Launch Pad Preparations

Images of launch pad setups, featuring technicians preparing rockets and service structures at NASA's Kennedy Space Center under clear skies.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, the payload canister is lifted up to the payload changeout room. Inside the canister are the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3, the payload for mission STS-118. The red umbilical lines are still attached. The payloads will be transferred inside the changeout room to wait for Space Shuttle Endeavour to arrive at the pad. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the orbiter payload bay. The mission will be Endeavour's first flight in more than four years. The shuttle has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour also features new hardware, such as the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and e

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians in the control booth get ready to roll the rotating service structure, or RSS, above them away from space shuttle Endeavour. First motion was at 10:39 a.m. EDT. The rollback is in preparation for Endeavour's liftoff June 13 on the STS-127 mission with a crew of seven. The rotating structure provides protected access to the shuttle for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. It is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots on a vertical axis on the west side of the pad's flame trench. After the RSS is rolled back, the orbiter is ready for fuel cell activation and external tank cryogenic propellant loading operations. The launch will be Endeavour's 23rd flight. The shuttle will carry the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, on STS-127. The mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the asse

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis is nearly hidden from sight by the rotating service structure closing around it. This mobile structure provides protected access to the shuttle for installation and servicing of payloads at the pad, as well as servicing access to certain systems on the shuttle. Atlantis' first motion on its 3.4-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 11 31 p.m. EDT April 21. The shuttle was secured, or 'hard down,' on the pad at 6 03 a.m. April 22. Rollout is a significant milestone in launch processing activities. On the STS-132 mission, the six-member crew will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, and the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1, or MRM-1, to the International Space Station. The ICC is an unpressurized flat bed pallet and keel yoke assembly used to support the transfer of exterior cargo from the shuttle to the space station. The MRM-1, known as Rassvet, is the se

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers prepare to close the arms of the vehicle stabilization system around the towering 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket, newly arrived on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The test rocket left the Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m. EDT on its 4.2-mile trek to the pad and was "hard down" on the pads pedestals at 9:17 a.m. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, along with the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Three solid rocket boosters are suspended in the launch tower of Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. They will be mated to the Delta II rocket for the Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-1) launch June 25. NASAs twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans cant yet go. MER-2 (MER-A) will launch June 5.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The quick disconnect for a modified instrument unit and liquid hydrogen tilt up umbilical is being tested at the Launch Equipment Test Facility by engineers in the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The umbilical will be partially reutilized for the Orion Service Module Unit.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Technicians prepare to roll the mobile service tower away from the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.Launch of OCO-2 is scheduled for 5:56 a.m. EDT on July 2 following the repair of the pad's water suppression system, which failed on the first launch attempt July 1. OCO-2 is NASAs first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earths climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians and engineers will perform a walk down and detailed inspections of space shuttle Endeavour following severe storms over Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The frontal system moved through Central Florida producing strong winds, heavy rain, frequent lightning and even funnel clouds. During the inspections, teams found only minor damage to Endeavour's external fuel tank foam insulation and evaluations indicate there was no damage to the spacecraft.Endeavour and its six-member STS-134 crew are targeted to launch April 29 at 3:47 p.m. EDT. They will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. This will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a crane is used to lift and position a solid rocket motor for attachment to the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 39A, the payload canister is lifted up to the payload changeout room. Inside the canister are the S5 truss, SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3, the payload for mission STS-118. The red umbilical lines are still attached. The payloads will be transferred inside the changeout room to wait for Space Shuttle Endeavour to arrive at the pad. The changeout room is the enclosed, environmentally controlled portion of the rotating service structure that supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical installation into the orbiter payload bay. The mission will be Endeavour's first flight in more than four years. The shuttle has undergone extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour also features new hardware, such as the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and e

At the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a solid rocket booster (SRB) is lifted by a crane for mating to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage. The SRB will help boost NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S, to orbit. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites that 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.

On Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Delta II second stage is lifted toward the mobile service tower. Once inside, it will be mated with the first stage already in place. The Delta II is the launch vehicle for the THEMIS spacecraft. 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 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - At NASA Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, another Solid Rocket Booster is attached to the Boeing Delta II rocket seen behind it. The Delta is the launch vehicle for the CALIPSO_CloudSat spacecraft. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites and together 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. Sept. 29.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The NOAA-N Prime satellite is lifted to the top of the mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. In the tower, the satellite will be encapsulated and installed on the launch vehicle, a Delta II rocket. NOAA-N Prime is the latest polar-orbiting operational environmental weather satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite is scheduled to launch Feb. 4 aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The first stage of the Delta II rocket that will carry NASA's Aquarius satellite into low Earth orbit is raised onto the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) in California. While the Delta II rocket is stacked on SLC-2, teams for NASA's Glory spacecraft and Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket are in launch preparation mode at Vandenberg's nearby Space Launch Complex 576-E.Scheduled to launch in June, Aquarius' mission will be to provide monthly maps of global changes in sea surface salinity. By measuring ocean salinity from space, Aquarius will provide new insights into how the massive natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice influences ocean circulation, weather and climate. Also going up with the satellite are optical and thermal cameras, a microwave radiometer and the SAC-D spacecraft, which were developed with the help of institutions in Italy, France, Canada and Argentina.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The first stage of a United Launch Alliance Delta II is hoisted into place at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space.NPP will be positioned 512 miles above the Earth's surface and will orbit about 16 times each day to observe nearly the entire globe. The NPP mission for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to measure Earth's atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity sounding, land and ocean biological activity, and cloud and aerosol properties.

STS-130 LAUNCH L-1 RSS ROLLBACK

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- On Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers prepare to disconnect the first stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket from the transporter. The rocket will propel the Genesis spacecraft on a journey to capture samples of the ions and elements in the solar wind and return them to Earth for scientists to use to determine the exact composition of the Sun and the solar system's origin. NASAs Genesis project in managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Lockheed Martin Astronautics built the Genesis spacecraft for NASA in Denver, Colo. The launch is scheduled for July 30 at 12:36 p.m. EDT

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Spacecraft technicians hoist NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, enclosed in a transportation canister, up the side of the mobile launch tower at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.WISE will survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, creating a cosmic clearinghouse of hundreds of millions of objects which will be catalogued and provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. Launch is scheduled for Dec. 9. For additional information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/wise.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The X-band radar array is installed on the solid rocket booster retrieval ship Liberty before launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. It is one of two Weibel Continuous Pulse Doppler X-band radars located on each of the two SRB retrieval ships. This one will be located downrange of the launch site. Working with the land-based C-band radar, the X-band radars provide velocity and differential shuttle/debris motion information during launch. The radar data will be sent from the ships via satellite link and analyzed at the C-band radar site located on north Kennedy Space Center.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers using an overhead crane lift the fifth and final solid rocket booster into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. It then will be attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster stage, already at the pad.NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V 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. - The Orion spacecraft crew access arm, or CAA, seal prototype is being checked out at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests will use a mockup of the vehicle Outer Mold Line and CAA white room to test the performance of the seal while simulating vehicle to CAA white room excursions.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage is lifted to the vertical position on Nov. 4, 2019, in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, in preparation for Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT). The uncrewed OFT mission will rendezvous and dock Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft with the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Starliner will launch atop the Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers prepare to move NASA's Kepler spacecraft into the mobile service tower where it will be mated with the Delta II rocket for launch. The liftoff of Kepler is currently scheduled for 10:48 p.m. EST March 5. Kepler is designed to survey more than 100,000 stars in our galaxy to determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and larger planets, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how common they are.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASAs Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians assist as a crane lifts a solid rocket motor closer to the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The Delta II will carry NASAs National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 25.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers using an overhead crane lift the fifth and final solid rocket booster into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. It then will be attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster stage, already at the pad.NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V 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. -- On a cloudy and overcast day on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers prepare to roll the rotating service structure (RSS) away from space shuttle Atlantis. The RSS provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits liftoff. RSS "rollback" marks a major milestone in Atlantis' STS-135 mission countdown.Atlantis and its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, are scheduled to 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 to 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 fut

Atlas V Launch Vehicle on Stand. Teams prepare to lift the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASAs Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission and rotate it to a vertical position by crane following its arrival to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 28, 2022. Once JPSS-2 - enclosed inside its protective payload fairing - arrives at the VIF, it will be secured to the top of the rocket. JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series that will be used to capture data and improve weather forecasts, leading scientists to better predict for extreme weather events and climate change. Launching as a secondary payload to JPSS-2 is NASAs Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), dedicated to the memory of Bernard Kutter. LOFTID is a technology demonstration of an inflatable heat shield that could one day help land human

