Spacecraft Assembly and Processing

Images depicting space shuttle assembly and satellite processing inside NASA facilities, highlighting high-tech equipment, illuminated structures, and spacecraft preparation.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Lights inside the Vehicle Assembly Building cast an orange glow on Space Shuttle Discovery as waits on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform for rollout to Launch Pad 39B. Rollout is expected to begin about 12 01 a.m. June 15 for the 4-mile, 6-hour trip to the pad. On either side of Discoverys tail and orbital maneuvering system pods are the Tail Masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiters liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. Space Shuttle Discovery's Return to Flight mission STS-114 is scheduled for liftoff in a window extending from July 13 to July 31.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Lights inside the Vehicle Assembly Building cast an orange glow on Space Shuttle Discovery as waits on top of the Mobile Launcher Platform for rollout to Launch Pad 39B. Rollout is expected to begin about 12 01 a.m. June 15 for the 4-mile, 6-hour trip to the pad. On either side of Discoverys tail and orbital maneuvering system pods are the Tail Masts that support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiters liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. Space Shuttle Discovery's Return to Flight mission STS-114 is scheduled for liftoff in a window extending from July 13 to July 31.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the GOES-N satellite, secured inside a payload fairing, is moved to another high bay area and waiting work stands. Due to the extended length of time the spacecraft had been atop its Boeing Delta IV rocket without launching, the weather satellite has been returned to Astrotech for some precautionary retesting and state of health checks. Liftoff of the satellite from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida was scrubbed in August 2005 due to technical issues and postponed to a later date. GOES-N is the latest in a series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites for NOAA and NASA providing continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis.

STS-132 ATLANTIS LIFT & MATE TO ET/SRB STACK

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After being raised to a vertical position, Atlantis hangs suspended several feet above the floor of the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The orbiter will next be lifted into high bay 3 for stacking with the external tank and solid rocket boosters already installed on the mobile launcher platform. After mating with the external tank and boosters, Atlantis will undergo a shuttle interface test and other prelaunch processing. Atlantis' launch window begins Aug. 28. During its 11-day mission to the International Space Station, the STS-115 crew of six astronauts will continue construction of the station and install their cargo, the Port 3/4 truss segment with its two large solar arrays.

