Spacecraft Preparation Operations

Images showcasing NASA's spacecraft and equipment assembly processes, highlighting technicians at work in high-tech facilities, with detailed machinery and collaborative efforts.

The launch abort system ogive panels are prepared for installation onto the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) launch abort system in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a processing hangar at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a Space Exploration Technologies technician attaches a cargo bag to the crane that will lift it toward the Dragon capsule where it will be stowed in preparation for its scheduled April 30 liftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.Known as SpaceX, the launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of checkout procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. The cargo includes food and provisions for the stations Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries, and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to launch cargo safely to the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The first set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System was uncrated inside the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. One of the panels is secured on a storage stand at the other end of the facility. Technicians monitor the progress as the second panel is being moved to join the first panel on the storage stand. To the right is the Launch Abort system secured on a work stand. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System.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 Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida an overhead crane lowers the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, onto to floor for technicians to prepare it for launch.AMS, a state-of-the-art particle physics detector, is designed to operate as an external module on the International Space Station. It will use the unique environment of space to study the universe and its origin by searching for dark matter. The STS-134 crew will fly AMS to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour, targeted to launch Feb. 26, 2011.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Lockheed Martin crews begin unpacking the Orion ground test vehicle in the Operations and Checkout O&C Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The vehicle traveled more than 1,800 miles from the company's Waterton Facility near Denver where it successfully completed a series of rigorous tests that simulated launch and spaceflight environments. The ground test vehicle will be used for pathfinding operations in the O&C, including simulated manufacturing and assembly procedures. After those operations are completed, new backshell panels will be installed on the ground test vehicle at the O&C prior to the vehicles trek to NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia for splashdown testing at the agency's Hydro Impact Basin.Launching atop NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System SLS, which also is under development, the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle MPCV will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry astronaut crews beyond low Earth orbit. It also

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians place a hydraulic actuator in the test stand for the Orion crew module. Lockheed Martin Space Systems and NASA engineers are preparing Orion for a series of static load tests that simulate the massive loads the spacecraft would experience during its mission.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, Exploration Flight Test 1, 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.

The launch abort system ogive panels are prepared for installation onto the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) launch abort system in the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

The interstage adapter (ISA) for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket that will launch NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission arrives at the Horizontal Integration Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 28, 2022. The ISA is the connecting piece of hardware between the Atlas V booster and the rockets Centaur upper stage. JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series and will scan the Earth as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day. Operating from 512 miles above Earth, JPSS-2 will capture data to improve weather forecasts, in turn helping scientists predict and prepare for extreme weather events and climate change. Launching as a secondary payload aboard the Atlas V is NASAs Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) - a demonstration of a cross-cutting aeroshell, or heat shield, for atmosph

The Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module is moved and mated with the service module at the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on June 9, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians attach a crane to the shear web assembly, or inner core, that will be inserted into the Orion service module. Orion is being prepared for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1. 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 United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a bulkhead is lowered for installation on the Orion service module in preparation for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1. 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 United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the Space Launch System rocket.

STS-132 CARGO CARRIER TO CANISTER

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a GIZMO demonstration test is being performed on the ground test article Launch Abort System, or LAS, ogive panel and an Orion crew module simulator. An access platform has been added leading up to the mockup of the crew module. The inner hatch has been removed. The GIZMO is a pneumatically-balanced manipulator that will be used for installation of the hatches on the crew module and LAS for the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1 and Exploration Mission-1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is running the test to demonstrate that the GIZMO can meet the reach and handling requirements for the task.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 veloc

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The second set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System have arrived at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. One of the Ogive panels has been uncrated and is being lifted by crane for placement on a work stand. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System.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 Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The tail cone for space shuttle Discoverys three replica shuttle main engines (RSMEs) arrives at Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tail cone will be installed around Discoverys RSMEs for protection.The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Discovery. Discovery is being prepared for display at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside NASA Kennedy Space Centers Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers remove the protective cover from around the newly arrived third stage, or upper stage for the New Horizons spacecraft. The third stage is a Boeing STAR 48 solid-propellant kick motor. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for NASAs New Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., during a 35-day window that opens Jan. 11 and fly through the Pluto system as early as summer 2015. New Horizons will be powered by a single radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), provided by the Department of Energy, which will be installed shortly before launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians on a platform monitor the progress as a crane lowers the service module for the Orion spacecraft onto a static test stand. 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 in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and Lockheed Martin engineers and technicians help guide the Orion service module into the Final Assembly and System Testing, or FAST, cell. The Orion crew module will be stacked on the service module in the FAST cell and then both modules will be put through their final system tests for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, before rolling out of the facility for integration with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. 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 Orion, EFT-1, is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida t

