Rocket Launch Dynamics

Dramatic images of rockets launching, capturing the excitement of space exploration and the technological power behind modern aerospace endeavors.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking like a work of art, Space Shuttle Atlantis roars into the blue Florida sky atop a column of fire for a rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-115. After launch attempts were scrubbed Aug. 27 and 29 and Sept. 3 and 8 due to weather and technical concerns, this launch was executed perfectly. During the STS-115 mission, Atlantis' astronauts will deliver and install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment on the station. The girder-like truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics and will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability for the completed station. This mission is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the ISS. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With more than 23 times the power output of the Hoover Dam, the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket zooms off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds.Liftoff of the 6-minute flight test was at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28. 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.

STS135-S-066 (8 July 2011) --- Space shuttle Atlantis and its four-member STS-135 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:29 a.m. (EDT) on July 8, 2011 from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists. STS-135 will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the space station. Atlantis also carries 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 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.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Nov. 21, 2020, at 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST). The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission consists of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which will be followed by its twin, the Sentinel-6B satellite, in 2025. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission is part of Copernicus, the European Unions Earth observation program, managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of the Jason series missions, Sentinel-6/Jason-CS will extend the records of sea level into their fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height for more than 90% of the worlds oceans, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography, marine meteorology, and climate studies. NASAs Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center was responsible for launch management.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi onboard, Sunday, Nov. 15, 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. Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi launched at 7:27 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the orbital outpost.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after its liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:01 p.m. EDT on July 25, 2019, carrying the Dragon spacecraft on the companys 18th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-18) mission to the International Space Station. The uncrewed Dragon spacecraft will deliver about 5,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbiting laboratory.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A bow shock forms around the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket traveling at supersonic speed. The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and goes supersonic in 39 seconds.Liftoff of the 6-minute flight test from Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida was at 11:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 28. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - With flames close behind it, the Boeing Delta IV rocket trails a plume of smoke as it roars through the thin cloud cover, lifting the GOES-N satellite in to space. Liftoff from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was on time at 6:11 p.m. EDT. GOES-N is the latest in the Earth-monitoring series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites developed by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By maintaining a stationary orbit, hovering over one position on the Earth's surface, GOES will be able to provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric "triggers" for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Seen from a distance, NASA's Swift spacecraft lifts off from Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on Nov. 20 at 12 16 00.611 p.m. EST aboard a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle. Swift is a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst science. Its three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket, NROL-91, launches at 3:25 p.m., PDT, from Space Launch Complex-6 on Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Sept. 24, 2022. This is the last Delta IV Heavy to be launched on the West Coast.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking like a work of art, Space Shuttle Atlantis roars into the blue Florida sky atop a column of fire for a rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-115. After launch attempts were scrubbed Aug. 27 and 29 and Sept. 3 and 8 due to weather and technical concerns, this launch was executed perfectly. During the STS-115 mission, Atlantis' astronauts will deliver and install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment on the station. The girder-like truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics and will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability for the completed station. This mission is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the ISS. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned landing at KSC.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking like a roman candle rising off Launch Pad 39B at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Space Shuttle Discovery roars into the path of a stray cloud after liftoff at 10 39 a.m. EDT on the historic Return to Flight mission STS-114. It is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and the 31st for Discovery. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part a

STS116-S-008 (9 Dec. 2006) --- Against a black night sky, the Space Shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39B occurred at 8:47 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 9, 2006 in what was the first evening shuttle launch since 2002. The STS-116 crew will link up with the station on Monday, Dec. 11, to begin a complex, week-long stay that will rewire the outpost and increase its power supply. During three spacewalks and intricate choreography with ground controllers, the astronauts will bring electrical power on line generated by a giant solar array wing delivered to the station in September.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon capsule soars upward after lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, on the companys 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:44 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, to the space station. 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft emerges from a cloud painted pink by the Atlas V rocket roaring through it after launch from Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff was on time at 2 p.m. EST. This was the third launch attempt in as many days after scrubs due to weather concerns. The compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Horizons science payload, developed under direction of Southwest Research Institute, includes imaging infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a multi-color camera, a long-range telescopic camera, two particle spectrometers, a space-dust detector and a radio science experiment. The dust counter was designed and built by students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The lau