Both halves of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V payload fairing are joined together during a fit check at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California on Aug. 13, 2022, for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite mission. JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series. It is scheduled to lift off from VSFB on Nov. 1 from Space Launch Complex-3 East. JPSS-2 will scan the globe as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day. From 512 miles above Earth, it will capture data that inform weather forecasts, extreme weather events, and climate change. The Visible Infrared Radiometer Suite instrument will collect imagery for global observations of the land, atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans. Launching as a secondary payload to JPSS-2 is NASAs Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In High Bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Discovery is lowered onto the mobile launcher platform where it will be attached to the external fuel tank. Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A the first week of August to prepare for the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle will carry the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module containing life support racks and science racks and the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier in its payload bay. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A transporter carrying the encapsulated TDRS-J satellite makes its way to the exit. The satellite is being taken to Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for a launch aboard an Atlas IIA vehicle Dec. 4. The launch window is 9:42 to 10:22 p.m. EST. TDRS-J, the third in a series of telemetry satellites, will help replenish the current constellation of geosynchronous TDRS satellites that are the primary source of space-to-ground voice, data and telemetry for the Space Shuttle. The satellites also provide communications with the International Space Station and scientific spacecraft in low-Earth orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This new advanced series of satellites will extend the availability of TDRS communications services until about 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Atlantis is lifted by an overhead crane and moved into a high bay where it will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already on the mobile launcher platform.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are expected to launch in mid-July, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians move the two halves if the payload faring into position for encapsulation with the two Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft. The fairing will house and protect the RBSP during liftoff and flight through the atmosphere aboard an Atlas V rocket.NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff is targeted for Aug. 23, 2012.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians place sensors on the top part of the Ares I-X for modal survey testing. The top consists of the launch abort tower, crew module, service module and spacecraft adaptor. Shakers will impose random loads/vibrations to determine the flight test vehicles first several bending modes and the strategically located sensors throughout the stacks will measure the amount, acceleration and direction of movement. The purpose of the testing is to confirm that Ares I-X will behave as predicted as it lifts off the pad and powers through the initial stage of flight in a demonstration flight later this year.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the integrated truss structure, S6, and solar arrays are lowered into the payload canister for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. Launch of Discovery on the STS-119 mission is targeted for Feb. 12. During Discovery's 14-day mission, the crew will install the S6 truss segment and its solar arrays to the starboard side of the station, completing the station's truss, or backbone.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- United Space Alliance workers check the sling attached to space shuttle Discovery before it is lifted into high bay 1. In the bay, Discovery will be mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters waiting on the mobile launcher platform. Discovery is targeted for launch to the International Space Station for mission STS-120 on Oct. 23. The crew will be delivering and installing the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, named Harmony. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a work platform outside for the station's robotic arm.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the GOES-N spacecraft is prepared for lifting up into the launch service tower. It will be mated with the waiting Boeing Delta IV. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are sponsored by NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Launch of GOES-N is scheduled for June 23.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The door to the high bay of the Astrotech Space Operations' payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., closes behind the Juno spacecraft, enclosed in an Atlas payload fairing, as its trip to Space Launch Complex 41 begins.The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent and will be jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere. Juno is scheduled to launch Aug. 5 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 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.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- The payload fairing containing the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM, spacecraft is about to be hoisted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Space Launch Complex-3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM is the future of Landsat satellites. It will continue to obtain valuable data and imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and government. The Landsat Program provides repetitive acquisition of high resolution multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis. The data from the Landsat spacecraft constitute the longest record of the Earth's continental surfaces as seen from space. It is a record unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and value. Liftoff is planned for Feb. 11, 2013 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large yellow, metal sling lifts shuttle Discovery from the transfer aisle into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. In the bay, the shuttle will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. The operation began Sept. 9 and wrapped up early Sept. 10. Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A later this month in preparation for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission.Targeted to lift off Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians complete encapsulation of the two Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft with its payload faring. The fairing will house and protect the RBSP during liftoff and flight through the atmosphere aboard an Atlas V rocket.NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff is targeted for Aug. 23, 2012.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Endeavour hangs vertically above the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building. It will be lifted into the upper levels of the Vehicle Assembly Building , moved laterally over a crossbeam to high bay 1 and stacked with the external tank and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. Endeavour will be launched on mission STS-118, its first flight in more than four years. The shuttle has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour also features new hardware, such as the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 7.

Inside the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Florida, technicians and engineers inspect the NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M, after it was encapsulated in its payload fairing. TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:03 a.m. EDT Aug. 18, 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X simulated launch abort system, or LAS, is suspended vertically above its stand. The LAS will be lifted higher and moved for assembly with the crew module simulator. Ares I-X is the flight test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Suspended above the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis is ready to be lifted into high bay 3 and stacked with its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A to prepare for launch on the STS-125 mission targeted for 1:34 a.m. EDT Oct. 8.

