Space Shuttle Launch Preparations

Images of space shuttles at launch pads, showcasing preparations and iconic breaching technologies from NASA's space programs.

Vintage Photograph. SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY ON LAUNCH PAD. Space shuttle ready for launch under the night sky at nasa facility.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Atlantis crawls at less than 1 mph (<1.5 kilometers) along the crawlerway to the launch pad. The Shuttle sits on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform, which rests on the crawler-transporter. Atlantis is scheduled for launch April 4 on mission STS-110, which will install the S0 truss, the framework that eventually will hold the power and cooling systems needed for future international research laboratories on the International Space Station. The Canadarm2 robotic arm will be used exclusively to hoist the 13-ton truss from the payload bay to the Station. The S0 truss will be the first major U.S. component launched to the Station since the addition of the Quest airlock in July 2001. The four spacewalks planned for the construction will all originate from the airlock. The mission will be Atlantis' 25th trip to space

The space shuttle Enterprise in the launch position. This is the first time that the complete space shuttle configuration has been assembled. Base: Kennedy Space Center State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Under post-dawn cloudy skies, Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform, begins rolling off Launch Pad 39B via the Crawler_Transporter underneath. At left are the Rotating and Fixed Service Structures (RSS and FSS). The 80-foot lightning mast is atop the FSS. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tower that holds 300,000 gallons of water, part of the sound suppression system during a launch. Discovery is returning to the Vehicle Assembly Buildling where it will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be lifted and attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114.

Vintage Photograph. SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY ON LAUNCH PAD. Space shuttle ready for launch under the night sky at nasa facility.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Discovery arrives at Launch Pad 39A after an early morning rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Discovery is scheduled to launch Aug. 3 on mission STS-105

STS-131 DISCOVERY AT PAD 39A AFTER ROLLOUT - HARDDOWN

STS-130 Endeavour Rollout - Includes 1st Motion

A Martin Marietta Atlas II/AC-112 is poised on Launch Complex 36A. It is ready to carry an EHF Follow-on into orbit. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space Space shuttle Atlantis curves toward Launch Pad 39A (at left) on the crawlerway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after rolling from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. First motion occurred at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The Sept. 2 rollout date was postponed due to Tropical Storm Hannas shift to a northern track. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on the STS-125 mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

Space Shuttle Endeavour on launch pad 39A ready to launch on STS-130 at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida, USA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A morning sky drenched in vibrant color welcomes the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it rolls out to Launch Pad 39A today. Endeavour is being readied for the STS-61 mission, targeted for liftoff in early December. During the 11-day flight, a seven-member crew will carry out the first servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope

STS-131 DISCOVERY AT PAD 39A AFTER ROLLOUT - HARDDOWN

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle Discovery is framed in the open doors as it begins its long, slow journey to Launch Pad 39B. First motion was at 2 04 p.m. EDT. The Shuttle comprises the orbiter, External Tank (ET) and twin Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The Space Shuttle rests on the Mobile Launcher Platform, which is moved by the Crawler-Transporter underneath. The Crawler is 20 feet high, 131 feet long and 114 feet wide. It moves on eight tracks, each containing 57 shoes, or cleats, weighing one ton each. Loaded with the Space Shuttle, the Crawler can move at a maximum speed of approximately 1 mile an hour. A leveling system in the Crawler keeps the Shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5 percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys

The Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft was transported by railcar to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in Kazakhstan for an October 10th launch date. The Soyuz will carry Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Malaysian spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor to the International Space Station. Whitson and Malenchenko will spend six months on the station. Shukor, who is flying under an agreement between Malaysia and the Russian Federal Space Agency, will return to Earth October 21 with two of the Expedition 15 crew members currently on the complex.

Space Shuttle Enterprise And Full Moon, May 1979.

Space Shuttle Endeavour on launch pad 39A ready to launch on STS-130 at Launch Complex 39, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida, USA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A transport trailer carrying a solid rocket booster arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The booster rocket will be mated, along with others, to the Atlas V already in the VIF. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for NASAs New Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to launch in January 2006 on a journey to Pluto and its moon, Charon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At left, the crawler-transporter rolls away from Launch Pad 39A after delivering Space Shuttle Endeavour, in the background. Rollout of the shuttle began at 8:10 p.m. July 10 and concluded at 3:02 a.m. July 11. To the left of the shuttle is the rotating service structure, which can be rolled around to enclose the vehicle for access during processing. Behind it is the fixed service structure, topped by an 80-foot-tall lightning mast. Extending from it to Endeavour is the orbiter access arm, which provides access into the vehicle. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-118 on Aug. 7. During the mission, Endeavour will carry into orbit the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and will mark the first flight of Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began more than 20 years ago. STS-118 will be the first fli

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis reaches the end of its 3.4-mile journey, known as rollout, from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A. The pad overlooks the Atlantic Ocean in the background. First motion was at 6:38 a.m. EDT Oct. 14. The rollout took about six hours, and the shuttle was secure or "hard down" on the pad at 1:31 p.m.Liftoff of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 12.

