Space Launch Systems

Dramatic views of rocket launch pads and spacecraft, featuring the Space Launch System and other launch facilities against varied sky backgrounds.

Exterior view of Launch Complex 39A

Blue sky and white clouds serve as a backdrop for the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 30, 2022. The SLS and Orion 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 later 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.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Saturday, April 2, 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.

The single-engine Centaur upper stage for the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASAs Mars Perseverance rover is being transported to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 10, 2020. The Centaur will be lifted up and attached to the rockets first stage. The Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled to launch atop the Atlas V 541 rocket from Pad 41 on July 20, 2020. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rovers seven instruments will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

Exterior view of Launch Complex 39A

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.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- Workers using a large crane dismantle the final sections of the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A dragonfly passing across the camera lens (center) pays no attention to the pad's deconstruction in progress.In 2009, the pad was no longer needed for the shuttle program, so it is being restructured for future use. Its new design will feature a "clean pad" for rockets to come with their own launcher, making it more versatile for a number of vehicles. The new lightning protection system, which was in place for the October 2009 launch of Ares I-X, will remain.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 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-7 mission, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh 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 astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are scheduled to launch at 3:50 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 25, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, or MMS, arrives at the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. MMS will study the mystery of how magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect, explosively releasing energy via a process known a magnetic reconnection. MMS consists of four identical spacecraft that work together to provide the first three-dimensional view of this fundamental process, which occurs throughout the universe. Launch is set for March 12.

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen during sunrise on Pad-0A, Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grummans 11th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 7,600 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - 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. - As the sun rises over Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure and the arms of the vehicle stabilization system have been retracted from around the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket, resting atop its mobile launcher platform, 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A crawler-transporter nears the Mobile Launcher Platform-2, or MLP-2, positioned over the flame trench at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Operations are underway to move the MLP to a nearby park site in Launch Complex 39.The historic launch pad was the site from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began and is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site. NASA signed a property agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, California, on April 14 for use and occupancy of the seaside complex along Florida's central east coast. It will serve as a platform for SpaceX to support their commercial launch activities.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - A pair of squirrels look around near the launch site of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Landsat Data Continuity Mission spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

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.

Artemis I Prelaunch. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Monday, Nov. 7, 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 Nov. 14 at 12:07 a.m. EST.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload canister is lifted up to the Payload Changeout Room in the rotating service structure. Umbilical lines that keep the payload in an environmentally controlled environment are still attached. Inside is the payload for space shuttle Discovery and the STS-128 mission, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo and the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier. Discovery's 13-day flight will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. Launch of Discovery on its STS-128 mission is targeted for August 25.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X rocket, secured to its mobile launcher platform, awaits liftoff on its upcoming 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. Modifications to the pad to support the Ares I-X included 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 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.

The sun creeps over the horizon as the Boeing Delta II rocket stands ready for launch after tower rollback. It is carrying the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft that will begin a 7-month journey to Mars. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:02 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will orbit Mars, mapping the surface looking for geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past. Science gathered by three science instruments on board will be key to future missions to Mars, including orbital reconnaissance, lander and human missions

A view of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 21, 2022. Also in view are two of the three lightning protection towers and the 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.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module, is transported along the road to 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. -- 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A cold front predicted to cause rain, wind and a low-cloud ceiling in and around NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida delays launch of the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station by a day. Lift off now is set for 3:04 p.m. on Nov. 5.During the 11-day mission, Discovery and its six crew members will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, to the orbiting laboratory. Discovery, which will fly its 39th mission, is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This will be the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon capsule attached on top sits in the vertical position during a rollout demonstration test at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Preparations continue for NASAs first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station.The rollout to the pad for liftoff is planned for Sunday morning, Oct. 7. Liftoff from CCAFS is scheduled during an instantaneous window at 8:35 p.m. EDT Sunday evening. 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.