The Orion ground test vehicle is prepared for the Launch Abort Vehicle Configuration Test at Lockheed Martin's facilities in Denver on Sept. 14, 2011. For this test, the vehicle was covered with fillets and ogive panels that resemble the vehicle's launch configuration. The spacecraft underwent testing at sound pressure levels that emulate those experienced at launch and in the event an abort is needed to carry the crew to safety away from a potential problem on the launch pad or during ascent. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Solar Orbiter spacecraft begins rollout from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Feb. 8, 2020. Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA. The mission aims to study the Sun, its outer atmosphere and solar wind. The spacecraft will provide the first images of the Suns poles. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch. The spacecraft has been developed by Airbus Defence and Space. Solar Orbiter will launch Feb. 9, 2020 aboard the Atlas V rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the tip-top of the bright-orange external fuel tank is where workers will prepare to begin removing the quick disconnect from the ground umbilical carrier plate (GUCP). A hydrogen gas leak at that location during tanking for space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station caused the launch attempt to be scrubbed Nov. 5. The GUCP will be examined to determine the cause of the hydrogen leak and then repaired. The GUCP is the overboard vent to the pad and the flame stack where the vented hydrogen is burned off. Discovery's next launch attempt is targeted for no earlier than Nov. 30 at 4:02 a.m. EST.

A heavy-lift crane moves the Core Stage Inter-tank Umbilical (CSITU) up to about the 140-foot level of the mobile launcher (ML) tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The CSITU is moved into place for a fit check of the attachment hardware. The umbilical will be lowered down and installed permanently on the ML at a later date. The CSITU is a swing-arm umbilical that will connect to the Space Launch System core stage inter-tank. It will provide conditioned air, pressurized gases and power and data connection to the core stage. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers using an overhead crane lift the fifth and final solid rocket booster into the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41. It then will be attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster stage, already at the pad.NASA's Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V 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.

VANDENBERG AFB, CALIF. - Viewed from inside, the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Gravity Probe B experiment is lifted up the mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. 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. The targeted launch date is Dec. 6, 2003.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank No. 118 is lowered between the twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. The stack is designated to fly on mission STS-115 with Atlantis. ET-118 will fly with many major safety changes, including the removal of the protuberance air load ramps. The mission will deliver the second port truss segment, the P3/P4 Truss, to attach to the first port truss segment, the P1 Truss, as well as deploy solar array set 2A and 4A. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for late August.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The STS-118 payload canister transporter arrives at the Canister Rotation Facility. Inside the canister are the SPACEHAB module, the S5 truss and the external stowage platform 3. At the CRF, the canister will be raised to a vertical position for delivery to Launch Pad 39A. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 9 to the International Space Station. The mission will continue space station construction with installation of the truss.

A crane lifts the Crew Access Arm and White Room for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to be attached to the Crew Access Tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41. When attached to the 200-foot tall Crew Access Tower, the arm will serve as the connection that astronauts will walk through prior to boarding the Starliner spacecraft when stacked atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. This installation completes the major construction of the first new Crew Access Tower to be built at the Cape since the Apollo era. Under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with NASA, Boeings Starliner system will be certified by NASA's Commercial Crew Program to fly crews to and from the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At a radar site on North Merritt Island, Fla., the second counterweight is being lifted for installation on the support structure (right) for a 50-foot C-band radar antenna dish. The radar will be used for Shuttle missions to track the launches and observe possible debris coming from the Shuttle. It will be used for the first time on STS-114. The launch window for the first Return to Flight mission is July 13 to July 31.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour is nestled in the Mate-DeMate Device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center as deservicing and turnaround operations get underway for its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is ready to roll out from the Vehicle Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will send the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) to a geostationary position over the U.S. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES satellites.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - (ED09-0253-84) The tail cone that improves the aerodynamics of the space shuttle for its cross-country ferry flight is positioned aft of shuttle Discoverys rocket nozzles prior to installation at NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center. Discovery returned to Earth Sept. 11 on the STS-128 mission, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The shuttle delivered more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the International Space Station.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 2 in preparation for the liftoff of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket now is poised to boost the satellite to a polar orbit. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.

