidden behind Bolden, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Seen from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building, space shuttle Atlantis thunders off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis began its final flight, the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, at 11:29 a.m. EDT on July 8. STS-135 will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the International Space 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-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.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, left, is seen with Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, after the rollout of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover to the launch pad at Launch Complex 41, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Perseverance rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. Launch is scheduled for Thursday, July 30.

Entrance to the Heroes and Legends attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is by way of a sweeping ramp designed to simulate a journey to the stars by way of the "Rocket Garden." The new facility includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and looks back to the pioneering efforts of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. It sets the stage by providing the background and context for space exploration and the legendary men and women who pioneered the nation's journey into space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA and aerospace industry representatives tour facilities along Floridas Space Coast prior to announcements made by Sierra Nevada Corporation, or SNC, Space Systems, to prepare for a November 2016 orbital flight of its Dream Chaser spacecraft. Posing for a photo in front of a United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket are, from left, Bob Cabana, director of NASAs Kennedy Space Center Steve Lindsey, Dream Chaser program manager for SNC Space Systems and Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC Space Systems. The announcements made during a news conference at Kennedy are considered substantial for SNC and important to plans by NASA and Space Florida for Kennedys transformation into a multi-user spaceport for both commercial and government customers. SNC announced it plans to work with ULA to launch the Dream Chaser spacecraft into orbit atop an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station intends to land t

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