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 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. - On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane has removed the 80-foot lightning mast from the top of the fixed service structure. The mast is no longer needed with the erection of the three lightning towers around the pad. 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. The three new lightning towers are 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.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- The Landsat Data Continuity Mission spacecraft is poised for lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM is the future of Landsat satellites. It will continue to obtain valuable data and imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and government. The Landsat Program provides repetitive acquisition of high resolution multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis. The data from the Landsat spacecraft constitute the longest record of the Earth's continental surfaces as seen from space. It is a record unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and value.

The test version of Orion attached to the Launch Abort System for the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test arrives at Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on May 23, 2019. The flight test article will be hoisted up and moved inside the vertical integration facility for stacking atop the booster. The booster was procured by the U.S. Air Force and manufactured by Northrop Grumman. During AA-2, targeted for July 2, the LAS with Orion will launch on the booster more than six miles in altitude, where Orions launch abort system will pull the capsule and its crew away to safety if an emergency occurs during ascent on the Space Launch System rocket. AA-2 is a critical safety test that helps pave the way for Artemis missions near the Moon, and will enable astronauts to set foot on the lunar surface by 2024.

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.

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. -- Storm clouds move over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, postponing the retraction of the pad's rotating service structure, which would reveal space shuttle Discovery. The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits lift off on the pad. RSS "rollback," as it's called, will begin again after the lightning-producing clouds pass. Launch of Discovery on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is set for 3:29 p.m. on Nov. 4. During the 11-day mission, Discovery and its six crew members will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, to the orbiting laboratory. Discovery, which will fly its 39th mission, is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This will be the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, equipment surrounds the service structures for the construction of towers in the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. In the foreground is part of the giant crane used to place segments on the towers. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast (seen on the ground) 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, processing of the Ares I-X rocket nears completion on Launch Pad 39B, in the foreground, as space shuttle Atlantis awaits liftoff from Launch Pad 39A in the distance.The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27; space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 launch to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16.

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 test version of Orion attached to the Launch Abort System for the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test arrives at Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on May 23, 2019. The flight test article will be hoisted up and moved inside the vertical integration facility for stacking atop the booster. The booster was procured by the U.S. Air Force and manufactured by Northrop Grumman. During AA-2, targeted for July 2, the LAS with Orion will launch on the booster more than six miles in altitude, where Orions launch abort system will pull the capsule and its crew away to safety if an emergency occurs during ascent on the Space Launch System rocket. AA-2 is a critical safety test that helps pave the way for Artemis missions near the Moon, and will enable astronauts to set foot on the lunar surface by 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The first stage of a Delta II rocket arrives on Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the Phoenix spacecraft, targeted for launch on Aug. 3 heading for Mars. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft aboard is readied for rollout to 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.

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.

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket moves away from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) during the vehicle's rollout to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41. 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 and arrived at the 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its bright-orange external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, takes center stage on its seaside launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this aerial image taken from a NASA helicopter.Atlantis and its crew of four -- Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim -- are scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to 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, an

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The launch team is busy at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This aerial view of Launch Complex 39 shows vehicles on both pads. Processing of the Ares I-X rocket is almost finished on Pad 39B, in the foreground, as space shuttle Atlantis awaits liftoff from Pad 39A, in the distance.The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27; space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 launch to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands on the launch pad at Launch Complex 40, awaiting a test firing of the vehicle's nine Merlin first-stage engines. The test is part of prelaunch preparations for the upcoming SpaceX 2 mission. Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is planned for March 1, 2013, at 10 10 a.m. EST, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Dragon will be making its third trip to the space station. It will carry supplies and experiments to the orbiting laboratory. The mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the space station.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-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 at 6:54 p.m. ET on May 19, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

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, is being prepared for rollout from the Vertical Integration Facility to 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 providin

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:30 a.m. EST on Jan. 19, 2020, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft on the companys uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test. The flight test demonstrated the spacecrafts escape capabilities in preparation for crewed flights to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.