Encapsulated inside its payload fairing, the Cygnus spacecraft for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 is mated atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22 to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians attach a lifting device to the payload fairing of an Atlas V rocket. The fairing must be raised in order to be placed on a transporter for the move to Space Launch Complex 41. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft is enclosed in the fairing, which will protect the payload from heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during launch.MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, workers adjust the sling attachment on the orbiter Atlantis. The orbiter will be lifted up into high bay 1 and lowered onto the mobile launcher platform where the external tank and solid rocket boosters are already stacked. Space Shuttle Atlantis is targeted to roll out to Launch Pad 39A on February 14 for mission STS-117. The mission is No. 21 to the International Space Station and construction flight 13A.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Suspended over the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Endeavour is slowly lifted into the upper levels for transfer into high bay 1 for mating with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39B. Endeavour is designated the rescue spacecraft for space shuttle Atlantis STS-125 mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, targeted for October. After Atlantis has safely returned from its flight, Endeavour will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for its STS-126 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for November.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Endeavour hangs vertically above the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building. It will be lifted into the upper levels of the VAB, moved to high bay 1 and stacked with the e1ternal tank and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. Endeavour will be launched on mission STS-118, its first flight in more than four years. The shuttle has undergone e1tensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour also features new hardware, such as the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and e1tend its visits to the orbiting lab. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 7.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The TDRS-J satellite is prepared for lifting up the gantry on Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellite is scheduled to be launched Dec. 4 aboard an Atlas IIA vehicle. The launch window is 9:42 to 10:22 p.m. EST. TDRS-J, the third in a series of telemetry satellites, will help replenish the current constellation of geosynchronous TDRS satellites that are the primary source of space-to-ground voice, data and telemetry for the Space Shuttle. The satellites also provide communications with the International Space Station and scientific spacecraft in low-Earth orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This new advanced series of satellites will extend the availability of TDRS communications services until about 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3, a crane lifts the Ares I-X Super Stack 3 from its stand. The stack is being moved to High Bay 4 for integration with Super Stack 2. The upper stage comprises five super stacks, which are integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. 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. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2) push the second half of the nose fairing (left) toward the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-I (TDRS-I) already enclosed by the first half. The second in a new series of telemetry satellites, TDRS-I replenishes the existing on-orbit fleet of six spacecraft. The TDRS System is the primary source of space-to-ground voice, data and telemetry for the Space Shuttle. It also provides communications with the International Space Station and scientific spacecraft in low-Earth orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This new advanced series of satellites will extend the availability of TDRS communications services until about 2017. Launch of TDRS-I is scheduled for March 8 aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA rocket from Pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The TDRS-J satellite is lifted up the gantry on Launch Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellite is scheduled to be launched Dec. 4 aboard an Atlas IIA vehicle. The launch window is 9:42 to 10:22 p.m. EST. TDRS-J, the third in a series of telemetry satellites, will help replenish the current constellation of geosynchronous TDRS satellites that are the primary source of space-to-ground voice, data and telemetry for the Space Shuttle. The satellites also provide communications with the International Space Station and scientific spacecraft in low-Earth orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This new advanced series of satellites will extend the availability of TDRS communications services until about 2017.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Columbus Laboratory module moves toward the waiting payload canister at right. The canister will transport the module and other payloads to Launch Pad 39A in preparation for its journey to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency 's largest single contribution to the International Space Station, Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station, providing crew members and scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The module is scheduled to be transferred to Launch Pad 39A in early November, in preparation for its journey to the station. Columbus will fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-122 mission, targeted for launch Dec. 6.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft is being encapsulated in its payload fairing in preparation for begin transported to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The TDRS-L satellite will be a part of the second of three next-generation spacecraft designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on January 23, 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, a crane and sling attached to the orbiter Discovery lift the vehicle toward the upper levels for transfer to high bay 3. There it will be lowered onto the mobile launcher platform where the external tank and solid rocket boosters are already stacked. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39B no earlier than Nov. 7 for mission STS-116. The mission is No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. The launch window for mission STS-116 opens Dec. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane brings the fourth and final Ogive panel closer for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 o

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - At the U.S. Naval Base San Diego in California, the Orion boilerplate test vehicle and cradle have been positioned in the well deck of the USS Anchorage in preparation for Underway Recovery Test 2. NASA, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will conduct tests in the Pacific Ocean to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module on its return from a deep space mission. The second underway recovery test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, new hardware and personnel in open waters.The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is conducting the underway recovery tests. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2

On May 2, 2019, engineers prepare Orion's Launch Abort System for the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In High Bay 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tail service masts on the mobile launcher platform flank space shuttle Endeavour as preparations are under way to attach it to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.Rollout of the stack to Kennedys Launch Pad 39A, a significant milestone in launch processing activities, is planned for early January 2010. The Italian-built Tranquility module, the primary payload for Endeavour's STS-130 mission, will be installed in the payload bay after the shuttle arrives at the pad. Launch is targeted for early February.

At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 'back shell powered descent vehicle' configuration, containing NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, is being placed on the spacecraft's heat shield.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians attach the payload fairing holding the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft to the top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The two spacecraft are designed to study the Van Allen radiation belts in unprecedented detail.

The payload fairing containing NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) is lifted up by crane at the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The fairing will be mated to the ULA Atlas V rocket. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The satellite is slated to launch aboard the ULA Atlas V on March 1.

