Spacecraft Testing and Launches

A collection of images showcasing various spacecraft prototypes and rockets during testing and launch events, predominantly set against clear blue skies and dramatic backgrounds.

Flying drone in air Flying drone with camera in air Copyright: xZoonar.com/IvonnexWierinkx 15060392

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The fifth free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 74-second test began at about 1 p.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending about to 476 feet, more than 160 feet higher than its last test. The lander flew forward, covering 637 feet in 30 seconds before descending and landing on target on a dedicated landing pad inside the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear land

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-8 Challenger

SWOT Prelaunch. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft onboard is seen as preparations for launch continue, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency, SWOT is the first satellite mission that will observe nearly all water on Earths surface, measuring the height of water in the planets lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Smoke fills the air as the engine fires and the Morpheus lander launched from the ground over a flame trench. During the 54-second test, it ascended approximately 50 feet, and hovered for about 15 seconds. The lander then flew forward and landed on its pad about 23 feet from the launch point. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. Project Morpheus integrates NASAs automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to asteroids and other planetary surfaces.The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, comp

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A remote-controlled helicopter with a unique set of sensors and software assembled by a team of engineers from NASA's Johnson Space Center flies in a competition at the agency's Kennedy Space Center. Teams from Johnson, Kennedy and Marshall Space Flight Center competed in an unmanned aerial systems event to evaluate designs and work by engineers learning new specialties. The competition took place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With its engines burning bright against the late night sky, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, travels upward after lifting off Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:05 a.m. EDT.RBSP will explore changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- known as "space weather" -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will provide data on the fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe.

A full moon rises behind a satellite communications dish at the Navy Satellite Communications Facility. Base: Chesapeake Bay State: Virginia(VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

ISS037-E-021218 (28 Oct. 2013) --- The European Space Agencys fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-4), also known as the “Albert Einstein,” begins its relative separation from the International Space Station during the Expedition 37 mission. The ATV-4 undocked from the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module at 4:55 a.m. (EDT) Oct. 28, 2013. The ATV, filled with trash and unneeded items, is scheduled to be sent into Earths atmosphere for a planned destructive re-entry over an uninhabited area of the south Pacific Ocean on Nov. 2.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An instrument-laden capsule begins its descent from 105,000 feet above Earth during a flight hosted by Rocket University participants. After the high-altitude balloon carrying it burst, the capsule free-fell to 50,000 feet and then deployed a parachute to land safely on the ground. The test flight was used to evaluate the stability of the capsule as it fell to Earth before its parachute opened. Rocket University is a program of courses, workshops, labs and projects offered to engineering and research pros of all stripes to keep their skills fresh and broaden their experiences.

Flying drone in air Flying drone with camera in air Copyright: xZoonar.com/IvonnexWierinkx 15060392

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An exhaust plume forms at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as the engines ignite under the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, to Earth orbit. Launch was at 9 33 p.m. EST Jan. 23 during a 40-minute launch window. The TDRS-L spacecraft is the second of three new satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for NASA by expanding the lifespan of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System TDRSS fleet, which consists of eight satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The spacecraft provide tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services for numerous science and human exploration missions orbiting Earth. These include NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. TDRS-L has a high-performance solar panel designed for more spacecraft power to meet the growing S-band communications requirements. TDRSS is one of three N

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson and Pilot Doug Hurley take off from the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to perform touch-and-go landings aboard their Shuttle Training Aircrafts (STA).An STA is a Gulfstream II jet that is modified to mimic the shuttle's handling during the final phase of landing. Ferguson and Hurley will practice landings as part of standard training before space shuttle Atlantis' launch to the International Space Station. Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites 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 missi

Studio Light

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander performed a free-flight test from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 97-second test began at 2:30 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, sensors surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces.The landing facility provides the

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2020, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for the agencys SpaceX Demo-2 mission. Liftoff occurred at 3:22 p.m. EDT. Behnken and Hurley are the first astronauts to launch from U.S. soil to the space station since the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. Part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, this will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for the agency to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory.

NASAs Project Morpheus prototype lander soars 800 feet above the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on free flight test No. 15. During the 97-second test, onboard autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology sensors, or ALHAT, surveyed the hazard field for safe landing sites, then guided the lander forward and downward to a successful landing.