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 30, 2020, at 7:50 a.m. EDT, carrying NASAs Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rovers seven instruments will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Members of the media and STS-132 Tweetup participants gather near the countdown clock to watch space shuttle Atlantis lift off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-132 mission to the International Space Station at 2:20 p.m. EDT on May 14. The third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010, this was the last planned launch for Atlantis. The Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 is inside the shuttle's cargo bay. Also known as Rassvet, or "dawn," it will provide additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. The laboratory will be attached to the bottom port of the station's Zarya module. The mission's three spacewalks will focus on storing spare components outside the station, including six batteries, a communications antenna and parts for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm. STS-132 is the 132nd shuttle flight, the 32nd for Atlantis and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assemb

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Like a roman candle shooting through the blue sky, the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121 kicks off the fireworks for the U.S. holiday in its third launch attempt in four days. Liftoff was on-time at 2:38 p.m. EDT. The countdown clock on the grounds of the NASA News Center shows 17 seconds into the launch. Media crowd the banks of the turn basin to capture the sight of the launch. During the 12-day mission, the STS-121 crew of seven will test new equipment and procedures to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the International Space Station. Landing is scheduled for July 16 or 17 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Seen from across the Banana River Creek Viewing Site near the Saturn V Center, space shuttle Endeavour soars skyward. The shuttle lifted off on its STS-134 mission to the International Space Station on time at 8:56 a.m. EDT on May 16 from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle and its six-member crew are embarking on a mission to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the space station. Endeavour's first launch attempt on April 29 was scrubbed because of an issue associated with a faulty power distribution box called the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2).

The glow of sunset illuminates the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it soars away from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Trailing fire and smoke, Space Shuttle Atlantis races into the sky toward a rendezvous with the International Space Station on mission STS-117. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on-time at 7:38:04 p.m. EDT. The shuttle is delivering a new segment to the starboard side of the International Space Station's backbone, known as the truss. Three spacewalks are planned to install the S3/S4 truss segment, deploy a set of solar arrays and prepare them for operation. STS-117 is the 118th space shuttle flight, the 21st flight to the station, the 28th flight for Atlantis and the first of four flights planned for 2007.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 19, 2020, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft on the companys uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test. The flight test demonstrated the spacecrafts escape capabilities in preparation for crewed flights to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.

Psyche Launch. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Psyche spacecraft onboard is launched from Launch Complex 39A, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal-rich asteroid by the same name orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter to study its composition. The spacecraft also carries the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, which will test laser communications beyond the Moon.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off over Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for NASA Boeings uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2). Launch for OFT-2 occurred at 6:54 p.m. EDT. Expected to arrive at the space station for docking about 24 hours later, the Starliner will carry more than 500 pounds of NASA cargo and crew supplies to the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth with more than 500 pounds of cargo. The flight test is designed to test the systems end-to-end capabilities for NASAs Commercial Crew Program providing valuable data towards NASA certifying Boeings crew transportation system for regular crewed flights to and from the International Space Station.

From the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Discovery rivals the sun as it soars through the clouds toward space. Liftoff was on time at 11:38:19 a.m. EDT. Discovery carries the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day STS-120 mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with Space Tracking and Surveillance System - Demonstrator, or STSS-Demo, spacecraft aboard races into the sky leaving a trail of fire and smoke after liftoff from Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was launched by NASA for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. Launch was at 8:20:22 a.m. EDT. The STSS-Demo is a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detecting, tracking and discriminating ballistic missiles. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors.

Airmen from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., supported the successful launch of the fifth Iridium mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4 at Vandenberg AFB, March 30, 2018.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The fiery columns from the solid rocket boosters help hurtle space shuttle Endeavour into space on the STS-127 mission. Liftoff from NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A was on-time at 6:03 p.m. EDT. This was the sixth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The launch was scrubbed on June 13 and June 17 when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. The mission was postponed July 11, 12 and 13 due to weather conditions near the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy that violated rules for launching, and lightning issues. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station.