The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, packed inside a canister, exits the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta Operations Center near Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its move to the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ICPS is the first integrated piece of flight hardware to arrive for the SLS. It is the in-space stage that is located toward the top of the rocket, between the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter and the Orion Spacecraft Adapter. It will provide some of the in-space propulsion during Orion's first flight test atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - At NASA Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the interstage for the Boeing Delta II rocket is lifted up the mobile service tower, or gantry. There it will be mated with the first stage already there. The Delta is the launch vehicle for the CALIPSO_CloudSat spacecraft. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites and together 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. Sept. 29.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is being raised to a vertical position for lifting into the launch tower and mating with the Atlas V already there. The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiters instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a follow the water strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Suspended vertically, the Delta II second stage is ready to be lifted into the mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The second stage will be installed on the first stage for launch of the OSTM/Jason-2 spacecraft. The OSTM, or Ocean Topography Mission, on the Jason-2 satellite is a follow-on to Jason-1. It will take oceanographic studies of sea surface height into an operational mode for continued climate forecasting research and science and industrial applications. This satellite altimetry data will help determine ocean circulation, climate change and sea-level rise. OSTM is a joint effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, Frances Centre National dEtudes Spatiales and the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation. OSTM/Jason-2 will be launched on June 20.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the GOES-O satellite is fitted with a sling to lift it into the mobile service tower where it will be mated with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle. The GOES-O satellite is targeted to launch no earlier than June 26. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The payload canister containing the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) payload for the STS-85 mission is hoisted to the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) at Launch Pad 39A. Also in the canister are the Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-2 (IEH-2) payloads. All three will be transferred from the PCR into the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery after the space vehicle arrives at the pad. The CRISTA is a system of three telescopes and four spectrometers to measure infrared radiation emitted by the Earths middle atmosphere. During the 11-day mission, the CRISTA-SPAS-2 free-flying satellite will be deployed from Discovery and retrieved later in the flight. Also onboard the satellite will be the Middle Atmosphere High Resolution Spectrograph Investigation (MAHRSI) to measure ultraviolet radiation emitted and

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 41, the Juno spacecraft, enclosed in an Atlas payload fairing, appears to hover over its transporter as it is lifted up the side of the Vertical Integration Facility to the top of the Atlas rocket already stacked inside. The spacecraft was prepared for launch in the Astrotech Space Operations' payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla.The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent and will be jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere. Juno is scheduled to launch Aug. 5 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - On Space Launch Complex 2, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, or OSTM/Jason 2, spacecraft is prepared to be lifted into the mobile service tower. In the tower it will mated with its Delta II launch vehicle. The launch window extends from 12:46 a.m. to 12:55 a.m. PDT. The satellite will be placed in an 830-mile-high orbit at an inclination of 66 degrees after separating from the Delta II 55 minutes after liftoff. The five primary science instruments of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission aboard the Jason 2 spacecraft are dedicated to measuring the height of the ocean surface. These measurements will be used to evaluate and forecast climate changes and improve weather forecasting. The results also are expected to help forecasters better predict hurricane intensity.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --- In the mobile service tower on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, United Launch Alliance technicians secure the bolts on the last set of three solid rocket boosters being mated to the Delta II rocket for the launch of NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST. Because the Delta rocket is configured as a Delta II 7920 Heavy, the boosters are larger than those used on the standard configuration. 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. May 16.

A crane lifts the Crew Access Arm and White Room for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to be attached to the Crew Access Tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41. When attached to the 200-foot tall Crew Access Tower, the arm will serve as the connection that astronauts will walk through prior to boarding the Starliner spacecraft when stacked atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. This installation completes the major construction of the first new Crew Access Tower to be built at the Cape since the Apollo era. Under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with NASA, Boeings Starliner system will be certified by NASA's Commercial Crew Program to fly crews to and from the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Orion crew module, stacked atop its service module, is moved slowly out of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay door at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where it will be fueled ahead of its December flight test.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface. The two-orbit, four-hour flight test will help engineers evaluate the systems critical to crew safety including th

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. On Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Dawn spacecraft is lowered from the mobile service tower to the ground and a waiting transporter. Dawn is being returned to the Astrotech payload processing facility to await a new launch date. The launch opportunity extends from Sept. 7 to Oct. 15. Dawn is the ninth mission in NASA's Discovery Program. The spacecraft will be the first to orbit two planetary bodies, asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, during a single mission. Vesta and Ceres lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It is also NASA’s first purely scientific mission powered by three solar electric ion propulsion engines. NASA/George Shelton

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Spacecraft technicians begin to lift NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, enclosed in a transportation canister, to the top of the mobile launch tower at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.WISE will survey the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, creating a cosmic clearinghouse of hundreds of millions of objects which will be catalogued and provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe. Launch is scheduled for Dec. 9. For additional information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/wise.

At Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a boattail fairing is lifted by a crane for mating atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Centaur upper stage. The boattail is an adaptor providing an interface between the Centaur and the payload fairing encapsulating NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft. A ULA Atlas V rocket is scheduled to liftoff on May 5, 2018, launching InSight the first mission to explore the deep interior of Mars. It will investigate processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system including Earth.

Crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2) is being moved under the mobile launcher May 31, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Three lifts will be performed to practice lifting procedures, validate interface locations, confirm the weight of the mobile launcher, and develop a baseline for modal analysis. The mobile launcher is equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, which will connect to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion. CT-2 has been upgraded to handle the weight of the mobile launcher with SLS and Orion atop. Exploration Ground Systems is preparing the ground systems necessary to support the SLS and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage is lifted to the vertical position on Nov. 4, 2019, in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, in preparation for Boeings Orbital Flight Test (OFT). The uncrewed OFT mission will rendezvous and dock Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft with the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Starliner will launch atop the Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the interstage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II that will carry NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into space arrives at NASA's Space Launch Complex-2.The interstage provides an interface between the launch vehicle's first and second stages. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour is backed away from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida so that it can be towed to Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2).Shuttle Endeavour will remain in OPF-2 so that the orbiter maneuvering system (OMS) pods and forward reaction control system can be installed. Technicians also will offload water and Freon gas from lines located in Endeavours midbody. The work is part of Endeavours transition and retirement processing. The spacecraft is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions, spent 299 days in space, orbited Earth 4,671 times and traveled 122, 883, 151 miles over the course of its 19-year career. Endeavours STS-134 and final mission was completed after landing on June 1, 2011.

A saucer-shaped vehicle (part of NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project) designed to test interplanetary landing devices hangs on a tower in preparation for launch at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Crew members from Freedom Star, one of NASA's solid rocket booster retrieval ships, check the securing of the left spent booster from space shuttle Discovery's final launch, to the vessel, before continuing on the Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.The shuttles two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered in the Atlantic Ocean after every launch by Liberty Star and Freedom Star. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be refurbished and stored, if needed.

A solid rocket booster (SRB) is offloaded from a transport vehicle at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The SRB will be mated to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage to help boost NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S, to orbit. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites that 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Before the sun sets on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is concealed by the pad's rotating service structure. Retraction of the structure, which provides weather protection and access to the shuttle, is scheduled to occur tonight. 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.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Workers monitor the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, or OCO-2, as it is lifted from its transporter beside the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launch is scheduled for July 2014. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crane operators and technicians practice de-stacking operations on a full-size mock-up of the Orion spacecraft and launch abort system in order to keep processing procedures and skills current. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orions first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The landing convoy crew that will make space shuttle Atlantis safe and secure for towing to its processing hangar works on the spacecraft following wheelstop on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Atlantis' final return from space at 5:57 a.m. EDT completed the 13-day, 5.2-million-mile STS-135 mission. Securing the space shuttle fleet's place in history, Atlantis brought a close to NASA's Space Shuttle Program. STS-135 delivered 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 traveled 125,935,769 miles.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Endeavour is revealed after rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39B. Seen is one of the twin solid rocket boosters that flank the orange external tank. Above the external tank is the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm that vents gaseous oxygen vapors away from the Shuttle. The vent hood assembly at the end is often referred to as the "beanie cap." Stretching to the crew hatch on the side is the Orbiter Access Arm with its environmentally controlled White Room at the end. The Shuttle sits on the Mobile Launcher Platform with the two service tail masts on either side of the main engines. The tail masts support the fluid, gas and electrical requirements of the orbiter's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen aft T-0 umbilicals. Each tail mast is 31 feet (9.4 meters) high, 15 feet (4.6 meters) long and 9 feet (3.1 meters) wide. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on mission STS-108 Nov. 29 at 7:41 p.m. On this 12th flight to the Inter

