Spacecraft Preparation

Images of technicians working on spacecraft at a facility, showcasing detailed processes for launch readiness in a clean environment.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., Boeing technicians watch as an overhead crane lowers the Deep Impact spacecraft onto the Delta II third stage for mating. When the spacecraft and third stage are mated, they will be moved to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. There they will be mated to the Delta II rocket and the fairing installed around them for protection during launch and ascent. Scheduled for liftoff Jan. 12, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile to crash onto the surface, Deep Impacts flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of its interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the craters depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the hazardous processing facility at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., technicians remove the protective cover from the top of Observatory A, one of two STEREO spacecraft. The observatory will be lifted onto a scale for weight measurements and later will be fueled. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. STEREO is expected to lift off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket no earlier than Aug. 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., the high-gain communications antenna on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is moved into a stowed position following testing to verify the spacecraft's readiness for launch.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., Boeing technicians watch as an overhead crane lowers the Deep Impact spacecraft onto the Delta II third stage for mating. When the spacecraft and third stage are mated, they will be moved to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. There they will be mated to the Delta II rocket and the fairing installed around them for protection during launch and ascent. Scheduled for liftoff Jan. 12, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile to crash onto the surface, Deep Impacts flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of its interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the craters depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians secure NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, onto a stand. The orbiter will carry seven instruments to provide scientists with detailed maps of the lunar surface and enhance our understanding of the moon's topography, lighting conditions, mineralogical composition and natural resources. Information gleaned from LRO will be used to select safe landing sites, determine locations for future lunar outposts and help mitigate radiation dangers to astronauts. The polar regions of the moon are the main focus of the mission because continuous access to sunlight may be possible and water ice may exist in permanently shadowed areas of the poles. Accompanying LRO on its journey to the moon will be the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, a mission that will impact the lunar surface in its search for water ice. Launch of LRO is targeted for May 20.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An overhead crane in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center lowers the Fine Guidance Sensor, or FGS, onto the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier or ORUC, below for installation. An FGS consists of a large structure housing a collection of mirrors, lenses, servos, prisms, beam splitters and photomultiplier tubes. There are three fine guidance sensors on Hubble located at 90-degree intervals around the circumference of the telescope. Along with the gyroscopes, the optical sensors are a key component of Hubbles highly complex but extraordinarily effective “pointing control system.” The ORUC is one of three carriers that are being prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, on space shuttle Atlantis. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8.

NASA's Psyche Solar Array Integration and Walkout. Team members prepare to integrate one of two solar arrays with NASAs Psyche spacecraft inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 24, 2023. The solar arrays were shipped from Maxar Technologies, in San Jose, California. They are part of the solar electric propulsion system, provided by Maxar, that will power the spacecraft on its journey to explore a metal-rich asteroid. Psyche will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Launch is targeted for Oct. 5, 2023. Riding with Psyche is a pioneering technology demonstration, NASAs Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians test close the twin solar arrays on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft.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.

Workers place the special radiation vault for NASA's Juno spacecraft onto the propulsion module. The whole vault, with more than 20 electronic assemblies inside, weighs about 200 kilograms (500 pounds).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- General Dynamics technicians in the Astrotech payload processing facility remove the protective cover over NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST. The space telescope will be moved to a work stand in the facility for a complete checkout of the scientific instruments aboard. The telescope will launch aboard a Delta II rocket May 16 from Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A powerful space observatory, the GLAST will explore the most extreme environments in the universe, and answer questions about supermassive black hole systems, pulsars and the origin of cosmic rays. It also will study the mystery of powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., Lockheed Martin technicians secure a portable scale to one of NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory lunar spacecraft. The spacecraft will be lifted and weighed before they are stacked in their launch configuration in preparation for transport to the launch pad.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians closely watch as the fairing halves come together around NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and and NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent.The LRO includes five instruments: DIVINER, LAMP, LEND, LOLA and LROC. They will be launched aboard an Atlas V/Centaur rocket no earlier than June 17 from Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians prepare the solar arrays for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and an antenna simulator (yellow horizontal rod) for an electromagnetic interference verification test. If no interference is found during the test, the Shallow Radar Antenna (SHARAD) will be installed on the spacecraft. The spacecraft is undergoing multiple mechanical assembly operations and electrical tests to verify its readiness for launch. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO is an important next step in fulfilling NASAs vision of space exploration and ultimately sending human explorers to Mars and beyond.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians move the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft into position on a tilt and rotation stand for further pre-flight processing.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.