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a test version of the Orion crew module has been integrated with the Launch Abort System (LAS) on May 18, 2019. The test vehicle and the LAS will be used for the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test. AA-2 is a full-stress test of the LAS, planned for July 2. AA-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety if an emergency occurs during ascent on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs, contractors Jacob's, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, in conjunction with the Air Force Space and Missile Center's Launch Operations branch and the 45th Space Wing are performing flight operations for AA-2.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Astrotech payload processing facility near Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to lift the Juno spacecraft, enclosed in an Atlas payload fairing, onto a transporter for its trip to Space Launch Complex 41.The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent and will be jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., 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.

Both halves of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairing are positioned for installation around the Solar Orbiter spacecraft inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida, on Jan. 20, 2020. The fairing provides a protective, aerodynamic covering to the payload inside during the early minutes of ascent. Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA. The mission aims to study the Sun, its outer atmosphere and solar wind. The spacecraft will provide the first images of the Suns poles. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is managing the launch. The spacecraft has been developed by Airbus Defence and Space. Solar Orbiter will launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2020.

The NASA insignia, also called the meatball,” and the American Flag are applied to the Orion crew module back shell for the Artemis I mission on Oct. 28, 2020, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Attached below Orion are the crew module adapter and the European Service Module (ESM) with spacecraft adapter jettison fairings installed. Recently, teams from across the globe installed the four solar array wings, which are housed inside the protective covering of the fairings. The fairing panels will encapsulate the ESM to protect it from harsh environments such as heat, wind, and acoustics as the spacecraft is propelled out of Earth’s atmosphere atop the Space Launch System rocket during NASA’s Artemis I mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The doors of a transportation canister containing the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello are opened inside NASA Kennedy Space Centers Space Station Processing Facility. Raffaello holds material returned from the International Space Station to KSC aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114. Raffaello will be transferred to an Element Rotation Stand later and emptied of its cargo. Discovery will undergo processing for the next Space Shuttle flight, STS-121, the second Return to Flight mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Ares I-X segments and stacks are filling the floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left in the background is the crew module-launch abort system, or CM-LAS, and simulator service module-service adapter stack. Not seen is the forward assembly that has joined the other segments. Ares I-X is the flight test vehicle for the Ares I, a component of the Constellation Program. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. The launch of the Ares I-X flight test is targeted for August 2009.

A crane has been attached to the payload fairing containing NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GOES-R will be mated to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V Centaur upper stage in preparation for launch in November. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, United Space Alliance technicians mark the progress of space shuttle Discovery as it is lowered onto the mobile launcher platform. Discovery will be mated with the solid rocket boosters and external tank already stacked there in preparation for the launch on the upcoming STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, the STS-124 crew will transport the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the space station. Launch of Discovery is targeted for May 31

The Orion launch abort system and crew module test articles undergo stacking at Lockheed Martins facilities near Denver in preparation for acoustic testing on Aug. 9, 2011. To emulate the sound pressure levels experienced at launch, the tests exposed Orion and its launch abort system to acoustic levels exceeding 150 decibels, while hundreds of instruments record the vehicles response. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

The Mars 2020 rover heat shield is mated to the back shell in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 10, 2020. Built by Lockheed Martin Space, the heat shield and back shell will protect the rover during its passage to Mars. The Mars 2020 rover is being manufactured at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California and, once complete, will be delivered to Kennedy next month. The mission is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in the summer of 2020.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have moved the aeroshell, a component of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), back to a work stand after a spin and balance test. The aeroshell consists of the backshell which carries the parachute and several components used during later stages of entry, descent and landing, and the spacecraft's heat shield.MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A model capsule seen ahead of tests inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to test a rotor system landing design. The design would give a capsule the stability and control of a helicopter, but would not be powered. Instead, the wind passing over the rotors as the capsule descends would make the blades turn, a process called auto-rotation. The intent is to give real spacecraft a soft landing with enough control that they could touch down anywhere in the world, whether it be a runway or parking lot. In other words, wherever a helicopter could land, a spacecraft could land, too.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Suspended by an overhead crane, space shuttle Endeavour is being raised to a vertical position in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle will be lifted into high bay 1 for mating with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39B. Endeavour is designated the rescue spacecraft for space shuttle Atlantis STS-125 mission to NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, targeted for October. After Atlantis has safely returned from its flight, Endeavour will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for its STS-126 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for November.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After being moved from its workstand in the Space Station Processing Facility, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo is suspended above the open doors of the payload canister below. The MPLM is the primary payload on mission STS-105, the 11th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Leonardo, fitted with supplies and equipment for the crew and the Station, will be transported to Launch Pad 39A and installed into Discoverys payload bay. Launch is scheduled no earlier than Aug. 9