The Crew Access Arm and White Room for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner are attached to the Crew Access Tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41. The arm will serve as the connection that astronauts will walk through prior to boarding the spacecraft when stacked atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The installation completes the major construction of the first new Crew Access Tower to be built at the Cape since the Apollo era. Under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with NASA, Boeings Starliner system will be certified by NASA's Commercial Crew Program to fly crews to and from the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander is lifted to the top of the gantry on Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998

The Last Rays Of The Sun Illuminate Part Of The Mechanical Structure Of Moon Unit Telescope 2, Belonging To The Very Large Telescope (Vlt) Operated By...

Fairing lift at CX-17, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.

Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft sits atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida on Dec. 5, 2019, for the programs first-ever Integrated Day of Launch Test the following day. The rockets booster and Centaur upper stage will be filled with propellants for a full run-through of the launch countdown. The rehearsal is practice for Boeings upcoming uncrewed Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk, second from left, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, third form right, and NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are seen with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard during a tour of Launch Complex 39A before the early Saturday morning launch of the Demo-1 mission, Friday, March 1, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-1 mission launched at 2:49am ET on Saturday, March 2 and was the first launch of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft and space system designed for humans as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Hurley and Behnken are assigned to fly onboard Crew Dragon for the Demo-2 mission and Glover and Hopkins have been assigned to fly to the International Space Station on Crew Dragon's first operational mission.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, atop Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL rocket has been erected for launch. Around the spacecraft's fairing, at top, is the non-flight environmental shield that will be removed before launch. OCO is scheduled for launch the Taurus rocket Feb. 24 from Vandenberg. The spacecraft will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Photo courtesy of Brett Gladish, Orbital SciencesThe two spacecraft will be integrated with the Atlas V and tested for final flight worthiness. Launch is scheduled for the spring. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outp

Sendeantenne auf Schoeckl bei Graz Transmitting antenna on Schoeckl at Graz, Austria Copyright: xZoonar.com/julianxenachex 5570491

An Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out to launch Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Sunday, January 5, 2014 in advance of a planned Wednesday, Jan. 8th, 1:32 p.m. EST 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Preparations are underway for the first free-flight test of NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander at night from a launch pad at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASAs 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 f

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is moved toward the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, transfer aisle entrance. In the VAB, Discovery will be lifted into a high bay where it will be mated to its external tank and solid rocket boosters. The seven-member STS-131 crew will deliver the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, filled with resupply stowage platforms and racks, to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery. Work to attach a spare ammonia tank assembly to the station's exterior and return a European experiment from outside the station's Columbus module will be conducted during three spacewalks. STS-131, targeted for launch on April 5, will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

The first stage of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-M (GOES-M) Atlas II rocket is raised to a nearly vertical position on the gantry on Complex 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be raised and lifted up the gantry for mating with other stages. The last in the current series of advanced geostationary weather satellites in service, GOES-M has a new instrument not on earlier spacecraft, a Solar X-ray Imager that can be used in forecasting space weather, the effects of solar storms that create electromagnetic disturbances on earth that affect other satellites, communications and power grids. GOES-M is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station July 15

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital Sciences Engineer Jose Castillo (right) maneuvers the bucket truck into position over the fairing access door on NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO. Technician Mark Neuse feels for the payload access door through the environmental cover. OCO is scheduled for launch the Taurus rocket Feb. 24 from Vandenberg. The spacecraft will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Canister Rotation Facility, the container that carries the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module (MPLM), secured on its transportation vehicle, is ready for its journey to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once there, the canister will be lifted to the payload changeout room. The payload ground-handling mechanism then will be used to transfer Raffaello out of the canister into space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Next, the rotating service structure that protects the shuttle from the elements and provides access will be rotated back into place.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The replacement interstage adapter for the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle for the Deep Impact spacecraft is ready to be lifted up the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Boeing workers will attach the adapter to the rockets center body section. Later the second stage, which was removed to allow access to the previous adapter, will be reattached. The first adapter was removed after it was found to be faulty during a review of launch vehicle hardware. Launch of Deep Impact is now scheduled no earlier than Jan. 12.

NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are seen on the fixed service structure of Launch Complex 39A before boarding SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft atop the companys Flacon 9 rocket before launch of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley launched at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 30, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the canister with space shuttle Atlantis Hubble Space Telescope payload inside makes its way to the Canister Rotation Facility. The payload comprises four carriers holding various equipment for the mission. After rotation to horizontal, the canister will be transported back to Kennedys Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the hardware will be stored until a new target launch date can be set for Atlantis STS-125 mission in 2009. Atlantis October target launch date was delayed after a device on board Hubble used in the storage and transmission of science data to Earth shut down on Sept. 27. Replacing the broken device will be added to Atlantis servicing mission to the telescope

Water flowing through jet tubes, Arizona, USA.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Photographers Stan Hernda of AFP News, left, and Scott Andrews of Canon record space shuttle Atlantis as it is revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the move of the rotating service structure (RSS). The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits liftoff on the pad. RSS "rollback" marks a major milestone in Atlantis' STS-135 mission countdown. Atlantis and its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, are scheduled to 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 to 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 bette

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the shrouded fairing sections rest side by side. Both halves will later be installed around the spacecraft for protection during launch. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the Delta II upper stage booster and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. STEREO, which stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, comprises two spacecraft that will be launched as one. 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 in August 2006.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft are lifted to the top of their launch pad at Space Launch Complex 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The lunar probes are attached to a spacecraft adapter ring in their side-by-side launch configuration and wrapped in plastic to prevent contamination outside the clean room in the Astrotech Space Operation's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla.The spacecraft 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 is scheduled for Sept. 8.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-A on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the wrapped spacecraft Swift is lifted from its transporter and up the mobile service tower for mating to the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle waiting there. Swift is scheduled to launch Nov. 17. The liftoff aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is targeted at the opening of a one-hour launch window beginning at 12 09 p.m. EST. A first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science, Swifts three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands. Gamma-ray bursts are distant, yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-124 crew members climb into the slidewire baskets on the 195-foot level of the fixed service structure. The baskets are used for emergency egress, part of the launch dress rehearsal known as the terminal countdown demonstration test. TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including a simulated launch countdown, equipment familiarization and emergency egress training. On the STS-124 mission, the crew will deliver and install the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module and Japanese Remote Manipulator System. Discovery's launch is targeted for May 31.

A Centaur upper stage is lifted at Space Launch Complex 41 on Floridas Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where it will be attached to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket first stage booster. The rocket will boost NASAs Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.Targeted for liftoff Sept. 8, 2016, OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

New Mobile Launcher with Launch Mount

The aeroshells for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) are being stacked in High Bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Aug. 3, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aeroshells are being prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- During simulated pad emergency exit training on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the STS-135 crew members hop into a slidewire basket that would take them to a safe bunker below the pad in the unlikely event of an emergency. The exercise is part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Atlantis and its crew are targeted to lift off July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space 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 mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From the 195-foot level of the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A, STS-117 Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester (front) and Steven Swanson sit in a slidewire basket, part of the emergency egress system. They and other crew members are practicing the emergency egress procedure to get off the pad, part of the prelaunch preparations known as terminal countdown demonstration test (TCDT). The TCDT also includes M-113 armored personnel carrier training and payload familiarization. The STS-117 mission is No. 21 to the International Space Station. Mission payloads aboard Atlantis include the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the station. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than March 15.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is prepared for its move from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. A Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to deliver 7,700 pounds of supplies and research experiments on the Orbital ATK CRS-6 mission to the International Space Station.

NASA SpaceX CRS-28 Vertical on SLC-39A. A close-up view of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop the Falcon 9 rocket on the pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 2, 2023. SpaceX is scheduled to launch its 28th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA. Launch is scheduled for June 3 at 12:35 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver approximately 7,000 pounds of crew supplies, equipment, and science experiments to the orbiting laboratory. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

Complex structure of a radio telescope with intricate engineering details, in South Korea

A crane lifts the Crew Access Arm and White Room for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to be attached to the Crew Access Tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41. When attached to the 200-foot tall Crew Access Tower, the arm will serve as the connection that astronauts will walk through prior to boarding the Starliner spacecraft when stacked atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The installation completes the major construction of the first new Crew Access Tower to be built at the Cape since the Apollo era. Under a Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with NASA, Boeings Starliner system will be certified by NASA's Commercial Crew Program to fly crews to and from the International Space Station.

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