Mobile Launcher 1 Modifications and Testing for Artemis II . With the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida nearby, teams with Exploration Ground Systems make upgrades and repairs on mobile launcher 1 at its park site location on July 20, 2023, ahead of the first critical ground testing for Artemis II. Under Artemis, the mobile launcher will transport NASAs Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to Kennedys Launch Complex 39B for liftoff. Artemis II will be the first Artemis mission flying crew aboard Orion.

An Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen on launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Tuesday, January 7, 2014 in advance of a planned Wednesday, Jan. 8th, 1:32 p.m. EST launch, Wallops Island, VA. The Antares will launch a Cygnus spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Orbital-1 mission is Orbital Sciences' first contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA. Among the cargo aboard Cygnus set to launch to the space station are science experiments, crew provisions, spare parts and other hardware.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a pond reflects the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) against a blue sky flecked with white clouds. Atop the rocket is NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), enclosed in its payload fairing. The rocket began its move from the VIF to the launch pad at 8 a.m. EST, reaching the 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Rotating Service Structure, or RSS, is closed around space shuttle Discovery. Workers next will replace the Tyvek covers protecting the shuttle's nose thrusters. The service structure provides weather protection and access to the space shuttle at the launch pad. First motion was at approximately 4:15 p.m. EDT. The work to cover the thrusters is expected to take six to seven hours. When completed, the team will move the RSS to the park position in preparation for Discovery's targeted launch attempt on Aug. 28 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The 13-day mission will deliver a new crew member and 33,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. The equipment includes science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. STS-128 will be Discovery's 37th mission and the 30th shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.

NASA's mobile launcher is inside High Bay 3 at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Sept. 11, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher departed Launch Pad 39B after several days of testing with the pad. This is the first time that the modified mobile launcher made the trip to the pad and the VAB. The mobile launcher will spend seven months in the VAB undergoing testing. The 380-foot-tall structure is equipped with the crew access arm and several umbilicals that will provide power, environmental control, pneumatics, communication and electrical connections to the agency's Space Launch System 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket with Dragon capsule attached on top is lifted into the vertical position during a rollout demonstration test at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Preparations continue for NASAs first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station.The rollout to the pad for liftoff is planned for Sunday morning, Oct. 7. Liftoff from CCAFS is scheduled during an instantaneous window at 8:35 p.m. EDT Sunday evening. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket is moved into a vertical position 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.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon cargo module lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in the early afternoon on Dec. 5, 2019. Liftoff was at 12:29 p.m. EST. This is SpaceXs 19th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-19) mission for NASA to the International Space Station. The Dragon cargo module will deliver more than 5,700 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After space shuttle Endeavour's rollout to Launch pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning, two different shuttles are poised on two different launch pads. Shuttle Atlantis (foreground) already was on Launch Pad 39A. With the space shuttle fleet set for retirement in 2010, this is expected to be the final time two shuttles will be on launch pads at the same time. Endeavour will stand by at pad B in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during Atlantis' upcoming mission to upgrade NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis is targeted to launch May 12. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue spacecraft, it will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for its STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch June 13.

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.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a transporter carrying the canister containing the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station - Express Logistics Carriers 1 and 2 - arrives at Launch Pad 39A. Once at the pad, the payload will be transferred into the pad's Payload Changeout Room for installation in Atlantis' payload bay.The STS-129 crew will deliver two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Launch is set for Nov. 16.

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, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be Starliners maiden mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for a 6:36 a.m. EST launch on Dec. 20, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

The rising sun paints the horizon pink as the Boeing Delta II rocket stands ready for launch after tower rollback. It is carrying the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft that will begin a 7-month journey to Mars. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:02 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will orbit Mars, mapping the surface looking for geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past. Science gathered by three science instruments on board will be key to future missions to Mars, including orbital reconnaissance, lander and human missions

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has made the trek from the Vertical Integration Facility to 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.