After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Nov. 21, 2020, at 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST). The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission consists of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which will be followed by its twin, the Sentinel-6B satellite, in 2025. The Sentinel-6/Jason-CS mission is part of Copernicus, the European Unions Earth observation program, managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of the Jason series missions, Sentinel-6/Jason-CS will extend the records of sea level into their fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height for more than 90% of the worlds oceans, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography, marine meteorology, and climate studies. NASAs Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center was responsible for launch management.

Weltraumrakete mit Rauch und Explosion wird erfolgreich in den rosa Abendhimmel mit Wolken abheben. Weltraummission und erfolgreicher Start. Rakete hebt ab *** Space rocket with Smoke and Explosion will successful in the Pink Evening sky with Clouds take off Space mission and Successful Start Rocket lifts from 1102805040

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Clouds part as NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft roars into the blue sky after an on-time liftoff at 2 p.m. EST aboard an Atlas V rocket from Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This was the third launch attempt in as many days after scrubs due to weather concerns. The compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Horizons science payload, developed under direction of Southwest Research Institute, includes imaging infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a multi-color camera, a long-range telescopic camera, two particle spectrometers, a space-dust detector and a radio science experiment. The dust counter was designed and built by students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The launch at this time allows

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule lifts off at 8:35 p.m. EDT. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, built both the rocket and capsule for NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station.SpaceX CRS-1 is an important step toward making Americas microgravity research program self-sufficient by providing a way to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to and from the orbiting laboratory. NASA has contracted for 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Ares I-X test rocket climbs into the skies above Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28. NASAs Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall 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.

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. -- A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off through the clouds over Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft.Launch was on schedule at 1:28 p.m. EST Nov. 18 at the opening of a two-hour launch window. After a 10-month journey to the Red Planet, MAVEN will study its upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail from orbit above the planet. Built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., MAVEN will arrive at Mars in September 2014 and will be inserted into an elliptical orbit with a high point of 3,900 miles, swooping down to as close as 93 miles above the planet's surface.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Leaping into a blue, cloud-scattered sky, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft lifts off on time at 2 p.m. EST aboard an Atlas V rocket from Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This was the third launch attempt in as many days after scrubs due to weather concerns. The compact, 1,050-pound piano-sized probe will get a boost from a kick-stage solid propellant motor for its journey to Pluto. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched, reaching lunar orbit distance in just nine hours and passing Jupiter 13 months later. The New Horizons science payload, developed under direction of Southwest Research Institute, includes imaging infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, a multi-color camera, a long-range telescopic camera, two particle spectrometers, a space-dust detector and a radio science experiment. The dust counter was designed and built by students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The launch at this time allows New

STS135-S-039 (8 July 2011) --- Members of the media and employees gather near the countdown clock to see the launch of space shuttle Atlantis as it lifts off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:29 a.m. (EDT) on July 8, 2011. Onboard are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, STS-135 commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists. STS-135 will 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 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

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.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 53 of SpaceXs Starlink broadband satellites launches from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., July 17, 2022. The Falcon 9 Block 5 has 109 successful launches with 0 failed launches.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:30 p.m. EST, carrying the SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft. On its 14th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, Dragon will deliver supplies, equipment and new science experiments for technology research to the space station.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 53 of SpaceXs Starlink broadband satellites launches from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, June 17, 2022. This launch is the 13th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster, which has also launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, and Transporter-2.

STS120-S-020 (23 Oct. 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its seven-member STS-120 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 11:38:19 a.m. (EDT). Onboard are astronauts Pam Melroy, commander; George Zamka, pilot; Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, European Space Agency's (ESA) Paolo Nespoli and Daniel Tani, all mission specialists. Discovery will link up with the station on Thursday, Oct. 25, to begin a joint mission to continue construction by delivering the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. During the 14-day mission, the crew will install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Atlantis trails a column of smoke as it roars into the sky on mission STS-110. Liftoff occurred at 4:44:19 p.m. EDT (20:41:19 GMT). Carrying the S0 Integrated Truss Structure and Mobile Transporter, STS-110 is the 13th assembly flight to the International Space Station