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Space Shuttle Columbia, mated with its other Shuttle components, is attached to the launching pad. Wide-angle view of the Columbia sitting on its launch pad in the darkness. The launch complex is illuminated with lights along the structure. KSC, FL

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle a href='.._.._subjects_atlantis.htm' Atlantis _a moves past palm trees on its way back to the a href='.._.._subjects_vab.htm' Vehicle Assembly Building _a from a href='.._.._subjects_lc39a.htm' Launch Pad 39A _a . Atlantis is rolling back to the VAB from Launch Pad 39A. In the VAB workers will conduct inspections, make continuity checks and conduct X-ray analysis on the 36 solid rocket booster cables located inside each boosters external system tunnel. An extensive evaluation of NASAs SRB cable inventory revealed conductor damage in four (of about 200) cables on the shelf. Shuttle managers decided to prove the integrity of the system tunnel cables already on Atlantis before launching. The launch has been rescheduled no earlier than Feb. 6

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Rollout of the space shuttle Columbia is completed as the vehicle, atop the mobile launcher platform, is positioned on the hard stand at Pad 39A.

The space shuttle Endeavour is framed by a windsock at launch pad 39A at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Saturday, July 11, 2009. NASA is hopeful that Endeavour will launch with the crew of STS-127 on Sunday.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A timed exposure of the Space Shuttle, STS-1, at Launch Pad A, Complex 39, turns the space vehicle and support facilities into a night-time fantasy of light. Structures to the left of the Shuttle are the fixed and the rotating service structure.

Space Shuttle Challenger On Mobile Launcher Platform, December 1982.

Aerials - STS-133 Discovery on Pad 39A, LEED Bldg., VAB

Space Shuttle Discovery Begins Her Historic Return to Flight

STS-130 Endeavour Rollout - Includes 1st Motion

Space shuttle

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-1 stands framed in vegetation lining the superhighay-wide crawlerway linking the Vehicle Assembly Building with the twin pads of Launch Complex 39. The first Space Shuttle assembly emerged from the VAB shortly after 8 a.m. today for the 3.5-mile journey to Complex 39's Pad A. The Shuttle was on the hardstand at Pad A approximately seven and a half hours after rollout began. Launch is scheduled for no eariler than March 1981.

STS-132 ATLANTIS ROLLOUT FROM VAB TO PAD 39A

Launch of an Atlas standard launch vehicle 3. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

(13 March 1992) --- An otter, surprised by the unexpected presence of the photographer, seems unaware of the Space Shuttle Endeavour rolling behind it to Launch Pad 39B. .

After successfully arriving at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39B, Exploration Ground Systems mobile launcher is photographed at the pad surface atop crawler-transporter 2 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-93 stack of solid rocket boosters and external tank moves toward the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) after lightning shield wires were strung from the roof of the VAB for protection. The stack is temporarily being stored outside the VAB while repair work is being done inside on the hail-damaged external tank of Space Shuttle Discovery. Discovery was rolled back from Pad 39B to the VAB for repairs because access to all of the damaged areas was not possible at the pad. The STS-93 stack is expected to be moved back into the VAB after Discovery returns to the pad. The scheduled date for launch of mission STS-96 is no earlier than May 27. STS-93 is targeted for launch on July 22, carrying the Chandra X-ray Observatory

A Lockheed Martin Titan IV B-25 launch vehicle is ready for launch from complex 40 at Cape Canaveral carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload. Base: Cape Canaveral State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A Lockheed Martin Corp. Atlas 11/AC-116 sits poised on Launch Complex 36A. The expendable launch vehicle is ready to carry the EHF follow-on #5 U.S. Navy Communications Satellite into orbit. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS-132 ATLANTIS ROLLOUT FROM VAB TO PAD 39A

A Lockheed Martin Astronautics Atlas IIAS space launch vehicle designated AC-126, carrying the Palapa C1 communications satellite sits poised on launch complex 36B in preparation for the first Atlas launch from the Eastern Range for 1996. Base: Cape Canaveral State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Rocket

SDO ATLAS V ROLLOUT FROM VIF TO PAD 41

S69-33854 (4 May 1969) --- Aerial (high-angle, clasp) view of the Apollo 10 (Spacecraft 106/Lunar Module 4/Saturn 505) space vehicle on Pad B, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center. This photograph of the 363-feet tall Apollo/Saturn V stack was taken during pull back of the mobile service structure. The Apollo 10 crew will be astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan.

