Space Launch Vehicles

Dynamic images of SpaceX rockets at Kennedy Space Center, highlighting launch preparations, different weather conditions, and various spacecraft missions.

Psyche Rollout. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is seen as it is rolled to the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Psyche mission, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.

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

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Preflight. 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-5 mission, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth 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 Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

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.

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

Psyche Rollout. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is seen as it is rolled to the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Psyche mission, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen after being into a vertical position on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Demo-1 mission, Feb. 28, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-1 mission will be the first launch of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft and space system designed for humans as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for a 2:49am launch on March 2, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Smoke billows from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's nine first-stage Merlin engines during a test firing at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The test is part of SpaceX 2 prelaunch preparations. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket awaits liftoff on Launch Pad 39B on its upcoming flight test. In the background is the Atlantic Ocean. 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.

During the morning on Oct. 20, 2020, the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission, atop crawler-transporter 2, moves up the ramp leading to Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad for two weeks, while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs will perform 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.

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

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The lightning protection system on Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida is in place to protect a Falcon 9 rocket if a storm should develop 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.

United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket leaves Space Launch Complex 41 with the OTV-3 for the Air Force from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Dec. 11, 2012.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket awaits liftoff on Launch Pad 39B on its upcoming flight test. In the distance are space shuttle Atlantis on Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, and the pads and processing facilities on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 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.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:30 p.m. EDT, carrying the SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft. On its 14th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, Dragon will deliver supplies, equipment and new science experiments for technology research to the space station.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on April 8 at 11:17 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The sun rises on a cloudy Florida day to reveal Space Shuttle Atlantis awaiting launch atop a mobile launch platform at Launch Pad 39A. Rollback of the pad's rotating service structure, or RSS, is one of the milestones in preparation for the launch of mission STS-117 on June 8. Rollback started at 10:56 p.m. EDT June 7 and was complete at 11:34 p.m. The RSS, the massive structure to the left of the shuttle, provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. The structure is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots about a vertical axis on the side of the pad's flame trench. The hinge column rests on the pad surface and is braced to the fixed service structure. Support for the outer end of the bridge is provided by two eight-wheel, motor-driven trucks that move along circular twin rails installed flush with the pad surface. The track crosses the flame trench on a permanent bridge. The RSS is 102 feet long, 50 feet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Surrounded by four lightning suppression system towers, 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. - Mobile Launcher Platform-1 nears the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the crawler-transporter underneath. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Seen around the service structures on the pad are the new 600-foot lightning towers and masts erected for the Ares launches. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assemblin

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Under a cloud-streaked sky, the Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demonstrator, or STSS-Demo, waits through the countdown to liftoff Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. STSS-Demo is being launched by NASA for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. Liftoff is at 8:20 a.m. EDT. The STSS-Demo is a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detecting, tracking and discriminating ballistic missiles. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors.

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

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The strongback structure at Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida falls away from the Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff of the SpaceX-3 mission, delivering the Dragon resupply capsule to the International Space Station. Launch was during an instantaneous window at 3:25 p.m. EDT.Dragon is making its fourth trip to the space station. The SpaceX-3 mission, carrying almost 2.5 tons of supplies, technology and science experiments, is the third of 12 flights through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's cargo will support more than 150 experiments that will be conducted during the station's Expeditions 39 and 40.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Atlas V/Centaur is undergoing a wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test. The Atlas V is being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. Surrounding the vehicle are four lightning towers. Following the rehearsal, the launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the Vertical Integration Facility on May 16. 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. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. 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. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17.

During the morning on Oct. 20, 2020, the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission, atop crawler-transporter 2, moves up the ramp leading to Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher will remain at the pad for two weeks, while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs will perform 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.

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.

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

The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is raised into the vertical position on launch Pad-0A, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Orbital ATKs eighth contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver over 7,400 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

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.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B as the Artemis I launch team prepares for the next attempt of the wet dress rehearsal test, right, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on April 8 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying NASAs Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. Liftoff was at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rolls from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex-41, in the background, to the launch pad. 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.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane places the 100-foot fiberglass mast atop the new lightning tower constructed on the pad. The towers are part of the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches. At left of the service structures is another tower under construction. Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with the 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 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. -- A Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10 10 a.m. EST, carrying a Dragon capsule filled with cargo. The SpaceX Dragon capsule is making its third trip to the International Space Station, following a demonstration flight in May 2012 and the first resupply mission in October 2012. The SpaceX-2 mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the orbiting laboratory.