In the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orbital ATK CYGNUS pressurized cargo module is secured the KAMAG transporter and the crane has been removed. Technicians have secured the protective covering around CYGNUS. The module will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a GIZMO demonstration test is being performed on the ground test article Launch Abort System, or LAS, ogive panel and an Orion crew module simulator. A technician on an access platform and diving board removes the mockup of the crew module hatch. The GIZMO is a pneumatically-balanced manipulator that will be used for installation of the hatches on the crew module and LAS for the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1 and Exploration Mission-1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is running the test to demonstrate that the GIZMO can meet the reach and handling requirements for the task.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

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In the airlock of processing facility 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California, workers remove the protective shroud from around NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) as it rests in the bottom half of a shipping container.The spacecraft arrived at VAFB Jan. 27 after a cross-country trip which began from Orbital Sciences' manufacturing plant in Dulles, Va., on Jan. 24. Next, NuSTAR will be transferred from the airlock into the processing hangar, joining the Pegasus XL rocket that is set to carry it to space. After checkout and other processing activities are complete, the spacecraft will be integrated with the Pegasus in mid-February and encapsulation in the vehicle fairing will follow. The rocket and spacecraft then will be flown on Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at the Pacific Ocean's Kwajalein Atoll for launch in March. The high-energy X-ray telescope will

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane moves the integrated cargo carrier-lite, or ICC-L, into the payload canister below. The ICC-L is an unpressurized cross-bay carrier providing launch and return transportation with the space shuttle. It rests on a keel yoke assembly, seen underneath. The ICC-L carries three elements: a nitrogen tank assembly that is part of the external active thermal control system on the International Space Station, the European technology Exposure Facility composed of nine science instruments and an autonomous temperature measurement unit, and the SOLAR payload designed for sun observation. The nitrogen tank assembly is mounted underneath. The exposure facility is seen at left on top, and the SOLAR is on the right. The SOLAR will be transferred and stowed on the Columbus module during the third spacewalk of the mission. STS-122 is targeted for launch on Dec. 6 on space shuttl

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians make a final check of the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, or MPLM, before it is moved into a payload canister.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on space shuttle Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics 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 spacecraft 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier, or LMC, lowered into the payload canister for installation. Part of the payload for space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission to the International Space Station, the carrier holds an ammonia tank assembly. The STS-128 flight also will carry science and storage racks to the space station on Discovery. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Aug. 18.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion service module has been secured in the Final Assembly and System Testing, or FAST, cell. The Orion crew module will be stacked on the service module in the FAST cell and then both modules will be put through their final system tests for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, before rolling out of the facility for integration with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. 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 Orion, EFT-1, is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Earth's

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane is moved into place above the Spacehab module to move it to the payload canister. The module is part of the payload on mission STS-118 and will be loaded into Space Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay at the pad. Endeavour is targeted for launch on Aug. 9 to the International Space Station. The mission will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, as well as carrying the external stowage platform 3 and Spacehab module.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Canister Rotation Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the Payload Canister is being raised to a vertical position for transport to Launch Pad 39B. The payloads inside, including the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and External Stowage Platform-2, will be moved into the Payload Changeout Room in the Rotating Service Structure and then installed in Discoverys payload bay. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch on Return to Flight mission STS-114 to the International Space Station. The launch window extends from May 22 to June 3.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians check the alignment of space shuttle Discovery's Forward Reaction Control System, or FRCS, onto the shuttle's frame.The FRCS is being reinstalled in the forward fuselage nose area of the shuttle after refurbishment. The FRCS provides the thrust for attitude (rotational) maneuvers (pitch, yaw and roll) and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis (translation maneuvers). Discovery is being prepared for the STS-131 mission, the 33rd flight to the International Space Station. The seven-member STS-131 crew will deliver a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module filled with resupply stowage platforms and racks to be transferred to locations around the station. Three spacewalks will include 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. Discovery's lau

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a crane lowers the top platform of a test stand for the Orion crew module. Lockheed Martin Space Systems and NASA engineers are preparing Orion for a series of static load tests that simulate the massive loads the spacecraft would experience during its mission. 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, Exploration Flight Test 1, 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.

