CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A faint rumbling begins on Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as the engines ignite beneath a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket. Its payload, NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K or TDRS-K, began its climb to orbit at 8 48 p.m. EST. 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. -- A faint rumbling begins on Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as the engines ignite beneath a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket. Its payload, NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K or TDRS-K, began its climb to orbit at 8 48 p.m. EST. 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.
SuperStock offers millions of photos, videos, and stock assets to creatives around the world. This image of CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A faint rumbling begins on Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as the engines ignite beneath a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket. Its payload, NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K or TDRS-K, began its climb to orbit at 8 48 p.m. EST. 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. by Piemags/PL Photography Limited is available for licensing today.

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NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, April 21, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery stands tall on Launch Pad 39A as the sun sets over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Meanwhile, space center workers are preparing to move the rotating service structure into place. The structure protects the shuttle from the elements and allows access into the spacecraft while on the pad.Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the companys Cargo Dragon spacecraft atop, is raised to a vertical position at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on July 12, 2022, in preparation for the 25th commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. The mission will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 14, from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A, preparations are under way to move the pad's rotating service structure away from space shuttle Discovery as the sun sets over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits lift off on the pad. RSS "rollback," as it's called, is a significant milestone in the launch countdown. Launch of Discovery on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is set for 3:29 p.m. on Nov. 4. During the 11-day mission, Discovery and its six crew members will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, to the orbiting laboratory. Discovery, which will fly its 39th mission, is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This will be the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at sunrise at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotational 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.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Sunset at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida finds the Ares I-X rocket awaiting the approaching liftoff of its flight test.This is the first time since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired that a vehicle other than the space shuttle has occupied the pad. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27.
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SpaceX Crew-6 Sunset at LC-39A. A colorful sunset serves as the backdrop for SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft Endeavour on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 23, 2023, for NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission. The crew access arm has been moved into position at the Dragon spacecraft. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander, and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, pilot, along with mission specialists Sultan Alneyadi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut, and Andrei Fedyaev, Roscosmos cosmonaut, are slated to launch to the International Space Station at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27 from Launch Complex 39A. Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of Dragon with people as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two large cranes will assist in the removal of Launch Pad 39B's fixed service structure FSS and rotating service structure RSS. The FSS and RSS were designed to support the unique needs of the Space Shuttle Program. In 2009, the pad was no longer needed for the shuttle program, so it is being restructured for future use.Its new design will feature a "clean pad" for rockets to come with their own launcher, making it more versatile for a number of vehicles. The transformation also includes the refurbishment of the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks and the upgrade of about 1.3 million feet of cable. The new lightning protection system, which was in place for the October 2009 launch of Ares I-X, will remain.
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NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth 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 Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 1:45 a.m. EST on Feb. 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A, preparations are under way to move the pad's rotating service structure away from space shuttle Discovery as the sun sets over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits lift off on the pad. RSS "rollback," as it's called, is a significant milestone in the launch countdown. Launch of Discovery on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is set for 3:29 p.m. on Nov. 4. During the 11-day mission, Discovery and its six crew members will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, to the orbiting laboratory. Discovery, which will fly its 39th mission, is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This will be the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the companys Cargo Dragon spacecraft atop, is raised to a vertical position at NASA Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on July 12, 2022, in preparation for the 25th commercial resupply services launch to the International Space Station. The mission will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 14, from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module, nears the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission, CRS-7, is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on April 18, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:11 a.m. EDT.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASAs Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket takes off from Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds. This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.
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SpaceX Crew-5 Liftoff, Remote Cam #5. SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop, lifts off from NASAs Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 5, 2022, on the agencys SpaceX Crew-5 launch. Inside Endurance are NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The crew is heading to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff occurred at noon EDT.
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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen with the NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft onboard, Monday, May 21, 2018, at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The mission will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. GRACE-FO is sharing its ride to orbit with five Iridium NEXT communications satellites as part of a commercial rideshare agreement.
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NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Preflight. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-5 mission, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission is the fifth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina are scheduled to launch at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Oct. 5 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft aboard is seen at sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), Thursday, April 7, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are scheduled to launch on April 8 at 11:17 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
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NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 Preflight. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-6 mission, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-6 mission is the sixth 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 Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch at 12:34 a.m. EST on March 2, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- As the sun goes down over Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket and NASA's encapsulated Glory spacecraft await an early morning launch on the pad at Space Launch Complex 576-E. Liftoff originally was scheduled for 5:09 a.m. EST Feb. 23, but was scrubbed for at least 24 hours due to a technical issue that engineers are evaluating. Once Glory 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. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A lightning-producing storm cloud moves in over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39A is scheduled to be moved away from space shuttle Discovery. The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle. RSS "rollback," as it's called, was delayed for a few hours to allow that cloud to pass.Launch of Discovery on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station is set for 3:29 p.m. on Nov. 4. During the 11-day mission, Discovery and its six crew members will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, to the orbiting laboratory. Discovery, which will fly its 39th mission, is scheduled to be retired following STS-133. This will be the 133rd Space Shuttle Program mission and the 35th shuttle voyage to the space station.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Backdropped by a blue sky streaked with white clouds, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set to launch NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, is flanked by lightning masts at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. DSCOVR will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts and forecasts.
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