Radio telescope array in the desert

STS135-S-254 (21 July 2011) --- Space shuttle Atlantis' drag chute slows the shuttle as it lands on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Securing the space shuttle fleet's place in history, Atlantis marked the 26th nighttime landing of NASA's Space Shuttle Program and the 78th landing at Kennedy. Main gear touchdown was at 5:57:00 a.m. (EDT) on July 21, 2011, followed by nose gear touchdown at 5:57:20 a.m., and wheelstop at 5:57:54 a.m. Onboard are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, STS-135 commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists. On the 37th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-135 delivered more than 9,400 pounds of spare parts, equipment and supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module that will sustain station operations for the next year. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and travele

ISS040-E-102420 (20 Aug. 2014) --- In the grasp of the Japanese robotic arm, the CubeSat deployer releases a pair of NanoRacks CubeSat miniature satellites. The Planet Labs Dove satellites that were carried to the International Space Station aboard the Orbital Sciences Cygnus commercial cargo craft are being deployed between Aug. 19 and Aug. 25. A section of the station solar array wings is at left.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander soars high during a free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 96-second test began at 4:21 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over the flame trench at a new launch site and ascending more than 800 feet at a peak speed of 36 mph. The vehicle with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, sensors surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT, and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces.The landing facility provides th

Large radio telescope searching the night sky 3D Rendering

A SpaceX Falcon 9 soars into the sky from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 23, 2021, carrying the companys Crew Dragon Endeavour. Onboard the capsule are NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, spacecraft commander; NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, pilot; ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, mission specialist; and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, mission specialist. NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission crew will dock to the Harmony modules forward-facing international docking adapter of the International Space Station on Saturday, April 24, at 5:10 a.m.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This image taken from the deck of NASA's SRB retrieval ship Freedom Star shows the right hand solid rocket booster from space shuttle Discovery's STS-124 launch falling through the atmosphere while burning off the remainder of its fuel. It will splash down into the Atlantic Ocean where the ship and its crew will recover it and tow it back through Port Canaveral for refurbishing for another launch. The STS-124 mission is the second of three flights launching components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The shuttle crew will install Kibo's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system, or RMS.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASAs Project Morpheus prototype lander soars overhead during free flight test No. 15 at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the 97-second test, onboard autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology sensors, or ALHAT, surveyed the hazard field for safe landing sites, then guided the lander forward and downward to a successful landing.

MORRO BAY, Calif. - A SpaceX Dragon test article is lifted under an Erickson Sky Crane helicopter before a test to evaluate the spacecraft's parachute deployment system as part of a milestone achievement under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The parachute test took place over the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Morro Bay, Calif.

. DCIM100GOPROGOPR1348.

electricity tower and sky

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A remote-controlled aircraft flies during a competition with a unique set of sensors and software to conduct a mock search-and-rescue operation. The aircraft was assembled by a team of engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Teams from Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center and Marshall competed in the unmanned aerial systems event to evaluate designs and work by engineers learning new specialties. The competition took place at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen illuminated by spotlights on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are scheduled to launch at 7:27 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 15, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Body of prototype experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), composed of carbon fiber parts precision milled by computer numerical controlled (CNC) milling machine, body only, no components mounted

View of stadium lights at night

Pad-0A is seen illuminated by lights as work continues to raise the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket into a vertical position on the launch pad, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman's 10th contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station will deliver about 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Launch is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 4:49 a.m. EST.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying the SpaceX CRS-4 mission to orbit. Liftoff was at 1:52 a.m. EDT.The mission is the fourth of 12 SpaceX flights NASA contracted with the company to resupply the space station. It will be the fifth trip by a Dragon spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory. The spacecrafts 2.5 tons of supplies, science experiments, and technology demonstrations include critical materials to support 255 science and research investigations that will occur during the station's Expeditions 41 and 42.

Vehicle on the surface of mars, computer artwork.