STS-131 MPLM LEONARDO MOVE FROM WORKSTAND TO WEIGHT & CG THEN MOVE TO CANISTER

Work continues on the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Orion crew module in the Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) at Kennedy Space Center on March 21, 2013. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE-1 INSTALL TO CANISTER

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a processing tool is lifted out of an Orion service module work stand. Work continues to prepare for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1. 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 United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, various work stands have been positioned along the high bay floor for processing of components for the Orion spacecraft.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 in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, under the protective clean tent, technicians examine the installation of the fairing around the AIM spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits around the spacecraft and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch. Launch will be from a Pegasus XL rocket, carried and released by Orbital Sciences L-1011 jet aircraft. AIM, which stands for Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, is being prepared for integrated testing and a flight simulation. The AIM spacecraft will fly three instruments designed to study polar mesospheric clouds located at the edge of space, 50 miles above the Earth's surface in the coldest part of the planet's atmosphere. The mission's primary goal is to explain why these clouds form and what has caused them to become brighter and more numerous and appear at lower latitudes in recent years. AIM's results will provide the basis for the study of long-term variability in the mesosph

The Orion spacecraft, secured atop a transporter in its shipping container, arrives at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 25, 2020, for final testing and assembly. The spacecraft was transported to Kennedy in NASAs Super Guppy aircraft from the agencys Plum Brook Station in Ohio, where it underwent two phase of environmental testing. Following these final preparations, Orion will be integrated with the Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis I launch - the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the clamshell doors on the canister atop its transporter close around the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module, or MPLM, secured inside.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on space shuttle Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics 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 spacecraft 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.

The Space Test Program-Houston 6 (STP-H6) payload is inside the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 19, 2019. It is being prepared for its move to the SpaceX facility where it will be will be stowed in the trunk of the Dragon spacecraft for delivery to the International Space Station on SpaceXs 17th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-17) for NASA. STP-H6 is an x-ray communication investigation that will be used to perform a space-based demonstration of a new technology for generating beams of modulated x-rays. This technology may be useful for providing efficient communication to deep space probes, or communicating with hypersonic vehicles where plasma sheaths prevent traditional radio communications. CRS-17 is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in late April.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Workers guide a solar array fairing into place inside the processing hangar used by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The fairing will be installed on the Dragon spacecraft undergoing launch preparations inside the hangar. The spacecraft will launch on the upcoming SpaceX CRS-2 mission. The flight will be the second commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station by SpaceX. NASA has contracted for a total of 12 commercial resupply flights from SpaceX and eight from the Orbital Sciences Corp.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., workers keep watch as the shipping container is lifted away from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-O. The satellite will undergo final testing of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems. Developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the GOES-O satellite is targeted to launch April 28 onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV expendable launch vehicle. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA. GOES-O will be placed in on-orbit storage as a replacement for an older GOES satellite.

In the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the payload fairing for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V for NASA's upcoming Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, mission to land on Mars is lifted to the vertical position. InSight is the first mission to explore the Red Planet's deep interior. It will investigate processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system including Earth. Liftoff atop a ULA Atlas V rocket is scheduled for May 5, 2018.

In this view from above inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, work is underway Aug. 21, 2019, to integrate segments of the launch abort system for the agencys uncrewed flight test, Artemis I. During crewed launches of the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System rocket, the LAS will protect the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety if an emergency occurs during launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane carries the EXPRESS Logistics Carrier toward a stand. The carrier is part of the payload on space shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver to the International Space Station components including two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. STS-129 is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker checks the position of the ground support equipment for the STS-125 Hubble Servicing Mission as it is lifted off the transporter. The GSE are carriers, or pallets, that will hold equipment in space shuttle Atlantis payload bay. This carrier will be moved to a work stand. The carriers will be prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the servicing mission. The three payload carriers or pallets are the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier. At the end of July, a fourth and final carrier, the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment carrier will join the others in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The second set of two Ogive panels for the Orion Launch Abort System have arrived at the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels are being uncrated for storage inside the LASF. During processing, the panels will be secured around the Orion crew module and attached to the Launch Abort System.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 Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane carries the SPACEHAB Module towards the Payload Canister. The SPACEHAB Module will carry racks of experiments, flight hardware, spacewalk equipment and supplies to support mission STS-116 to the International Space Station. STS-116 will be mission number 20 to the station and construction flight 12A.1. Along with SPACEHAB, the mission payload on Space Shuttle Discovery includes the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. The launch window opens Dec. 7.