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.

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

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 teams load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen during 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 crew access arm is seen after being moved into position for Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket 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.

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, Thursday, May 19, 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 will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Atlas V/Centaur arrives on Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Lightning towers surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. 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. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. 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. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Sunrise at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida reveals 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 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.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise atop the mobile launcher as it arrives at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour stands tall and proud on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion of Endeavour's rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 11:57 p.m. EDT April 16. Surrounding the pad (seen left and right) are the new 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 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 Pad 39B as preparations for launch continue, Saturday, Aug. 27, 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.

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 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, Thursday, May 19, 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 6:54 p.m. ET, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, carrying NASAs Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, arrives at the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 28, 2020. First motion from the Vertical Integration Facility was at 10:24 a.m. EDT. Launch of the Mars 2020 mission is scheduled for July 30. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

SpaceX CRS-26 Vertical at LC-39A. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the companys Dragon cargo spacecraft atop, is raised to a vertical position at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on Nov. 21, 2022, in preparation for the 26th commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. The mission will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the space station, including the next pair of ISS Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). Liftoff is scheduled for 3:54 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 22, from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A.

The Orbital Science Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it is raised into position at launch Pad-0A, Tuesday, December 17, 2013, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, 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. Launch is scheduled for 9:19 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 19. Weather permitting, it may be widely visible along the east coast of the United States.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to begin removing the fixed service structure FSS from Launch Pad 39B. Removal of the pad's rotating service structure RSS continues. The FSS and RSS were designed to support the unique needs of the Space Shuttle Program. 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 transformation also includes the refurbishment of the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks and the upgrade of about 1.3 million feet of cable. The new lightning protection system, which was in place for the October 2009 launch of Ares I-X, will remain.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the GOES-O and Delta IV second stage arrive on Launch Pad 37. They will be raised to vertical and moved into the mobile service tower. GOES-O is one of a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The multi-mission GOES series N-P will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations and science. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, are actively engaged in a cooperative program to expand the existing GOES system with the launch of the GOES N-P satellites. Launch of the GOES-O is targeted for no earlier than April 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft sealed inside its payload fairing, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket begins to liftoff from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:02 a.m. EST 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.

NASAs Artemis I Moon rocket - carried atop the crawler-transporter 2 - is reflected in the water as it approaches Launch Pad 39B at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6, 2022. The rocket rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building in the early morning hours to travel the 4.2 miles to the launch pad for NASAs next wet dress rehearsal attempt ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and using the Moon as a steppingstone before venturing to Mars.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B as the Artemis I launch team prepares for the next attempt of the wet dress rehearsal test, right, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on April 8 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- A large crane dismantles the next section of the fixed service structure (FSS) on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Work to remove the rotating service structure (RSS) also continues at the pad. The FSS and RSS were designed to support the unique needs of the Space Shuttle Program. 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.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Sunday, Nov. 15, 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.

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 as the countdown progresses for the launch of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, Thursday, May 19, 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, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

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.

ML Arrives at Pad 39B

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour stands tall and proud on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First motion of Endeavour's rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 11:57 p.m. EDT April 16. Surrounding the pad (seen left and right) are the new 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 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 lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kenney Space Center in Florida, the company's 11th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 5:07 p.m. EDT from the historic launch site now operated by SpaceX under a property agreement with NASA. The Dragon spacecraft will deliver 6,000 pounds of supplies, such as the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, designed to study the extraordinary physics of these stars, providing insights into their nature and behavior.

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 Heavy rocket is ready for launch on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 24, 2019. SpaceX and the U.S. Department of Defense will launch two dozen satellites to space, including four NASA payloads that are part of the Space Test Program-2, managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. The launch window opens at 11:30 p.m. EDT on June 24. The four NASA payloads include two technology demonstrations to improve how spacecraft propel and navigate, as well as two NASA science missions to help us better understand the nature of space and how it impacts technology on spacecraft and the ground.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first operational 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.