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians encapsulate the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft in its payload fairing. TDRS-L will then be transported to Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The TDRS-L satellite will be a part of the second of three next-generation spacecraft designed to ensure vital operational continuity for the NASA Space Network. It is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on January 23, 2014. The current Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system consists of eight in-orbit satellites distributed to provide near continuous information relay contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister arrives under the payload changeout room in 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 canister will be lifted into the changeout room where the payloads will be transferred to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. 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.

The last major assembly operation to prepare Orion for Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) is completed in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 11, 2014. The ogive panels, which protect the crew module from sound and vibration during ascent, were installed around the spacecraft just below the launch abort system tower. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Inside the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Florida, technicians and engineers inspect the NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M, after it was encapsulated in its payload fairing. TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:03 a.m. EDT Aug. 18, 2017.

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin and ASRC workers monitor the progress as a crane lifts the Orion crew module from Exploration Flight Test 1 up from the birdcage stand. The crew module is being prepared for its move to the nearby Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. It will be on display in the NASA Now exhibit in the IMAX Theater. The Orion spacecraft launched atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket Dec. 5, 2014, from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft built for humans traveled 3,604 miles above Earth and splashed down about 4.5 hours later in the Pacific Ocean.

Inside the Astrotech facility near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's TDRS-M satellite, enclosed in its payload fairing, is being prepared for lifting to a transport vehicle. The TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 18 at 8:03 a.m. EDT.

The Artemis I Orion spacecraft with its spacecraft adapter cone attached, is moved by crane along the high bay inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 20, 2020. This is one of the final major hardware operations the spacecraft will undergo during closeout processing prior to being integrated with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in preparation for the first Artemis mission. The spacecraft adapter cone connects the bottom portion of Orions service module to the top part of the rocket known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Orion will fly on the agencys Artemis I mission - the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.

NASA's Orion spacecraft is viewed by members of the media at the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion made the 8-day, 2,700 mile overland trip back to Kennedy from Naval Base San Diego in California. Analysis of date obtained during its two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 will provide engineers detailed information on how the spacecraft fared. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program led the recovery, offload and transportation efforts.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane lifts the P3 Integrated Truss Structure clear of the payload canister that transferred it from the Operations and Checkout Building. The port-side P3 truss is scheduled to be added to the International Space Station on mission STS-115 in 2002 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. . The P3 will be attached to the first port truss segment, P1, being installed in an earlier mission

The Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Crew Module undergoes preparations to move from the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center to the KSC Visitor Complex on April 6, 2017.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the dual spacecraft CALIPSO and CloudSat, covered by a transport canister, is lowered onto a transporter. The spacecraft is being moved to Space Launch Complex 2. There the spacecraft will be lifted and mated with a Boeing Delta II rocket for launch on April 21. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. It will fly in combination with the CloudSat satellite to provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will join three other satellites in orbit to enhance understanding of climate systems. Launch of CALIPSO/CloudSat is scheduled for April 21.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --- Loaded on a transporter, the payload faring containing the Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM spacecraft arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-3E where it will be hoisted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V for launch.LDCM is the eighth satellite in the Landsat Program series of Earth-observing missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. LDCM will continue the programs critical role in monitoring, understanding and managing the resources needed for human sustainment such as food, water and forests.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians use a crane to move the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft to a work stand for electrical testing.MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch in November from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

Enclosed in its payload fairing, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) departs from the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be transported to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellite will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.