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASAs Mars-bound spacecraft, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and understanding the Martian upper atmosphere.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Trailing a column of flame and smoke that dwarfs it, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaps into the clear blue Florida sky on mission STS-99. Liftoff occurred at 12:43:40 p.m. EST. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), STS-99 will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the SRTM could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. The mission is expected to last 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 4:36 p.m. EST. This is the 97th Shuttle flight and 14th for Shuttle Endeavour

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Discovery hurtles through a stray cloud after liftoff from Launch Pad 39B on the historic Return to Flight mission STS-114. Liftoff was at 10 39 a.m. EDT. It is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and the 31st for Discovery. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope cont

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Like a roman candle shooting through the blue sky, the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121 kicks off the fireworks for the U.S. holiday in its third launch attempt in four days. Liftoff was on-time at 2:38 p.m. EDT. During the 12-day mission, the STS-121 crew of seven will test new equipment and procedures to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the International Space Station. Landing is scheduled for July 16 or 17 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10 10 a.m. EST, carrying a Dragon capsule filled with cargo. The SpaceX Dragon capsule is making its third trip to the International Space Station, following a demonstration flight in May 2012 and the first resupply mission in October 2012. The SpaceX-2 mission is the second of 12 SpaceX flights contracted by NASA to resupply the orbiting laboratory.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule lifts off at 8:35 p.m. EDT. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, built both the rocket and capsule for NASA's first Commercial Resupply Services, or CRS-1, mission to the International Space Station.SpaceX CRS-1 is an important step toward making Americas microgravity research program self-sufficient by providing a way to deliver and return significant amounts of cargo, including science experiments, to and from the orbiting laboratory. NASA has contracted for 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 30, 2020, at 7:50 a.m. EDT, carrying NASAs Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rovers seven instruments will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

Launch of space shuttle Atlantis STS-122

STS135-S-114 (8 July 2011) --- Space shuttle Atlantis soars into a layer of thin clouds at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida moments after lifting off on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:29 a.m. (EDT) on July 8, 2011 from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Onboard are NASA astronauts Chris Ferguson, commander; Doug Hurley, pilot; Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, both mission specialists. STS-135 will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the space station. Atlantis also carries 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 systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th a

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket roars upward after lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at 2:30 a.m. EDT on June 25, 2019, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon Heavy rocket carries two dozen satellites to space for the U.S. Department of Defense, including four NASA payloads that are part of the Space Test Program (STP-2) mission, managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. The four NASA payloads include two technology demonstrations to improve how spacecraft propel and navigate, as well as two NASA science missions to help us better understand the nature of space and how it impacts technology on spacecraft and the ground.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Rising on a column of fire, space shuttle Discovery hurtles toward space after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff on the STS-131 mission was on time at 6 21 a.m. EDT. The seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the stations truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the stations exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

SWOT Launch. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft onboard, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, from 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.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), left, Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine watch as a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft onbaord launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test launched at 6:36 a.m. EST and is Starliners maiden mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket soars updward after a liftoff at 11:11 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module on the company's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Like a phoenix rising from the flames, space shuttle Atlantis takes flight from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Liftoff on its STS-129 mission came at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. Aboard are crew members Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert L. Satcher Jr. On STS-129, the crew will deliver two ExPRESS Logistics Carriers to the International Space Station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Atlantis will return to Earth a station crew member, Nicole Stott, who has spent more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle Expedition crew rotation flight.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:30 p.m. EST, carrying the SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft. On its 14th commercial resupply services mission for NASA, Dragon will deliver supplies, equipment and new science experiments for technology research to the space station.

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. (Oct. 26, 2022) The U.S. Navy launches a hypersonic missile during a Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) and Army Hypersonic Project Office (AHPO) test, Oct. 26, 2022. The second High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics flight campaign launched at 2:30pm EST from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. (U.S. Navy photo)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour riding a twin column of fire and smoke races into space after lifting off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour began its final flight, the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station, at 8:56 a.m. EDT on May 16. Endeavour and its six-member crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the space station.