At the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, NASA's Parker Solar Probe is removed from its shipping bag on Wednesday, April 4, 2018. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to hoist the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, or MAVEN, onto the rotation fixture for further testing and prelaunch preparations next week. MAVEN is being readied for its scheduled November launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

Inside the high bay of the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a crane lifts and moves NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) on Aug. 30, 2018. The satellite will be attached to the payload adapter. ICESat-2 is being prepared for its scheduled launch from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg on the final United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. ICESat-2 will measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS). ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much our planet's frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing in a warming climate.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians lift one of two spacecraft for NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, to a test stand in the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. The twin spacecraft were built at the Lockheed Martin plant in Denver, Colo. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will carry GRAIL into lunar orbit already is fully stacked at NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B and launch is scheduled for Sept. 8.The GRAIL mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The STEREO observatories are the focus of attention at a media viewing held at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla. The two observatories were mated for launch but will separate into different orbits for their mission. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. STEREO is expected to lift off on Aug. 31, from Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

STS-133 CTC LIFTO TO ELC-3

In the spacecraft processing facility on North Vandenberg Air Force Base, battery charge/discharge cycles are underway as part of the battery conditioning process on Gravity Probe B. The Gravity Probe B will launch a payload of four gyroscopes into low-Earth polar orbit to test two extraordinary predictions of Albert Einsteins general theory of relativity: the geodetic effect (how space and time are warped by the presence of the Earth) and frame dragging (how Earths rotation drags space and time around with it). Once in orbit, for 18 months each gyroscopes spin axis will be monitored as it travels through local spacetime, observing and measuring these effects. The experiment was developed by Stanford University, Lockheed Martin and NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to hoist the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, or MAVEN, onto the rotation fixture for further testing and prelaunch preparations next week. MAVEN is being readied for its scheduled November launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Boeing workers at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., watch the movement of the upper canister as it is lowered around the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft. The canister will be attached to the lower protective panels around the Delta II upper stage booster for the transportation of MESSENGER to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff of MESSENGER aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket is scheduled for Aug. 2. The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., Lockheed Martin technicians monitor the placement of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory-A (GRAIL-A) lunar probe on the spacecraft adapter ring. GRAIL-B is already secured to the ring, at left. After the twin GRAIL spacecraft are attached to the adapter ring in their side-by-side launch configuration, they will be transported to the launch pad.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center move an IMAX 3D camera toward the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, (in the background) for installation. The carrier will be installed in space shuttle Atlantis payload bay. The camera will record the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Space shuttle Atlantis' 11-day flight is targeted for launch May 12 and will include five spacewalks in which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - Inside the NASA spacecraft processing hangar 1610 located on North Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Lockheed Martin workers maneuver the Boeing Delta II payload attach fitting onto a connecting ring on the floor. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-N) spacecraft, in the background, will then be mated to the payload attach fitting. Launch of NOAA-N aboard the Boeing Delta II rocket is currently scheduled for May 11, 2005. NOAA-N is the fourth in the series of support dedicated microwave instruments for the generation of temperature, moisture, surface, and hydrological products in cloudy regions where visible and infrared (IR) instruments have decreased capability.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help with the installation of the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH, on the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission. This unit will replace the one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. Atlantis is targeted for launch on May 12.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., Lockheed Martin technicians review procedures for weighing one of NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory lunar spacecraft before the spacecraft are stacked in their launch configuration in preparation for transport to the launch pad.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations facilities near KSC, the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft is ready for lifting. It is being moved to a turnover fixture that will rotate it for prelaunch testing. Launch is scheduled for May 11 from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft will fly past Venus three times and Mercury twice before starting a year-long orbital study of Mercury in July 2009.