During STS-26, inertial upper stage (IUS) with the tracking and data relay satellite C (TDRS-C) located in the payload bay (PLB) of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, is raised into deployment attitude (an angle of 50 degrees) by the airborne support equipment (ASE). ASE aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) table supports the IUS as it is positioned in the PLB and the ASE umbilical boom drifts away from IUS toward ASE forward cradle. TDRS-C solar array panels (in stowed configuration) are visible on top of the IUS. In the background are the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and the Earth's limb.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the orbiter Discovery is being lifted away from the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters (behind the orbiter). After demating from its External Tank (ET), the orbiter will be placed on a transporter in the transfer aisle and moved to high bay 3 for remating with another tank, ET-121. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane lifts the P3 Integrated Truss Structure clear of the payload canister that transferred it from the Operations and Checkout Building. The port-side P3 truss is scheduled to be added to the International Space Station on mission STS-115 in 2002 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. The P3 will be attached to the first port truss segment, P1, being installed in an earlier mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the framework known as the "birdcage" lowers the Ares I-X simulator crew module-launch abort system, or CM-LAS, onto the simulator service module-service adapter stack. Ares I-X is the flight test for the Ares I. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I. The launch of the 327-foot-tall, full-scale Ares I-X is targeted for August 2009.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The overhead sling lowers the orbiter Atlantis in front of the external tank and solid rocket boosters stacked on the mobile launcher platform (MLP) below. Atlantis will be mated to the MLP as well. Space Shuttle Atlantis is targeted to roll out to Launch Pad 39A on February 14 for mission STS-117. The mission is No. 21 to the International Space Station and construction flight 13A.

STS-135 Orbiter & Payload CEIT

KODIAK ISLAND, ALASKA - In the Launch Service Structure, Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), the fairing is lowered over the Kodiak Star spacecraft in preparation for launch. The first launch to take place from KLC, Kodiak Star is scheduled to lift off on a Lockheed Martin Athena I launch vehicle on Sept. 17 during a two-hour window that extends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. p.m. ADT. The payloads aboard include the Starshine 3, sponsored by NASA, and the PICOSat, PCSat and Sapphire, sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program. KLC is the newest commercial launch complex in the United States, ideal for launch payloads requiring low-Earth polar or sun-synchronous orbits

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy Space Center, In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy Space Center, orbiter technicians are hooking a restraining cable around the orbiter lifting slings aft drop leg adjustment hand wheel. This is performed prior to disconnecting the aft spreader beam from the sling (the portion suspended by the 175 ton crane on the left side of the photo), and also prior to taking the final hang angle measurement of the orbiter prior to lifting it over the transom into the high bay. It will be mated with the Solid Rocket Boosters and External Tank already stacked there on the Mobile Launcher Platform. Atlantis is the designated orbiter for Return to Flight mission STS-121. The lighted planning window for launch extends from Sept. 9 to Sept. 25.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the launch service tower on Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Boeing workers attach the GOES-N spacecraft to the Boeing Delta IV second stage. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are sponsored by NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Launch of GOES-N is scheduled for June 23.

The SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew ship that carried four Crew-3 astronauts to the International Space Station is pictured docked to the forward-facing port of the Harmony module.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion mockup spacecraft sits atop its service module simulator in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first uncrewed test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket. The Orion mockup is exact in details on the outside, but mostly empty on the inside except for four mockup astronaut seats and hatch. The work in the VAB is crucial to making sure the designs are accurate.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, the THEMIS spacecraft (background) is being lifted to move it to the Delta II upper stage booster (foreground) for mating. The spacecraft will then be installed into its transportation canister and moved to Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating with the Delta II. THEMIS consists of five identical probes, the largest number of scientific satellites ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. This unique constellation of satellites will resolve the tantalizing mystery of what causes the spectacular sudden brightening of the aurora borealis and aurora australis - the fiery skies over the Earth's northern and southern polar regions. THEMIS is scheduled to launch Feb. 15 Pad 17-B.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, a crane is attached to the Ares I-X Super Stack 3 in High Bay 3. The stack is being moved to High Bay 4 for integration with Super Stack 2. The upper stage comprises five super stacks, which are integrated with the four-segment solid rocket booster first stage on the mobile launch platform. 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. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31, pending formal NASA Headquarters approval.

The test version of the Orion crew module is secured on its fixture inside the well deck of the USS San Diego at Naval Base San Diego in California. NASA, Orion manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will head out to sea with the Orion test spacecraft aboard for Underway Recovery Test 5 (URT-5) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. During URT-5, the team will demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel necessary for recovery of Orion on its return from a deep space mission. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and NASA Journey to Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2018.