GOES-P LIFT & MATE TO DELTA IV

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, processing continues on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) for its flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The JEM, developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for installation on the ISS, is named Kibo -- which means "hope" in Japanese -- and will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. Research conducted in Kibo will focus on space medicine, biology, Earth observations, material production, biotechnology and communications.

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane removes the top of the shipping container carrying the Orion heat shield for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) The heat shield arrived aboard the agencys Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility, managed and operated by Space Florida, from Lockheed Martins manufacturing facility near Denver. The heat shield will be offloaded and moved into the high bay for processing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, an uncrewed test flight, in 2018.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help secure the heat shield that was removed from the Orion ground test vehicle onto a special holding platform. The ground test vehicle is being prepared for its move to Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., for a water test. The test vehicle is being used by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program for path finding operations, including simulated manufacturing, assembly and stacking procedures. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans. 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 Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket and in 2017 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

Delta II/GRAIL Fairing Installation

Pictured inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 6, 2020, are the three Spacecraft Adapter Jettison fairing panels that will protect Orion's service module from the environment around it, whether it's heat, wind or acoustics during the ascent. Unlike conventional rocket fairings, Orion's are designed to support half of the weight of the crew module and launch abort system during launch and ascent, which will maximize the size and capability of the spacecraft that can be delivered to orbit. Orion will fly on the agencys Artemis I mission - the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.

Workers align NOAAs Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, wrapped in plastic, onto a portable work stand at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near Kennedy Space Center. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force. DSCOVR will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of NOAA's space weather alerts and forecasts. Launch is currently scheduled for January 2015 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 v 1.1 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building's high bay, technicians begin testing how to put the "skins" on the outer mold of the simulator Orion crew module.Part of NASA's Constellation Program, the Orion spacecraft will return humans to the moon and prepare for future voyages to Mars and other destinations in our solar system. Orion is targeted to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015 and to the moon by 2020.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Horizontal Integration Facility, or HIF, at Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the upper stage for the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, is being prepared for removal from its transportation container. The upper stage, along with the port booster and spacecraft adapter arrived by barge at the U.S. Army Outpost wharf at Port Canaveral in Florida and were transported to the HIF.At the HIF, all three booster stages will be processed and checked out before being moved to the nearby launch pad and hoisted into position. The spacecraft adapter will connect Orion to the ULA Delta IV, and also will connect Orion to NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System, on its first mission in 2017. During the EFT-1 mission, Orion will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, va

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane lowers the the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo Exposed Facility, or EF, part of the payload for the STS-127 mission, into the payload canister. The EF, along with the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission targeted for launch June 13. When the EF is installed on the Kibo laboratory, it will provide a multipurpose platform where science experiments can be deployed and operated in the exposed environment. The payloads attached to the EF can be exchanged or retrieved by Kibo's robotic arm, the JEM Remote Manipulator.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers get ready to lift the payload canister to a vertical position for the trip to Launch Pad 39A. The canisters cargo consists of four carriers holding various equipment for the STS-125 mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. At the pad, the cargo will be moved into the Payload Changeout Room. 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 shuttles payload bay. Launch of Atlantis is targeted for Oct. 10.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians attach a crane to the shear web assembly, or inner core, that will be inserted into the Orion service module. Orion is being prepared for Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1. 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 United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the Space Launch System rocket.

The Spacecraft Assembly and Rotation Fixture (SCARF) that will be used to process the Mars 2020 rover is photographed inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 22, 2019. Attached to the SCARF is an access stand that will allow personnel to reach the spacecraft when its held above ground level. The Mars 2020 rover is being manufactured at the agencys Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and, once complete, will be sent to Kennedy for assembly, prelaunch processing and checkouts. The rover is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in summer 2020 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket procured from NASAs Launch Services Program. The mission will help the agency better understand the geology of Mars, test new robotic technology and assist in determining if any form of life ever was supported on the Red Planet.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Operations are in work to transfer an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket onto the transporter in Orbitals hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket has been mated to NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, encapsulated in the Pegasus payload fairing. Cool, dry air is being pumped into the fairing through a purge line to maintain the proper environment for the spacecraft in the confined space.The transporter will move them to the runway ramp where they will be attached to the underside of Orbitals L-1011 carrier aircraft. The aircraft will fly the pair from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Pacific Oceans Kwajalein Atoll for launch. A revised launch date will be set at the Flight Readiness Review, planned for later this week. The high-energy X-ray telescope will conduct a census of black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origi