On July 1, 2019, workers prepare the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) test vehicle for launch at Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida after rollback of the integration facility. A fully functional Launch Abort System (LAS) mated to a test version of the Orion spacecraft are on a Northrop Grumman provided booster on the pad for launch on NASAs AA-2 flight test on July 2, 2019. During AA-2, the booster will send the LAS and Orion to an altitude of 31,000 feet, traveling at 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Waves break along the Atlantic shoreline near Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On the pad, the Ares I-X rocket awaits liftoff on its upcoming 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. Modifications to the pad to support the Ares I-X included 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 Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the Centaur stage arrives for mating with the Atlas V rocket, which will launch the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft.NASAs RBSP mission will help us 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 liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff is targeted for Aug. 23, 2012.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, the crane lifts the Centaur upper stage into the Vertical Integration Facility for installation onto the Atlas V first stage, seen in the tower. The Atlas V/Centaur is the launch vehicle for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020.

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.

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen on Pad-0A after being raised into a vertical position, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 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 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Launch is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 4:49 a.m. EST.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the payload changeout room on the rotating service structure at center is open and ready to receive the STS-124 mission payload inside the approaching payload canister at far left. The payload is composed of the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System, or RMS. The canister will be lifted up to the changeout room and the payload transferred inside. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into an orbiter's payload bay. At the pad, the payload will be transferred into the payload changeout room on the rotating service structure. The transporter is 65 feet long and 23 feet wide. The transporters wheels are independently steerable, permitting it to move forward, backward, sideways or diagonally and to turn on its own axis like a caro

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's Space Launch Complex 41 a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands ready to boost the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft on a 10-month journey to the Red Planet. MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch on Nov 18, 2013 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission is in view on the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad to allow engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs to complete 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. -- Space shuttle Endeavour's main engines are ignited for liftoff at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Endeavour began its final flight, the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station, at 8:56 a.m. EDT on May 16. Endeavour and its six-member crew 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 space station.

An Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen on launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Tuesday, January 7, 2014 in advance of a planned Wednesday, Jan. 8th, 1:32 p.m. EST launch, Wallops Island, VA. The Antares will launch a Cygnus spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Orbital-1 mission is Orbital Sciences' first contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA. Among the cargo aboard Cygnus set to launch to the space station are science experiments, crew provisions, spare parts and other hardware.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Within sight of the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building (at left on the horizon), the 209-foot-tall mobile service tower on Pad 39-A of Space Launch Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station waits for its demise. The tower is one of two that were identified for demolition. The old towers are being toppled as part of the ongoing project to demolish the historic site to prevent corrosion from becoming a safety concern. A majority of the steel will be recycled and the rest will be taken to the landfill at CCAFS. Complex 36 was the birthplace of NASA's planetary launch program. It was built for the Atlas/Centaur development program and was operated under NASA's sponsorship until the late 1980s. Complex 36 hosted many historic missions over the years including Surveyor that landed on the moon and Mariner that orbited Mars and included one to Mercury. Two of the most historic launches were the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes that were launched to Jupiter an

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Evaluation of a Falcon 9 rocket is under way on Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida following a wet dress rehearsal on March 1, which included loading the rocket with its propellants and a simulated countdown. Atop the rocket is a Dragon capsule.The new rocket and capsule were designed and manufactured by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, for the companys upcoming demonstration test flight for NASAs Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to develop the capability to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. During the flight, SpaceX's Dragon capsule will conduct a series of checkout procedures that will test and prove its systems. These tests include rendezvous and berthing with the space station and are intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the station. Liftoff is targeted for April 30 at 12:22 p.m. EDT pen

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched from Launch Complex 39A on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - - The transporter with the payload canister arrives under the rotating service structure, or RSS, on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The canister will be lifted up into the Payload Changeout Room above. Inside the canister is space shuttle Endeavour's payload for the STS-127 mission, which includes the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section to the International Space Station. They will be installed on the Kibo laboratory on the station. Launch of Endeavour is targeted for June 13.

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 21, 2019. Starliner will be prepared for Boeings Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft rolled out from Boeings Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center earlier in the day.

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.