A dart-shaped device, functioning as a Boeing CST-100 Starliner weight simulant, drops from a C-17 aircraft during parachute system testing at the U.S. Armys Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona on June 26, 2019. This “high Q” test involved intentionally inflating the parachutes at higher pressures than expected during missions, to validate the system is safe to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. As part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, Boeing is targeting an uncrewed Orbital Flight Test to the space station this summer, followed by its Crew Flight Test. Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander lifts off on a free-flight test from a new launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 1:57 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet at a peak speed of 36 mph. The vehicle, with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, sensors surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces. T

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a small rocket descends on a parachute as part of Rocket University. The launch tested systems designed by the student engineers.As part of Rocket University, the engineers are given an opportunity to work a fast-track project to develop skills in developing spacecraft systems of the future. As NASA plans for future spaceflight programs to low-Earth orbit and beyond, teams of engineers at Kennedy are gaining experience in designing and flying launch vehicle systems on a small scale. Four teams of five to eight members from Kennedy are designing rockets complete with avionics and recovery systems. Launch operations require coordination with federal agencies, just as they would with rockets launched in support of a NASA mission.

flying drone with camera on the sky

. DCIM100GOPROGOPR1328.

A two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Demo-1, the first uncrewed mission of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff was at 2:49 a.m., March 2, 2019. The SpaceX Crew Dragons trip to the International Space Station is designed to validate end-to-end systems and capabilities, leading to certification to fly crew. NASA has worked with SpaceX and Boeing in developing the Commercial Crew Program spacecraft to facilitate new human spaceflight systems launching from U.S. soil with the goal of safe, reliable and cost-effective access to low-Earth orbit destinations, such as the space station.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti are scheduled to launch on April 23 at 5:26 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Spotlights dance along the clouds over Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, lift off the pad at 4:05 a.m. EDT aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. RBSP will explore changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- known as "space weather" -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will provide data on the fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it launches from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Sunday, April 21, 2013. The test launch marked the first flight of Antares and the first rocket launch from Pad-0A. The Antares rocket delivered the equivalent mass of a spacecraft, a so-called mass simulated payload, into Earth's orbit.

Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of NASAs deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. During this flight, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown, over the course of about a three-week mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Project Morpheus prototype lander soars high after launching on its sixth free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 82-second test began at 11:32 a.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending to 465 feet. The lander flew forward, covering 633 feet while performing a 55-foot divert to emulate a hazard avoidance maneuver before descending and landing on a dedicated pad inside the automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, hazard field. Morpheus landed 10 inches west of its intended target. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces.The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avo

Boeing conducted the first in a series of reliability tests of its CST-100 Starliner flight drogue and main parachute system by releasing a long, dart-shaped test vehicle from a C-17 aircraft over Yuma, Arizona. Two more tests are planned using the dart module, as well as three similar reliability tests using a high fidelity capsule simulator designed to simulate the CST-100 Starliner capsules exact shape and mass. In both the dart and capsule simulator tests, the test spacecraft are released at various altitudes to test the parachute system at different deployment speeds, aerodynamic loads, and or weight demands. Data collected from each test is fed into computer models to more accurately predict parachute performance and to verify consistency from test to test.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida space shuttle Atlantis is reflected in a pond near the pad after the retraction of the rotating service structure (RSS). The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits liftoff on the pad. RSS retract marks a major milestone in Atlantis' STS-135 mission countdown.Atlantis and its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim will lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future sy

Close-up of a wind turbine

MORRO BAY, Calif. - The SpaceX main parachutes control the descent of the Dragon test article following a test over the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Morro Bay, Calif. The test enabled SpaceX engineers to evaluate the spacecraft's parachute deployment system as part of a milestone under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The parachute test took place at Marro Bay, Calif.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander begins to lift off on a free-flight test from a new launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 1:57 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet at a peak speed of 36 mph. The vehicle, with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, sensors surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surf

iss056e073550 (July 2, 2018) --- The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is pictured approaching the International Space Station during an orbital night period.

In this 30-second exposure, NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, April 8, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team prepares for the next attempt of the wet dress rehearsal test at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch.

Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of NASAs deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. During this flight, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown, over the course of about a three-week mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Project Morpheus prototype lander begins its ascent from a launch pad during the third free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 57-second test began at 1:15 p.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending about 187 feet, nearly doubling the target ascent velocity from the last test in December 2013. The lander flew forward, covering about 154 feet in 20 seconds before descending and landing within 11 inches of its target on a dedicated pad inside the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters

Team Vandenberg launched a National Reconnaissance Office mission (NROL-91) aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-6 Saturday, Sept. 24, at 3:25 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

Boeings CST-100 Starliners airbags inflate in preparation for landing in the New Mexico desert in the companys Pad Abort Test for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. The test, conducted Nov. 4 at the White Sands Missile Range, was designed to verify that each of Starliners systems will function not only separately, but in concert, to protect astronauts by carrying them safely away from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. This is Boeings first test flight for NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which is working to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first free flight of the Project Morpheus prototype lander begins as the engine fires and the lander lifts off at the north of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Testing of the prototype lander was performed at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for tethered and free flight testing at Kennedy. Project Morpheus integrates NASAs automated landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to asteroids and other planetary surfaces.The landing facility will provide the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Sy

A launch abort engine built by Aerojet Rocketdyne is hot-fired during tests in the Mojave Desert in California. The engine produces up to 40,000 pounds of thrust and burns hypergolic propellants. The engines have been designed and built for use on Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in sets of four. In an emergency at the pad or during ascent, the engines would ignite to push the Starliner and its crew out of danger.

Space Shuttle Discovery STS-48 launch from Kennedy Space Center, FLA to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)

Bulb with exposed wiring on wall

. NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop launches the agencys Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16 from Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Moon rocket and spacecraft lifted off at 1:47 a.m. ET. The Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems. The mission is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon. With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41, an Atlas V rocket with NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-R, lifts off at 6:42 p.m. EST. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation GOES satellites for NOAA, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. It will launch to a geostationary orbit over the western hemisphere to provide images of storms and help meteorologists predict severe weather conditionals and develop long-range forecasts.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Project Morpheus prototype lander soars high on its seventh free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 83-second test began at 3:41 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending to 580 feet, its highest to date. Morpheus then flew its fastest downrange trek at 30 mph, travelling farther than before, 837 feet. The lander performed a 42-foot divert to emulate a hazard avoidance maneuver before descending and touching down on Landing Site 2, at the northern landing pad inside the automated landing and hazard avoidance technology ALHAT hazard field. Morpheus landed within one foot of its intended target. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces.The landing facility provides the lander with th

Boeing's CST-100 crew ship is pictured docked to the Harmony module's forward port on the International Space Station as the orbitng complex flew 261 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexican state of Nayarit.

Silhouette Antenna against the sky at sunrise. Silhouette Antenna against the sky at sunrise.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first free-flight test of NASA's Morpheus prototype lander was conducted at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 10:02 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet. The vehicle, with its autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1,300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the test field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to deliver cargo to planetary surfaces.The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for real

. DCIM100GOPROGOPR1486.

N/A

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon cargo module lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in the early morning May 4, 2019. Liftoff was at 2:48 a.m. EDT. This is SpaceXs 17th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-17) mission for NASA to the International Space Station. The Dragon cargo module will deliver about 5,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

SpaceXs Crew Dragon is guided by four parachutes as it splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 miles off Floridas east coast on March 8, 2019, after returning from the International Space Station on the Demo-1 mission. The uncrewed spacecraft docked to the orbiting laboratory on March 3, following a 2:49 a.m. EST liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 2. Crew Dragon made 18 orbits of Earth before successfully attaching to the space station. The spacecraft undocked at 2:32 a.m., March 8, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean at 8:45 a.m. SpaceXs inaugural flight with NASAs Commercial Crew Program is the first flight test of a space system designed for humans built and operated by a commercial company through a public-private partnership. NASA and SpaceX will use data from Demo-1 to further prepare for Demo-2, the crewed flight test that will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the Inter

MORRO BAY, Calif. - The SpaceX main parachutes control the descent of the Dragon test article following a test over the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Morro Bay, Calif. The test enabled SpaceX engineers to evaluate the spacecraft's parachute deployment system as part of a milestone under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The parachute test took place at Marro Bay, Calif.

Spaceship, computer artwork.