At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) has been positioned on a work stand. The facility is located near NASA's Kennedy Space Center. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R series - consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft - will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers from Lockheed Martin prepare to conduct a gimbal full range of motion test on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) high-gain antenna. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for JPL. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO is an important next step in fulfilling NASAs vision of space exploration and ultimately sending human explorers to Mars and beyond.

In this photo, spacecraft specialists at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, are reaching up to guide lowering of the parachute cone for installation onto NASA's InSight spacecraft. The photo was taken on April 29, 2015.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., Lockheed Martin technicians verify that NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory-A (GRAIL-A) lunar probe is in position and ready to be secured to the spacecraft adapter ring. GRAIL-B is secured to the ring, at left. After the twin GRAIL spacecraft are attached to the adapter ring in their side-by-side launch configuration, they will be transported to the launch pad.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

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 from a work fixture to a tilt and rotation stand for further pre-flight processing.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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3, is lowered onto the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier. WFC3 is part of the payload on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission for the fifth and final Hubble servicing flight to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. As Hubble enters the last stage of its life, WFC3 will be Hubble's next evolutionary step, allowing Hubble to peer ever further into the mysteries of the cosmos. WFC3 will study a diverse range of objects and phenomena, from young and extremely distant galaxies, to much more nearby stellar systems, to objects within our very own solar system. WFC3 will take the place of Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, which astronauts will bring back to Earth aboard the shuttle. Launch of Atlantis is targeted at 1:34 a.m. EDT Oct. 8.

GOES-P MOVE TO FUELING STAND & MEDIA DAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., Lockheed Martin technicians move a lifting device toward NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory-B (GRAIL-B) lunar probe. At left is GRAIL-A. After the twin GRAIL spacecraft are attached to the spacecraft adapter ring in their side-by-side launch configuration, they will be transported to the launch pad.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have removed the protective wrapping from the rocket-powered descent stage for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). The descent stage will fly the MSL rover, Curiosity, during the final moments before landing on Mars.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are 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. MSL is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., technicians are closing out the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, before its mating with NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS, spacecraft. Instruments seen at far left are (from bottom), the LEND that will measure the flux of neutrons from the moon; the LROC, a narrow angle camera that will provide panchromatic images; the LOLA, which will provide a precise global lunar topographic model and geodetic grid; and top right, the DIVINER, which will measure lunar surface temperatures at scales that provide essential information for future surface operations and exploration; and at top, the CRaTER, which will characterize the global lunar radiation environment and its biological impacts. The satellite's primary mission is to search for water ice on the moon in a permanently shadowed crater near one of the lunar poles. LCROSS is a low-cost, accelerated-development, companion mission

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Centers Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft rests on a work stand. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a 'double planet' and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A worker in the high bay at Astrotech Space Operations places a lower panel of the transportation canister around the THEMIS spacecraft and upper stage booster. When THEMIS is completely enclosed, it will be transported to Launch Complex 17-B for mating with its launch vehicle. 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 from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket managed by the United Launch Alliance.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory-A (GRAIL-A) lunar probe is lifted from its workstand and across the clean room toward the spacecraft adapter ring, at left, where GRAIL-B is already secured. After the twin GRAIL spacecraft are attached to the adapter ring in their side-by-side launch configuration, they will be transported to the launch pad.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft is lifted away from the Pegasus XL launch vehicle after demating. Foreign object debris shields will be installed before its launch. The GALEX is an orbiting space telescope that will observe galaxies in ultraviolet light across 10 billion years of cosmic history. During its 29-month mission GALEX will produce the first comprehensive map of a Universe of galaxies under construction, bringing more understanding how galaxies like the Milky Way were formed. The GALEX launch date is under review.

Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, engineers and technicians rotate NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP, spacecraft to begin processing. SMAP will launch on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch from Space Launch Complex 2 is targeted for Jan. 29, 2015.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians monitor the movement of an IMAX 3D camera as it is lowered onto the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, to be installed in space shuttle Atlantis payload bay. Other equipment on the ORUC are the Fine Guidance Sensor Scientific Instrument Protective Enclosure and the Fine Guidance Sensor. The camera will record the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Over 11 days and five spacewalks, Atlantis crew will make repairs and upgrades to the telescope, leaving it better than ever and ready for at least another five years - or more - of research. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Centers Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers begin installing the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) onto the New Horizons spacecraft for a fit check. The RTG is the baseline power supply for New Horizons, scheduled to launch in January 2006 on a journey to Pluto and its moon, Charon. It is expected to reach Pluto in July 2015.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians at Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., are preparing NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, twin spacecraft for solar panel deployment testing. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will carry GRAIL into lunar orbit already is fully stacked at NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, and launch is scheduled for Sept. 8. The GRAIL mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. GRAIL will fly the twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, one half of the protective fairing stands behind NASA's Glory spacecraft. Once both halves of the fairing are secured in place, the spacecraft will be transported to Space Launch Complex 576-E and joined with the Taurus XL rocket's third stage.The Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket will carry Glory into low Earth orbit. Once the spacecraft reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 5:09 a.m. EST Feb. 23. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians at Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. guide NASA's Juno spacecraft as it is moved by an overhead crane to a rotation stand for center of gravity, weighing and balancing testing.Juno is scheduled to launch aboard 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Technicians inspect one of NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes inside the clean room high bay at Astrotech payload processing facility.The Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or 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 Earth's Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

NASA's Juno spacecraft rests atop its rotation fixture awaiting transfer to a shipping crate prior to environmental testing; the large white square on the spacecraft's right is largest of six microwave radiometer antennas, masked by protective covering.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech's Hazardous Processing Facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians using an overhead crane lower NASA's Juno spacecraft to a fueling stand where the spacecraft will be loaded with the propellant necessary for orbit maneuvers and the attitude control system.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.

JUNO Lift & Move to Rotation Stand

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft B is lowered to a horizontal position. The RBSP had been in a vertical position for testing.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 launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Launch is targeted for Aug. 23.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians at Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. guide NASA's Juno spacecraft, as it is moved by overhead crane, to the rotation stand for testing.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. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aug. 5.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians prepare the two Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft prior for encapsulation in 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.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - A technician finishes removing protective Mylar wrapping from NASA's IRIS spacecraft in a clean room at Vandenberg where the spacecraft will be readied for launch aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket. IRIS is short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and the spacecraft's mission will improve our understanding of how heat and energy move through the deepest levels of the suns atmosphere, thereby increasing our ability to forecast space weather.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- At the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., technicians perform close-out inspections on NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM, satellite. 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.

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft was removed from its shipping container inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida, on Nov. 18, 2019. The spacecraft was flown aboard an Antonov cargo aircraft from Munich, Germany, arriving at NASAs Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 1, 2019. Solar Orbiter is a European Space Agency mission with strong NASA participation. The mission aims to study the Sun, its outer atmosphere and solar winds. The spacecraft will provide the first images of the Suns poles. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch. Liftoff is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the GOES-O satellite is gently lowered onto a special stand for loading of its oxidizer and hydrazine propellants. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The GOES satellites continuously provide observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. The GOES-O satellite is targeted to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 no earlier than May 12 onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians inside the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Florida, move the STEREO spacecraft to the spin table. The twin observatories will undergo a spin test to check balance and alignment in preparation for flight. STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. The STEREO mission is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. STEREO is expected to lift off on Aug. 31, from Launch Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians at Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. install the high-gain antenna to NASA's Juno spacecraft. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., one of the STEREO observatories is lifted and moved toward the other observatory, in the background. They will be mated for launch. STEREO, which stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, is the first to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-dimension. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. STEREO is expected to lift off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 31.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane is being lowered over a rocket-powered descent stage for integration with NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, known as Curiosity. The descent stage will lower Curiosity to the surface of Mars. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are 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. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech's Hazardous Processing Facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians use an overhead crane to lift the cover from NASA's Juno spacecraft before its move to a fueling stand where the spacecraft will be loaded with the propellant necessary for orbit maneuvers and the attitude control system.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.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover known as Curiosity, is secured on a work stand for processing. The spacecraft's backshell (left), which carries the parachute and several components used during later stages of entry, descent and landing, in addition is the rocket-powered descent stage (background), also is visible in the image.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are 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. MSL is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In Space Systems International's Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians prepare to rotate the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft from a vertical to horizontal position for testing. Following final tests, the spacecraft will be integrated to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for the targeted June launch. Aquarius, the NASA-built primary instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft, will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission.