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Orion boilerplate test vehicle has been moved to a warehouse at Naval Base San Diego in California from the Mole Pier at the naval base. The test vehicle is attached to the crew module recovery cradle. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy are evaluating the hardware and processes for preparing the Orion crew module for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, for overland transport from the naval base to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.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 later this year atop a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to an altitude of 3,600 miles above the Ear

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians move the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science, or OPALS, experiment from the air lock into an offline laboratory at the Space Station Processing Facility. The optical technology demonstration experiment arrived from the agencys Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. NASA will use the International Space Station to test OPALS communications technology that could dramatically improve spacecraft communications, enhance commercial missions and strengthen transmission of scientific data. The experiment is slated to fly later this year aboard a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission to the space station. The mission is expected to run 90 days after installation on the outside of the station.

STS-131 PAYLOAD CANISTER ROTATION

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

Inside an environmentally controlled shipping container the Orbital ATK OA-7 Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cargo module (PCM) moves from an airlock to the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Scheduled to launch on March 19, 2017, the Orbital ATK OA-7 mission will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials that improve life on Earth and drive progress toward future space exploration.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers work on the Orion crew module inside a temporary clean room. Welding on the crew module was completed this month. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its first unpiloted flight test, Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, scheduled for launch atop a Delta IV rocket in September 2014. The Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion is scheduled to launch atop NASAs Space Launch System rocket in 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers lower the Ares I-X crew module mock-up onto a mock-up of the service module during a fit check of the hardware. When fully developed, the 16-foot diameter crew module will furnish living space and reentry protection for future astronauts, and the service modules main engine will be used to break out of lunar orbit for the return trip to Earth. Ares I-X is the test flight for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. The I-X flight will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with Ares I launches. Targeted for the summer of 2009, the launch of the full-scale Ares I-X will be the first in a series of unpiloted rocket launches from Kennedy.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and Lockheed Martin technicians and engineers conduct a center of gravity, or CG, test on the Orion crew module. The CG tool will measure the exact location of the vehicle's center of gravity. This test is important as it affects the handling and control characteristics of the vehicle. The Orion crew module will be stacked on the service module in the Final Assembly and System Testing, or FAST, cell and then both modules will be put through their final system tests for Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, before rolling out of the facility for integration with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. 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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Representatives from the European Space Agency, or ESA, toured the Operations and Checkout Building high bay and viewed the Orion crew module at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Among the group were Nico Dettman, ESA Space Transportation Department director Bernardo Patti, ESA International Space Station Operations manager and Philippe Deloo, ESA European Service Module Study manager. 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.

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers assist as a crane lifts the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) away from the flatbed of a transport truck. The OSA is the second flight-hardware section of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to arrive at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS are being stored for processing in the center's SSPF in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians in the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., begin processing a solar panel that will help power NASA's Juno spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter. Power-generating panels on three sets of solar arrays will extend outward from Junos hexagonal body, giving the overall spacecraft a span of more than 66 feet in order to operate at such a great distance from the sun. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Aug. 5, 2011, reaching Jupiter in July 2016.The spacecraft will orbit the giant planet more than 30 times, skimming to within 3,000 miles above its cloud tops, for about one year. With its suite of science instruments, the spacecraft will investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras.

Astronaut Anna Fisher observes Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) crew module and service module mating operations in Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center on June 9, 2014. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, the rack insertion device lifts one a supply rack onto a stand for installation in the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo (at right). The module is being prepared for the second return-to-flight mission, STS-121, on space shuttle Discovery, carrying more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. This will be the fourth trip to the station for Leonardo, the first of three Italian-built logistic modules. Equipment and supplies no longer needed on the station will be moved to Leonardo before it is unberthed on Flight Day 10 and put back into Discovery's cargo bay for return to Earth. This second return-to-flight test mission is to carry on analysis of safety improvements that debuted on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114, and build upon those tests. The launch is targeted for a date no earlier than May.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Lockheed Martin crews attach a crane to the Orion ground test vehicle in the Operations and Checkout O&C Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The vehicle traveled more than 1,800 miles from the company's Waterton Facility near Denver where it successfully completed a series of rigorous tests that simulated launch and spaceflight environments. The ground test vehicle will be used for pathfinding operations in the O&C, including simulated manufacturing and assembly procedures. After those operations are completed, new backshell panels will be installed on the ground test vehicle at the O&C prior to the vehicles trek to NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia for splashdown testing at the agency's Hydro Impact Basin.Launching atop NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System SLS, which also is under development, the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle MPCV will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry astronaut crews beyond low Earth orbit. It al

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the nose cap of the orbiter Atlantis is shifted to a horizontal position on a stand. The cap was removed from the orbiter for routine inspection. The nose cap is made of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), which has an operating range of minus 250° F to about 3,000° F.