In the early morning on July 1, 2019, the vertical integration facility surrounding the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) test vehicle begins to rollback at Launch Pad 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. A fully functional Launch Abort System (LAS) mated to a test version of the Orion spacecraft are on a Northrop Grumman provided booster on the pad for launch on NASAs AA-2 flight test on July 2, 2019. During AA-2, the booster will send the LAS and Orion to an altitude of 31,000 feet, traveling at 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour moves through a high bay door of the Vehicle Assembly Building on its mobile launch platform to begin its nighttime journey to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Riding atop a crawler-transporter attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, Endeavour's 3.4-mile trek, known as "rollout," began at 7:56 p.m. EST and will take about seven hours to complete. This is the final scheduled rollout for Endeavour. Endeavour and its six-member crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station on the shuttle's final spaceflight, STS-134. Launch is targeted for 7:48 p.m. EDT April 19.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first stage of the Delta 2 launch vehicle for the Kepler spacecraft (center) waits for the mobile service tower at right and installation of the final three solid rocket boosters. The Kepler mission is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. Results from this mission will allow us to place our solar system within the continuum of planetary systems in the Galaxy. NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 5, 2009.

NASA's Ares I-X rocket is seen on launch pad 39b at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida stands the Atlas V rocket that will carry the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) into orbit, scheduled for Aug. 10. The Atlas V is part of the wet dress rehearsal under way. Launch of the MRO aboard an Atlas V rocket will be from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. A wet rehearsal includes pre-liftoff operations and a fueling of the rockets engine. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The MRO is an important next step in fulfilling NASAs vision of space exploration and ultimately sending human explorers to Mars and beyond.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, secured atop a mobile launch platform, ascends the five percent grade to the top of the hardstand on Launch Pad 39A. The rotating service structure, adjoined to the fixed service structure at right, has been rolled back in preparation for the shuttle's arrival. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 4:43 a.m. EST, and the shuttle was hard down on the pad at 11:51 a.m. Rollout is a milestone for Atlantis' launch to the International Space Station on mission STS-122, targeted for Dec. 6. On this mission, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The laboratory will expand the research facili

Mobile Launcher 1 Modifications and Testing for Artemis II . Teams with Exploration Ground Systems at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida make upgrades and repairs on mobile launcher 1 at its park site location on July 20, 2023, ahead of the first critical ground testing for Artemis II. Under Artemis, the mobile launcher will transport NASAs Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to Kennedys Launch Complex 39B for liftoff. Artemis II will be the first Artemis mission flying crew aboard Orion.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, one of three lightning masts, at left, protects the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket as it rolls from the safety of the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex-41 to 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 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at sunset as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch at 7:27 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 15, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon capsule secured atop rises 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 cables that make up the Emergency Egress System at Space Launch Complex 41 are in place as United Launch Alliance and Boeing continue modifications to the pad in order to host missions by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner carrying astronauts and crew. The system recently completed its final test. In the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff, each person on the Crew Access Tower would get into their own seat attached to the wire and slide more than 1,340 feet to a safe area. The wires are situated 172 feet above the pad deck on level 12 of the tower. The Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V on mission to low-Earth orbit including those flying astronauts to the International Space Station during missions by NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

GRAIL Move from Astrotech to Pad 17B

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, Sunday, Nov. 13, 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.

The two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the SpaceXs Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 1:16 p.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2018. On its 16th commercial resupply services mission to the space station, Dragon will deliver several science investigations to the space station, including the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar (GEDI). GEDI will provide high-quality laser ranging observations of the Earths forests and topography required to advance the understanding of important carbon and water cycling processes, biodiversity and habitat.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39B (left) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour has joined 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.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen illuminated by spotlights on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch at 7:49 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Crawler Transporter-2 (CT-2) is seen outside the gates at Launch Pad 39B as teams configure systems for rolling NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA is foregoing a launch opportunity on Tues. Sept. 27 and continues to watch the weather forecast associated with Tropical Storm Ian. The 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.

Remote cameras setup to capture the launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover onboard are seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41, Wednesday, July 29, 2020, as preparations continue for a planned launch on July 30 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.

of 4