At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) has been rotated to a vertical position after it was uncrated from its shipping container. The facility is located near NASA's Kennedy Space Center. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R series - consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft - will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A crane lifts shipping material from around NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution MAVEN spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on Aug. 3, 2013, at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. MAVEN will be prepared inside the facility for its scheduled November launch to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is lifted to the vertical position on an up-ender” inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. GOES-R will be the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites. The spacecraft is to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In a clean room at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers ensure NASA's CloudSat spacecraft is lowered safely into the lower portion of the Delta Payload Attach Fitting. CloudSat joins the CALIPSO spacecraft for launch. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites that will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3 01 a.m. PDT Sept. 29.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians in the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., prepare NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, twin spacecraft for testing and processing. GRAIL was built at the Lockheed Martin plant in Denver, Colo. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will carry GRAIL into lunar orbit already is fully stacked at NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B and launch is scheduled for Sept. 8.The GRAIL mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-125 crew members conduct equipment and procedure familiarization on parts of the payload in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for their mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Space shuttle Atlantis' 11-day flight is targeted for launch May 12 and will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, fine guidance sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assist as a crane is used to lift the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module, enclosed in its payload fairing, for transfer to a KAMAG transporter. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility, a worker (left center) checks out the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) after its move to the payload adapter (below). Next step is the encapsulation of the TDRS in the fairing. TDRS is scheduled to be launched 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2, a technician conducts a lighting test on the solar panels on the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft. The spacecraft will provide the first detailed look into the heart of a comet -- the nucleus. The spacecraft will fly as close as 60 miles (100 kilometers) to at least two comets and will take the sharpest pictures yet of the nucleus while analyzing the gas and dust that surround these rocky, icy building blocks of the solar system. Launch of CONTOUR aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for July 1 from Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Technicians unpack the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, after arrival at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center.Launch of the TDRS-K on the Atlas V rocket is planned for January 29, 2013. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians begin to hoist the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, or MAVEN, so that it can be placed on the rotation fixture for further testing and prelaunch preparations next week. MAVEN is being readied for its scheduled November launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to Mars. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility in Titusville, Fla., the Solar Dynamics Observatory is lowered onto the Ransome table. The table will be used to rotate the spacecraft in various directions for access to different areas of the spacecraft. SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. In preparation for its anticipated November launch, engineers will perform a battery of comprehensive tests to ensure SDO can withstand the stresses and vibrations of the launch itself, as well as what it will encounter in the space environment after launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the clean room of the Payload Hazardous Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lowers the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, toward a protective enclosure on the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, part of the payload for the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission, STS-125. Other payloads include the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier. COS will be the most sensitive ultraviolet spectrograph ever flown on Hubble and will probe the "cosmic web" - the large-scale structure of the universe whose form is determined by the gravity of dark matter and is traced by galaxies and intergalactic gas. The COS far-ultraviolet channel has a sensitivity 30 times greater than that of previous spectroscopic instruments for the detection of extremely low light levels. Launch of Atlantis on the STS-125 mission is targeted for Oct. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians test deploy the twin solar arrays on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft.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.

The MIRI itself weighs 181 pounds (82 kg) and is being held by a special balance beam (on the left of the photo), which is being maneuvered using a precision overhead crane by the engineer at the base of the ladder.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Astrotech Space Operations processing facilities, NASAs MESSENGER spacecraft is secure after transfer to the work stand. There employees of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, builders of the spacecraft, will perform an initial state-of-health check. Then processing for launch can begin, including checkout of the power systems, communications systems and control systems. The thermal blankets will also be attached for flight. MESSENGER - short for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging - will be launched May 11 on a six-year mission aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket. Liftoff is targeted for 2:26 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 11.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians dressed in clean room attire, known as "bunny" suits, prepare a rocket-powered descent stage for integration with NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, known as Curiosity. The descent stage will lower Curiosity to the surface of Mars. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are 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. MSL is scheduled to launch Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 18 and arrival at Mars Aug. 2012.