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - Technicians begin processing NASA's IRIS spacecraft at Vandenberg where the spacecraft will be readied for launch aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket. IRIS is short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and the spacecraft's mission will improve our understanding of how heat and energy move through the deepest levels of the suns atmosphere, thereby increasing our ability to forecast space weather.

NASAs famous “meatball” insignia is affixed to the Artemis I Orion spacecraft adapter jettison fairings, which protect the European built service module, Jan. 20, 2021, inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shown inside its servicing stand, ground processing begins on Orion, with the Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs teams performing checkouts and fueling the spacecraft with commodities as part of preparations ahead of the Artemis I mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Seen on the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility are (center left) the container with the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) remote manipulator system and (lower right) the ground support equipment that will be used to lift it. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency developed the laboratory known as "Kibo" (Hope) and includes an exposed facility (platform) for space environment experiments, the RMS and two logistics modules. Japan's primary contribution to the International Space Station, it will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. The various JEM components will be assembled in space over the course of three Shuttle missions. The JEM and RMS are scheduled to launch on mission STS-124 no earlier than February 2008.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., technicians secure the GLAST spacecraft, inside its payload transportation canister, to the transporter for transfer to pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. At the pad, NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope will be lifted into the mobile service tower and encapsulated in the fairing for launch. 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. The launch date is targeted no earlier than June 3.

The cargo logistics module for Sierra Nevada Corporations Dream Chaser, the companys reusable spaceplane, arrives at the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 27, 2019. The cargo module - a 15-foot attachment to Dream Chaser - provides extra storage for payloads and provides cargo disposal upon re-entry into Earths atmosphere. Dream Chaser will deliver more than 12,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station under the agencys Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract. The spacecraft and cargo module will begin resupply and return services missions to the space station in late 2021.

STS-132 MINI RESEARCH MODULE INSTALL TO TRANSPORT CONTAINER

In the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft in a protective container is mounted on a transport trailer for the trip to Space Launch Complex 2. At the pad, JPSS-1 will be lifted for mating atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. 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 the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff is scheduled to take place from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 2.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello moves across the room to a work stand. The module is being moved back to its work stand to allow the processing team access in order to address concerns with mechanical fasteners inside the module that do not incorporate an adequate secondary locking feature. The assessment and additional work is being conducted to ensure that the fasteners do not disengage during ascent. Raffaello is scheduled to launch on Discovery's Return to Flight mission STS-114.

The ECLSS module inside SpaceXs headquarters and factory in Hawthorne, California. The module is the same size as the companys Crew Dragon spacecraft and is built to test the Environmental Control and Life Support System, or ECLSS, that is being built for missions aboard the Crew Dragon including those by astronauts flying to the International Space Station on flights for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The alpha-magnetic spectrometer (AMS-1) is lifted in KSCs MultiPayload Processing Facility in preparation for a move to the Space Station Processing Facility via the Payload Environmental Transportation System. The STS-91 payload arrived at KSC in January and is scheduled to be flown on the 9th and final Mir docking mission, scheduled for launch in May. The objectives of the AMS-1 investigation are to search for anti-matter and dark matter in space and to study astrophysics. The STS-91 flight crew includes Commander Charles Precourt; Pilot Dominic Gorie; and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence; Franklin Chang-Diaz, Ph.D.; Janet Kavandi, Ph.D.; and Valery Ryumin, with the Russian Space Agency. After docking with the Russian Space Station Mir, Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, Ph.D., will join the STS-91 crew and return to Earth aboard Discovery

Technicians remove the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V boattail from its shipping container following its arrival at the Horizontal Integration Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 28, 2022, for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission. The boattail is the connecting piece of flight hardware that joins the rockets upper Centaur stage with the payload fairing, which will house the JPSS-2 satellite. JPSS-2 is the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series and will scan the Earth as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day. Operating from 512 miles above Earth, JPSS-2 will capture data to improve weather forecasts, in turn helping scientists predict and prepare for extreme weather events and climate change. Launching as a secondary payload aboard the Atlas V is NASAs Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) -

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians offload and prepare to uncover the nose cone fairing for the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft. The nose faring will house and protect the RBSP during liftoff aboard an Atlas V rocket.NASAs RBSP mission will help us understand the suns influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earths radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earths Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff is targeted for Aug. 23, 2012.