Radio telescope array in the desert

The third iteration of the X-38, V-131R, glides down under a giant parafoil towards a landing on Rogers Dry Lake near NASAÕs Dryden Flight Research Center during its first free flight Nov. 2, 2000. The X-38 prototypes are intended to perfect technology for a planned Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) ÒlifeboatÓ to carry a crew to safety in the event of an emergency on the International Space Station. Free-flight tests of X-38 V-131R are evaluating upgraded avionics and control systems and the aerodynamics of the modified upper body, which is more representative of the final design of the CRV than the two earlier X-38 test craft, including a simulated hatch atop the body. The huge 7,500 square-foot parafoil will enable the CRV to land in the length of a football field after returning from space. The first three X-38Õs are air-launched from NASAÕs venerable NB-52B mother ship, while the last version, V-201, will be carried into space by a Space Shuttle and make a fully autonomous re-entry and lan

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander descends toward the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance field after a free-flight test from a new launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 3:20 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet at a peak speed of 36 mph. The vehicle, with its recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander then descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propel

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - This photo taken from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida shows one of two lightning strikes that occurred on May 11 around 11 p.m. within a third of a mile of space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B. Engineers and safety personnel evaluated data and performed a walkdown of the pad and determined there is no damage to the vehicle or the pad. The images are from Kennedy's Operational Television cameras which can be used to triangulate the location of lightning strikes. Other detection systems include the Cloud-To-Ground Lightning Surveillance System, Strikenet/National Lightning Detection Network, Lightning Induced Voltage Instrumentation System and the Catenary Wire Lightning Instrumentation System. Endeavour is standing by on the pad, prepared for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporations TigerShark prepares for its final takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems integration in the National Airspace Systems, Flight Test Series Six (FT6) project. FT6 flight tests took place at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and focused on low size weight and power sensors for Detect and Avoid (DAA) operations in controlled airspace to inform the FAA through the RTCA Special Committee DAA Working Group on the phase 2 minimum operational performance standards for DAA and air-to-air radar.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the morning fog at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida, operations are underway to erect the first stage of the Atlas V rocket that will carry the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, into orbit.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.

Dish antenna at the Very Large Array.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - This photo shows one of two lightning strikes that occurred on May 11 around 11 p.m. within a third of a mile of space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Engineers and safety personnel evaluated data and performed a walkdown of the pad and determined there is no damage to the vehicle or the pad. The images are from Kennedy's Operational Television cameras which can be used to triangulate the location of lightning strikes. Other detection systems include the Cloud-To-Ground Lightning Surveillance System, Strikenet/National Lightning Detection Network, Lightning Induced Voltage Instrumentation System and the Catenary Wire Lightning Instrumentation System. Endeavour is standing by on the pad, prepared for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

A man playing with flying drone

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the new countdown clock at the spaceport's Press Site is being tested. The modern, multimedia display is similar to the screens seen at sporting venues. The new screen will be nearly 26 feet wide by 7 feet high, a foot taller than the original clock.The historic countdown clock was designed by Kennedy engineers and built by space center technicians before Apollo 12 in 1969. NASA has requested to acquire the countdown clock from the agencys Artifact Working Group at the agency's Headquarters for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander touches down on the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, field after lifting off on a free-flight test from a new launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 98-second test began at 1:57 p.m. EDT with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending more than 800 feet at a peak speed of 36 mph. The vehicle, with its recently installed ALHAT sensors, surveyed the hazard field to determine safe landing sites. Morpheus then flew forward and downward covering approximately 1300 feet while performing a 78-foot divert to simulate a hazard avoidance maneuver. The lander descended and landed on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASAs ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, which are green propellants. These new capabilities could be used in future efforts to

An Orbital Science Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility Tuesday, December 17, 2013 in advance of a Thursday launch, Wallops Island, VA. The Antares will launch a Cygnus spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Orbital-1 mission is Orbital Sciences' first contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA. Among the cargo aboard Cygnus set to launch to the space station are science experiments, crew provisions, spare parts and other hardware. Launch is scheduled for 9:19 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 19. Weather permitting, it may be widely visible along the east coast of the United States.

Boeing, NASA, and U.S. Army personnel work around the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft shortly after it landed in White Sands, New Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The landing completes an abbreviated Orbital Flight Test for the company that still meets several mission objectives for NASAs Commercial Crew program. The Starliner spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 6:36 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

A Snow Gun At Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort Are In Perfect Shape For All The Visitors

of 1