The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, is seen just after sunrise on Pad-0A, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman's 11th contracted cargo resupply mission for 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister approaches the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The canister holds the payloads for mission STS-121: the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, with supplies and equipment for the International Space Station; the lightweight multi-purpose experiment support structure carrier; and the integrated cargo carrier, with the mobile transporter reel assembly and a spare pump module. The payload will be transferred from the canister to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay at the pad. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 from Launch Pad 39B in a window that opens July 1 and extends to July 19.

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttles Atlantis (left) and Endeavour (right) are seen on Launch Pad 39A and 39B respectively. 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.

Launch Complex 39B is seen during an aerial survey of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday. The survey was performed to identify structures and facilities that may have sustained damage from Hurricane Matthew as the storm passed to the east of Kennedy on Oct. 6 and 7, 2016. Officials determined that the center received some isolated roof damage, damaged support buildings, a few downed power lines, and limited water intrusion. Beach erosion also occurred, although the storm surge was less than expected. NASA closed the center ahead of the storms onset and only a small team of specialists known as the Rideout Team was on the center as the storm approached and passed

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.

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.

A water tower vents it contents beside Launch Pad 39A and the Space Shuttle Atlantis, covered by the rotating service structure which provides weather protection and access for technicians to work on the shuttle, in the morning a day before launch. A NASA camera sits in the foreground.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Atlas V rocket with the New Horizons spacecraft on top sits waiting on the launch pad at Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The view is from the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy Space Center. Surrounding the launch vehicle are four lightning masts. The launch on this date was scrubbed due to high surface winds in the area and has been rescheduled for 1:16 p.m. EST Jan. 18. The compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The launch at this time allows New Horizons to fly past Jupiter in early 2007 and use the planets gravity as a slingshot toward Pluto. The Jupiter flyby trims the trip to Pluto by as many as five years and provides opportunities to test the spacecrafts instruments and

SpaceX Demo-2 at Launch Complex 39A during sunrise.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module, arrives at 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 STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery sits on the Mobile Launch Platform, still atop the crawler transporter, at Launch Pad 39B. To its left is the Fixed Service Structure that provides access to the orbiter and the Rotating Service Structure. To its right is the elevated water tank, with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. Part of the sound suppression water system, the tank stands 290 feet high on the northeast side of the pad. Water from the tank is released just before ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters. The entire system reduces the acoustical levels within the orbiter's payload bay to an acceptable 142 decibels. Beyond the orbiter is seen the Atlantic Ocean. While at the launch pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the launch, scheduled to lift off Oct. 29. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Syst

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10 10 a.m. EST, carrying a Dragon capsule filled with cargo. The SpaceX Dragon capsule is making its third trip to the International Space Station, following a demonstration flight in May 2012 and the first resupply mission in October 2012. The SpaceX-2 mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the orbiting laboratory.

Ares I-X -- First Flight of a New Moon Rocket

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.

Exterior view of Launch Complex 39A

The space shuttle Discovery is seen on launch pad 39a early in the morning of Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. During Space Shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4. Discovery is targeted for launch at 3:52 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Atlas V/Centaur nears Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At right in the background are two of the four lightning towers that surround the pad for protection against possible lightning strikes. The Atlas was rolled to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility in preparation for the wet dress rehearsal, or countdown test, which means being fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad and returned to the VIF on May 16. 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. They will be mated with the Atlas in late May. 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. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than June 17.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, right, as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. López-Alegría, Connor, Pathy, Stibbe launched at 11:17 a.m. from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin their 10-day mission.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems. The mission is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Sept. 3 at 2:17 p.m. ET. With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.

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

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, topped by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, stand on Space Launch Complex 41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 4, 2019. The vehicle was in place on the launch pad for Boeing's wet dress rehearsal ahead of the upcoming Orbital Flight Test, an uncrewed mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

ML Arrives at Pad 39B

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

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Crew Dragon atop, stands poised for launch at historic Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 21, 2020, ahead of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission. The rocket and spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, returning human spaceflight capability to the U.S. after nearly a decade. This will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for NASA to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. Launch is slated for 4:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen on launch Pad-0A after the launch attempt was scrubbed because of a boat down range in the trajectory Antares would have flown had it lifted off, Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch with the Cygnus spacecraft filled with over 5,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. The Orbital-3 mission is Orbital Sciences' third contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA. The next launch attempt will be made on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6:22 p.m. EDT.

USA, Florida, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Delta IV launch pad with rocket inside mobile service tower

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