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. - On Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, one half of a fairing is moved into a protected clean room tent where it will be installed around NASAs Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft. The fairing is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft during launch and ascent. The IBEX satellite will make the first map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. IBEX is targeted for launch from the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, on Oct. 19. IBEX will be launched aboard a Pegasus rocket dropped from under the wing of an L-1011 aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean. The Pegasus will carry the spacecraft approximately 130 miles above Earth and place it in orbit.

These photos show highlights from Artemis II NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen visit to NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Nov. 27. The crew met and spoke to employees and viewed facilities for SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. All four astronauts signed the Orion stage adapter (OSA), a small ring structure that connects SLS to NASAs Orion spacecraft, that will be used for Artemis II. Koch and Wiseman also visited the Systems Integration Lab, where SLS flight software testing is conducted. The four astronauts will launch atop SLS inside Orion to venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed flight for Artemis.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A parachute to be used by The Boeing Company's CST-100 is discussed by company officials during a ceremony inside Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Space Test Program-Houston 6 (STP-H6) payload is being prepared for its move from the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 19, 2019. The payload will be moved to the SpaceX facility where it will be stowed in the trunk of the Dragon spacecraft for delivery to the International Space Station on SpaceXs 17th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-17) for NASA. STP-H6 is an x-ray communication investigation that will be used to perform a space-based demonstration of a new technology for generating beams of modulated x-rays. This technology may be useful for providing efficient communication to deep space probes, or communicating with hypersonic vehicles where plasma sheaths prevent traditional radio communications. CRS-17 is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in late April.

NASAs Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) builds on the first two phases of International Space Station (ISS) technology demonstrations that tested tools, technologies and techniques to refuel and repair satellites in orbit. RRM3, which arrived at Kennedy Space Centers Space Station Processing Facility on May 8, is planned to launch to the ISS later this year.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A group of news media and social media tweeters toured the Launch Abort System Facility and viewed the launch abort system for the Orion spacecraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Scott Wilson, manager of Production Operations for the Orion Program. The group also toured the Launch Control Center and Vehicle Assembly Building, legacy facilities that are being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy to prepare for processing and launch of NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. NASA is developing the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, with the flexibility to launch spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, including to an asteroid and Mars. Orions first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for fiscal year 2

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a processing hangar at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, preparations are under way to load cargo into the Space Exploration Technologies Dragon capsule in preparation for its scheduled April 30 liftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.Known as SpaceX, the launch will be the company's second demonstration test flight for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, or COTS. During the flight, the capsule will conduct a series of checkout procedures to test and prove its systems, including rendezvous and berthing with the International Space Station. The cargo includes food and provisions for the stations Expedition crews, such as clothing, batteries, and computer equipment. Under COTS, NASA has partnered with two private companies to launch cargo safely to the station.

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a KAMAG transporter has arrived in the high bay. Technicians are preparing Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module for bagging. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane lifts the payload canister into a vertical position.The canister will then be delivered to Launch Pad 39A, lifted into the rotating service structure where the module will be moved into the clean room before it is installed into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the PMM, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for 4:40 p.m. EDT, Nov. 1.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the Astrotech payload processing facility at Port Canaveral in Florida, STS-132 Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman compares the actual Mini-Research Module to a picture of the module during the crew equipment interface test, or CEIT. CEIT provides the crew with hands-on training and observation of shuttle and flight hardware. The six-member crew of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and a Russian-built Mini-Research Module to the International Space Station. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, the module will be permanently attached to the bottom port of the Zarya module and also will carry U.S. pressurized cargo. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the 132nd space shuttle mission in the program. Launch is targeted for May 14.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, equipment is stacked for the flight support system (FSS) access scaffolding that will be used to prepare the Hubble Space Telescope, or HST, carriers for the STS-125 servicing mission 4. The FSS will berth, secure and furnish power to Hubble and also contains the soft capture mechanism to be attached to the telescope. Upon completion of STS-125, the Hubble will provide even deeper and more detailed views of the Universe. The STS-125 mission will be the final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

of 3