SpaceX Crew-5 Vertical & Sunrise. With the beginning stages of a sunrise serving as the backdrop, SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket - with the Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop - is vertical at NASAs Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 1, 2022, ahead of NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 launch. Endurance will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for noon EDT on Oct. 5, 2022.

S97-00251 (5 Dec. 1996) --- The SPACEHAB-DM double module, scheduled to be used during STS-81 to transport Russian logistics material and supplies for the Mir-22 crew, is lowered into a payload canister in the Space Station Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The module will provide space for more than 2,000 pounds of hardware, food, water and other supplies which will be transferred by crewmembers into Mir during the 10-day mission. (Editor's Note: Following its installation into the canister, the module was transported on Jan. 12 to Launch Pad 39B and installed into the payload bay of the space shuttle Atlantis).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Changeout Room, or PCR, on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers use the payload ground-handling mechanism to transfer space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission payload from the payload canister. At left is seen the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. The payload later will be installed in Endeavour's payload bay. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Nov. 14.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a worker examines one of the frustums from two spent solid rocket boosters from space shuttle Endeavour, which launched Nov. 14 on the STS-126 mission. The frustum was offloaded from the solid rocket booster retrieval ship Freedom Star and moved inside the Hangar AF High Bay for disassembly. The space shuttles solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered at sea after being jettisoned. The boosters impact the Atlantic Ocean approximately seven minutes after liftoff. After their recovery and transport to Hangar AF, the boosters are cleaned, inspected, disassembled, refurbished and reloaded with solid propellant for reuse.

The Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft for NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission arrives at the hangar at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Sept. 23, 2022. The capsule arrived at the launch complex after making the short journey from its nearby processing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. NASA astronauts Nicole Aunapu Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and mission specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina will lift off aboard Endurance - on the companys Falcon 9 rocket - from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than 12:46 p.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 3.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket rests on the transporter in Orbitals hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket has been mated to NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, encapsulated in a Pegasus payload fairing.The transporter will move them to the runway ramp where they will be attached to the underside of Orbitals L-1011 carrier aircraft. The aircraft will fly the pair from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Oceans Kwajalein Atoll for launch. A revised launch date will be set at the Flight Readiness Review, planned for later this week. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars.

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) sits fully encapsulated inside the fairing. Next, it will be transported to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for launch scheduled June 29 aboard an Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. One of three satellites (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif., the latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS systems existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 4 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technician Troy Merrick, with United Space Alliance, finishes installing a video camera on the side of the Ares I-X segments 6 and 7. The downward facing camera will provide live video during launch. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system . The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 30.

SpaceX Crew-5 Roll to Pad. Seen here is a close-up view of SpaceXs Dragon Endurance spacecraft as it rolls to Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A in Florida atop the companys Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 1, 2022, in preparation for the agencys SpaceX Crew-5 launch. Endurance will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for noon EDT on Oct. 5, 2022.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, displays a mock-up of its Dragon capsule during a media tour at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, or CCAFS, in Florida.In December 2010, SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from CCAFS's Launch Complex 40. The Dragon capsule went through several maneuvers before it re-entered the atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean about 500 miles west of the coast of Mexico. That was the first demonstration flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which will provide cargo flights to the International Space Station in the future. The company is preparing for another launch in late 2011, in which the Dragon spacecraft and trunk will fly close to the space station so the stations robotic arm can grab the spacecraft and bring it in for a docking.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion spacecraft passes the spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion spacecraft passes the spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion spacecraft passes the spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion spacecraft passes the spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians make final checks prior to lifting the payload faring containing the two Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft on to a transporter to be moved to the launch complex.NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff is targeted for Aug. 23, 2012.

The Orion Test Capsule spent 4 hour in the water tank under NASA Langley's gantry to prove it is ready for the open water recovery test at Norfolk Naval Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload canister with the Hubble Space Telescope equipment moves into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, or PHSF. The payload comprises four carriers holding various equipment for the mission. The canister maintains a controlled environment. In the PHSF, the carriers will be stored until a new target launch date can be set for Atlantis STS-125 mission in 2009. Atlantis October target launch date was delayed after a device on board Hubble used in the storage and transmission of science data to Earth shut down on Sept. 27. Replacing the broken device will be added to Atlantis servicing mission to the telescope.

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