The two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 10:36 a.m. EST. On its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, Dragon will bring up supplies, equipment and new science experiments for technology research. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will deliver about 4,800 pounds of cargo and material to support science investigations aboard the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-32R lifts off from Pad 39-A at 7 35 a.m. EST. Columbia is scheduled to deploy the Syncom IV-5 defense communications satellite and retrieve NASA's Long duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) during a 10-day mission, the longest Shuttle flight to date. The mission also includes a variety of experiments, including Protein Crystal Growth. This photo was taken from the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard launches from Launch Complex 39A, Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-1 mission launched at 2:49am ET 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Discovery outshines a rising sun as it blasts off on mission STS-102, the eighth construction flight to the International Space Station. The lower smoke plumes appear red from the dawns rays. Liftoff occurred on time at 6 42 09 EST

A SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket carrying Starlink mission 3-3 launches from Space Launch Complex-4E on Aug. 12, 2022, at 2:40 p.m. PDT, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. This makes it the 55th Starlink mission with a total of 3,056 micro-satellites launched. The first ever Starlink satellites launched from Vandenberg on Feb. 22, 2018.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard launches from Launch Complex 39A, Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-1 mission launched at 2:49am ET 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.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T), soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 1, 2022. Liftoff was at 4:38 p.m. EST. GOES-T is the third satellite in the GOES-R series that will continue to help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events that affect public safety. GOES-T will be renamed GOES-18 once it reaches geostationary orbit. GOES-18 will go into operational service as GOES West to provide critical data for the U.S. West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean. The launch was managed by NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Americas multi-user spaceport.

Expedition 13 Commander Pavel V. Vinogradov and Science Officer and Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams began their mission Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. EST, (Thursday, March 30, 2006, 8:30 a.m. Kazakhstan time). They launched aboard a Soyuz TMA-8 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Joining them for several days as a Soyuz crew member before returning home with the Expedition 12 crew is Marcos Pontes, Brazilian Space Agency.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Project Morpheus prototype lander is lifted by crane and its engine is ignited during a tethered test near a new launch site at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch pad was moved to a different location at the landing facility to support the next phase of flight testing. The test was performed to verify the lander's recently installed autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, sensors and integration systems. During the test, Morpheus was lifted by crane to 20 feet for an engine firing of about 74 seconds and then lowered to the ground. With the successful completion of the test, the Morpheus project team will begin preparing for the first free flight test with ALHAT. 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

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Launch. In this twenty-second exposure, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 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. Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikini launched at 12:00 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the orbital outpost.

After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, with NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M. TDRS-M. Liftoff was at 8:29 a.m. EDT. TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the U.S. Space Force 67 payload launches from Space Launch Complex-39A at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Jan. 15, 2023. The mission launched the Space Force's second Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM, or CBAS 2, communications satellite and the Long Duration Propulsive ESPA 3A, or LDPE 3A, rideshare satellite hosting multiple experimental payloads.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Blazing into the cloud-covered sky, Space shuttle Endeavour lifts off Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the STS-123 mission. Liftoff was on time at 2:28 a.m. EDT. The crew will make a record-breaking 16-day mission to the International Space Station and deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket launches from Pad-0A with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, Sunday, July 13, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Cygnus spacecraft is filled with over 3,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. The Orbital-2 mission is Orbital Sciences' second contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA.

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATAION, Fla. -- An Atlas V evolved expendable launch vehicle carries NASA's Mars Science Laboratory from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Nov. 26. The lab's Rover Curiosity is scheduled to land on Mars in August 2012.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide onboard, Friday, April 23, 2021, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second 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. Kimbrough, McArthur, Pesquet, and Hoshide launched at 5:49 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center to begin a six month mission onboard the orbital outpost.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Rising from fire and smoke, NASAs twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission launches atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket. Leaving from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the spacecraft launched at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT Sept.10. GRAIL-A will separate from the second stage of the rocket at about one hour, 21 minutes after liftoff, followed by GRAIL-B at 90 minutes after launch. The spacecraft are embarking on a three-month journey to reach the moon.GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisi

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Discovery's engines ignite at 6 21 a.m. EDT April 5 for liftoff of the STS-131 mission from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the stations truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the stations exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall.