In the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, technicians and engineers deploy the magnetometer boom on NASA's Parker Solar Probe. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians at Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. have installed the high-gain antenna to NASA's Juno spacecraft. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an 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.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base's Astrotech processing facility in California, NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, spacecraft is lowered toward the flight conical adapter and test stand.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory-A (GRAIL-A) lunar probe moves across the clean room toward the spacecraft adapter ring, at left, where GRAIL-B is already secured. After the twin GRAIL spacecraft are attached to the adapter ring in their side-by-side launch configuration, they will be transported to the launch pad.GRAIL will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field. GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is scheduled for Sept. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech Space Operations, technicians help lower the THEMIS spacecraft toward the Delta II upper stage booster. Once mated, 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After bagging the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft, Boeing workers at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., place the first part of a transportation canister around the Delta II upper stage booster. MESSENGER will be transferred to Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff of MESSENGER aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy rocket is scheduled for Aug. 2. The spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around the planet in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Quality Assurance Services technicians Willy Jones and Brian Kittle do some touch-up work on the Swift spacecraft in Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Swift has been wrapped with blankets to provide thermal stability during the mission. Swift is a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science. Its three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands. The most comprehensive study of GRB afterglows to date, Swift is expected to observe more than 200 gamma-ray bursts during its 2-year mission.

Technicians help secure NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) satellite onto an integration and testing cart inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Aug. 22, 2022. 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. JPSS-2, which will be renamed NOAA-21 after reaching orbit, will join a constellation of JPSS satellites that orbit from the North to the South pole, circling Earth 14 times a day and providing a full view of the entire globe twice daily. The NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite, and NOAA-20, previously known as JPSS-1, are both already in orbit. Each satellite carries at least four advanced instruments to measure weather and climate conditions on Earth. A secondary payload on the mission is the Low-Earth Orbit Flig

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, General Dynamics technicians prepare the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, for the installation of its high-gain antenna. The GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. Launch is currently planned in a window between 11:45 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. EDT May 16.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, technicians use a crane to position the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft A atop RBSP B.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.

Members of the media were given the opportunity to view and photograph the Solar Orbiter spacecraft up close inside the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida, on Dec. 16, 2019. Representatives from NASAs Launch Services Program (LSP), the European Space Agency (ESA), United Launch Alliance (ULA), Airbus Defence and Space, and NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center provided an overview of the mission, spacecraft and launch vehicle. Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA, and the spacecraft has been developed by Airbus. The mission will study the Sun and how it can affect the space environment throughout the solar system, and it also will provide the first images of the Suns poles. Solar Orbiter is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41 aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket at 11:27 p.m. EST on Feb. 5, 2020. LSP will manage the launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians test close the twin solar arrays on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft.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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane lifts the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier from a mobile platform to move it to another stand in the high bay. The MULE is part of the payload for the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, STS-125. The MULE carrier will join the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch. The Relative Navigation Sensors and the New Outer Blanket Layers will be on the MULE. The payload is scheduled to go to Launch Pad 39A in mid-September to be installed into Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., check the progress of the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft being lowered onto a spin table for testing. Scheduled to lift off Aug. 2 from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the spacecraft is expected to reach orbit around Mercury in March 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe solar arrays are deployed for testing at the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, June 3, 2018. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., the bagged Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is lifted from a Ransome table.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., workers monitor the progress of the transfer of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, onto a test stand during preparations for propulsion system testing and leak checks.SDO is the first space weather research network mission in NASA's Living With a Star Program. The spacecraft's long-term measurements will give solar scientists in-depth information about changes in the sun's magnetic field and insight into how they affect Earth. Liftoff on an Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2010.

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