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft arrives at the launch pad

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform atop the Crawler_Transporter, heads along the crawlerway to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Discovery is rolling back from Launch Pad 39B. Once inside the VAB, Discovery will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be lifted and attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31.

Apollo Spacecraft 104 Command/Service Module and Lunar Module 3 arrive at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for mating atop the Saturn 504 launch vehicle. The Saturn 504 stack is out of view. The Saturn V first (S-IC) stage in left background is scheduled for a later flight.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-60: Discovery

Aerial view of the rocket booster-mounted Columbia space shuttle orbiter on a launch pad. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

STS-130 ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT - ICED CREEK REFLECTIONS

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dwarfing the vehicles on the road alongside the crawlerway, Space Shuttle Atlantis rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building from Launch Pad 39A via the crawler-transporter underneath the Mobile Launcher Platform. In the VAB workers will conduct inspections, make continuity checks and conduct X-ray analysis on the 36 solid rocket booster cables located inside each boosters external system tunnel. An extensive evaluation of NASAs SRB cable inventory revealed conductor damage in four (of about 200) cables on the shelf. Shuttle managers decided to prove the integrity of the system tunnel cables already on Atlantis before launching. The launch has been rescheduled no earlier than Feb. 6

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its external tank and solid rocket boosters atop a mobile launcher platform, arrives at Launch Complex 39A. First motion on the 3.4-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building, known as rollout, was at 6:38 a.m. EDT Oct. 14. The rollout took about six hours, and the shuttle was secure on the pad at 1:31 p.m.Liftoff of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 12.

STS-131 DISCOVERY AT PAD 39A AFTER ROLLOUT - HARDDOWN

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

The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 21 and a spaceflight participant on Sept. 30, 2009.

SDO ATLAS V ROLLOUT FROM VIF TO PAD 41

PROPOSED LOCATION FOR MSFC MEMORIAL BRICKS AT BASE OF SATURN V ROCKET AT USSRC/DAVIDSON CENTER

Space shuttle Endeavour, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

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.

The Soyuz rocket is seen on the pad as the service structure arms are closed around it, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 54 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, flight engineer Scott Tingle of NASA, and flight engineer Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch at 2:21 a.m. Eastern Time (1:21 p.m. Baikonur time) on Dec. 17 and will spend the next five months living and working aboard the International Space Station.

Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

NASAs Moon rocket is on the move at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida, rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building for a 4.2-mile journey to Launch Complex 39B on March 17, 2022. Carried atop the crawler-transporter 2, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are venturing to the pad for a wet dress rehearsal ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I launch. The first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Outside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Kennedy employees, and their families and friends, are on hand to watch space shuttle Discovery roll out to Launch Pad 39A. It will take the shuttle, attached to its external fuel tank, twin solid rocket boosters and mobile launcher platform, about seven hours to complete the move atop a crawler-transporter. This is the second time Discovery has rolled out to the pad for the STS-133 mission, and comes after a thorough check and modifications to the shuttle's external tank. Targeted to liftoff Feb. 24, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station.

STS-132 ATLANTIS ROLLOUT FROM VAB TO PAD 39A

S68-55416 (17 Dec. 1968) --- High-angle view of the Apollo 8 (Spacecraft 103/Saturn 503) space vehicle at Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The Apollo 8 stack was photographed during a prelaunch alert-mobile service structure pull back.

The Space Shuttle Discovery slowly and carefully makes the 4.2- mile (6.8 kilometer) trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building, background at right, to Launch Pad 39B on its Mobile Launcher Platform carried by the Crawler Transporter. Pad 39A, with the Shapce Shuttle Atlantic poised for liftoff, is in background at left. Discovery is scheduled to fly first, on STS-70 targeted for June 8. Atlantis' mission, STS-71, is scheduled no earlier than June 22.