Soyuz Spacecraft In Flight Soyuz spacecraft is on the way to the nternational Space Station Copyright: xZoonar.com/vicspacewalkerx 1071243

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Leaving the clouds behind, the Delta II rocket carrying the Dawn spacecraft arcs through the blue sky over the Atlantic Ocean. Liftoff was at 7:34 a.m. EDT from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 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.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft, soars into the sky from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:17 a.m. EST on April 8, 2022, on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1). 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 aboard the flight to the International Space Station. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the space station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Pad 39-B at 8 33 a.m. EDT carrying a crew of five and the Hubble Space Telescope. STS-31 crew members are Commander Loren Shriver, Pilot Charles Bolden and Mission Specialists Steven Hawley, Bruce McCandless II and Kathryn Sullivan.

The two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying the SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 5:42 a.m. EDT on Friday, June 29, 2018. On the companys 15th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station, Dragon is filled with supplies and payloads, including critical materials to support several science and research investigations that will occur during Expedition 56. The spacecrafts unpressurized trunk is carrying a Canadian-built Latching End Effector, or LEE. This new LEE will replace a failed unit astronauts removed during a series of spacewalks in the fall of 2017. Each end of the Canadarm2 robotic arm has an identical LEE, and they are used as the “hands” that grapple payloads and visiting cargo spaceships.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a blinding flash, space shuttle Endeavour races to orbit from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch of the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station was at 4:14 a.m. EST. This was the second launch attempt for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 crew and the final scheduled space shuttle night launch. The first attempt on Feb. 7 was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is the Tranquility node, a pressurized module that will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directional view will allow the crew to monitor spacewalks and docking operations, as

Cape Canaveral, Florida, November 16, 2009 - Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A into orbit. Atlantis will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the station, the largest of the shuttle's cargo carriers, containing 15 spare pieces of equipment including two gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm.

A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket carrying the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) Launches from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., Aug. 4, 2022. The KPLO is South Korea's first lunar mission and is carrying an array of experiments meant to orbit the moon for one year.

After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket streaks away from Space Launch Complex 41 into the night sky over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K, TDRS-K, to orbit. Launch was 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The brilliant flames from the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery light up the billows of steam below. Mission STS-96 lifted off at 6:49:42 a.m. EDT. The crew of seven begin a 10-day logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying about 4,000 pounds of supplies, to be stored aboard the station for use by future crews, including laptop computers, cameras, tools, spare parts, and clothing. The mission also includes such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-involved experiment. It will include a space walk to attach the cranes to the outside of the ISS for use in future construction. Landing is expected at the SLF on June 6 about 1:58 a.m. EDT

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched from Launch Complex 39A on NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, 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.

NASA/SpaceX CRS-26 Liftoff. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after its liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 26, 2022, on the companys 26th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. The Dragon cargo spacecraft will deliver about 7,700 pounds of science and research, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the space station, including the next pair of ISS Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). 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.

The two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle lifts off Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the SpaceXs Dragon resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 1:16 p.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2018. On its 16th commercial resupply services mission to the space station, Dragon will deliver several science investigations to the space station, including the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar (GEDI). GEDI will provide high-quality laser ranging observations of the Earths forests and topography required to advance the understanding of important carbon and water cycling processes, biodiversity and habitat.

STS118-S-012 (8 Aug. 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member STS-118 crew head toward Earth-orbit and a scheduled link-up with the International Space Station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A occurred at 6:36 p.m. (EDT) on Aug. 8, 2007. Onboard are astronauts Scott Kelly, commander; Charlie Hobaugh, pilot; Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Canadian Space Agency's Dave Williams, Barbara R. Morgan and Alvin Drew, all mission specialists. Endeavour will link up with the International Space Station on Friday, Aug. 10, to begin a joint mission to continue construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, and other payloads such as the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. The 11-day mission may be extended to as many as 14 depending on the test of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbital complex.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Live Launch Coverage. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off the pad at 3:27 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 26, from Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A in Florida, carrying NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 crew members to the International Space Station. Aboard SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft are NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

The Soyuz MS-04 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, April 20, 2017 Baikonur time carrying Expedition 51 Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA into orbit to begin their four and a half month mission on the International Space Station. (

KAZAKHSTAN - The Soyuz TMA-16 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, carrying Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberte to the International Space Station. (

Artemis I Launch. NASAs Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I mission is the first integrated flight test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems. SLS and Orion launched at 1:47 a.m. EST, from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center.

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