The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 21 and a spaceflight participant on Sept. 30, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis is towed toward the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) high bay 4 doors after being towed around from the VAB transfer aisle.Shuttle Atlantis will remain in temporary storage in high bay 4, while Space Shuttle Program transition and retirement work continues on Discovery and Endeavour in the orbiter processing facilities. Atlantis is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Departure of the Saturn V rocket and Apollo 11 spaceship from the Kennedy Space Center. Cape Canaveral, United States of America, July 16, 1969

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The crawler-transporter that carried Space Shuttle Atlantis and the mobile launcher platform back to Launch Pad 39B begins moving out from under the platform. It will return to its parking spot near the Vehicle Assembly Building. The shuttle had been moved off the launch pad due to concerns about the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, expected within 24 hours. The forecast of lesser winds expected from Ernesto and its projected direction convinced Launch Integration Manager LeRoy Cain and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach to return the shuttle to the launch pad.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD will be used to lift and connect the shuttle to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. The shuttle was towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

DF-SC-98-05496. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A high angle, pre-sunrise overall view of the Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Space Launch Complex (SLC) #6, commonly known as "SLICK 6", during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Cape Canaveral, Florida, September 20, 2008 - Space shuttle Atlantis (foreground) sits on Launch Pad A and Endeavour on Launch Pad B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At the left of each shuttle are the open rotating service structures with the payload changeout rooms revealed. The rotating service structures provide protection for weather and access to the shuttle.

STS-132 ATLANTIS ROLLOUT FROM VAB TO PAD 39A

The Soyuz rocket is erected into position at the launch pad Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 19 and a spaceflight participant on March 26, 2009.

Three helicopters are seen flying past NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, April 21, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the transporter holding NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, arrives on Launch Complex 576-E. OCO will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. OCO is scheduled to launch Feb. 24 aboard an Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL rocket.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

After successfully arriving at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39B, Exploration Ground Systems mobile launcher is photographed at the pad surface atop crawler-transporter 2 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. - An aerial view of the Launch Complex at NASA's Kennedy Space Center shows space shuttle Atlantis, preparing for its launch on the STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted for Oct. 10. The shuttle rests on the mobile launcher platform, which is straddling the flame trench (in the foreground). The lighted structure at right is the fixed service structure, with the 80-foot lightning mast on top. In the background is the Banana River. This is the first time since July 2001 that two shuttles are on the launch pads at the same time at the center. Endeavour rolled out earlier to Launch Pad 39B. Endeavour will stand by at pad B in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during space shuttle Atlantis' upcoming mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch Oct. 10. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue spacecraft, it will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for the STS-126 mission to the International

S64-21560 (8 April 1964) --- Gemini/Titan-II launch vehicle #1 liftoff at Cape Kennedy, Florida.

A view of a Titan 34-D launch vehicle in full configuration with main service tower (MST) in park position. Base: Eastern Space & Missile Ctr State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A view of the space shuttle Columbia and its booster rockets at liftoff. Base: Cape Canaveral State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

France, Midi-Pyrenees Region, Haute-Garonne Department, Toulouse, Cite de l'Espace space park, Ariane 5, French Space Rocket

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-30 Atlantis

The Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 26 on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010 at 1:09 a.m. local time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers watch as space shuttle Endeavour is towed into the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MDD will be used to lift and connect the shuttle to the top of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA, a modified 747 jetliner. The shuttle has been fitted with an aerodynamic tailcone for its flight aboard the SCA to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display. The shuttle was towed from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-61-C Columbia

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Columbia launches from Launch Pad 39A on mission STS-5.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-66: Atlantis

Space Shuttle, Model, The Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington, USA, North America

The Soyuz rocket is erected into position after being rolled out to the launch pad by train, on Sunday, October 21, 2012, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for October 23 and will send Expedition 33/34 Flight Engineer Kevin Ford of NASA, Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin of ROSCOSMOS on a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis is loaded onto the orbiter transporter vehicle in Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle is being prepared for its move from the OPF to the Vehicle Assembly Building during transition and retirement work. Later, the shuttle will be taken to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex where it will go on public display.

Rocket Garden im Kennedy Space Center, Florida Rocket Garden in Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Rocket Garden im Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. Copyright: xZoonar.com/UlfxNammertx 21570831

GOES-P LIFT & MATE TO DELTA IV

Space Shuttle Endeavour

S90-27205 (13 Sept. 1961) --- The unmanned Mercury-Atlas (MA-4) capsule sits atop its Atlas launch vehicle. The successful orbital flight followed the MA-3 mission, which was aborted earlier this year.

The Mercury-Redstone Booster Development vehicle (MR-BD) lifts off from Cape Canaveral March 24, 1961. This test flight evaluated changes incorporated in the booster designed to reduce vehicle oscillations and vibrations. The Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle was developed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and the rocket team in Huntsville, Alabama.

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