Spacecraft Processing Operations

Images depicting NASA spacecraft preparation activities, including assembly and installation processes at Kennedy Space Center.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The last engine is installed in orbiter Atlantis after a welding and polishing process was undertaken on flow liners where cracks were detected. All engines were removed for inspection of flow liners. Atlantis will next fly on mission STS-112, scheduled for launch no earlier than Oct. 2.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is lowered onto a transporter for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In the VAB, Discovery will be attached to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters. After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A for a targeted launch to the International Space Station on Feb. 12.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, workers monitor the readiness of space shuttle Atlantis for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Rollover from its processing bay began at 7:05 a.m. EDT. Atlantis arrived in the VAB's transfer aisle at 8:03 a.m. In the VAB, the shuttle will be lifted and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters designated for mission STS-122, already secured atop a mobile launcher platform. On this mission, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The module is approximately 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 large racks of experiments. The laboratory will expand the research facilities aboard the station, providing crew members and scientists from around the world the abilit

The lower dome of the Boeing CST-100 Structural Test Article awaits testing inside the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, or C3PF, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The test article will serve as a pathfinder for assembling and processing operational CST-100 spacecraft inside the revitalized facility, which for 20 years served as a shuttle processing hangar.

Technicians with NASAs Exploration Ground Systems lower a mock-up, or pathfinder, of the Space Launch Systems (SLS) center booster segment onto an aft pathfinder segment inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 14, 2020. Teams rehearsed stacking both pathfinder segments on top of the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 of the VAB in preparation for the Artemis I launch. Stacking of the actual SLS booster segments will occur later this year, when the rockets core stage arrives at Kennedy. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician assists as a special crane is used to lift one of the three fuel cells away from space shuttle Atlantis payload bay.The fuel cells will be drained of all fluids. The hydrogen and oxygen dewars which feed reactants to the fuel cells remain in Atlantis mid-body and will be purged with inert gases and vented down. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Atlantis. The orbiter is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The jettison motor for Orions Launch Abort System (LAS) is shown inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The motor, which arrived at Kennedy on Sept. 10, 2018, will be stored in the LASF until processing for a full-stress test of the LAS called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2), scheduled for April 2019. Designed and built by NASA and Lockheed Martin, the LAS will protect astronauts if a problem arises during launch by pulling the spacecraft away from a failing rocket. The jettison motor is one of three solid propellant rocket motors in the LAS (the abort motor and attitude control motor are the other two). The jettison motor will pull the LAS away from the crew module, allowing Orions parachutes to deploy and the spacecraft to safely land in the ocean.

T&R Endeavour, LH Oms Pod Lift and Move for Installation

Inside NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's massive clean room in Greenbelt, Maryland, the ninth flight mirror was installed onto the telescope structure with a robotic arm. This marks the halfway completion point for the James Webb Space Telescope's segmented primary mirror. Nine of the James Webb Space Telescope's 18 primary flight mirrors have been installed on the telescope structure. This marks the halfway point in the James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror installation.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Suspended by a crane in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cupola module moves closer to the workstand at right. The module was delivered to Kennedy by the European Space Agency in 2004 from Alenia Spazio in Turin, Italy. Cupola will provide a 360-degree panoramic view of activities outside the station and spectacular views of the Earth. Cupola has the capability for command and control workstations to be installed to assist in space station remote manipulator system and extra vehicular activities. The final element of the space station core, Cupola is scheduled for launch on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission, targeted for Dec. 10, 2009.

Artemis I Orion Return and De-Servicing. NASAs Artemis I Orion capsule is secured on a platform inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 6, 2023. Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:40 p.m. EST on Dec. 11, 2022. The spacecraftwas secured inside the well deck of the USS Portland for the voyage to U.S. Naval Base Sand Diego, arriving on Dec. 13, 2022. Orion was offloaded and transported back to Kennedy for deservicing inside the MPPF. Orion launched atop the Space Launch System rocket on Nov. 16, 2022 at 1:47 a.m. EST from Kennedys Launch Complex 39B for a 25-day trip beyond the Moon and back. During the flight, Orion flew farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown, paving the way for human deep space exploration and demonstrating NASAs commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond.

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Launch Abort System (LAS) that will be used for the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test is being assembled on Feb. 5, 2019. AA-2 is a full-stress test of the LAS, scheduled for Spring 2019. AA-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs and contractors from Jacob's and Northrop Grumman in conjunction with the Air Force Space and Missile Center's Launch Operations branch are performing flight operations for AA-2.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Walter "Buddy" McKenzie, manager of technical operations with United Space Alliance, gestures toward space shuttle Endeavour's aft engine compartment during a media interview inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. McKenzie was one of several shuttle experts available for interviews around the outside of Endeavour and inside the shuttle's crew compartment.Ongoing transition and retirement activities are preparing the spacecraft for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Endeavour flew 25 missions during its 19-year career.

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Launch Abort System (LAS) that will be used for the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test is being assembled on Feb. 5, 2019. AA-2 is a full-stress test of the LAS, scheduled for Spring 2019. AA-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 46, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs and contractors from Jacob's and Northrop Grumman in conjunction with the Air Force Space and Missile Center's Launch Operations branch are performing flight operations for AA-2.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers remove shuttle Discovery's right-hand orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod. The removal is part of Discovery's transition and retirement processing. Work performed on Discovery is expected to help rocket designers build next-generation spacecraft and prepare the shuttle for future public display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United Space Alliance technicians install a mock air lock in the payload bay of the space shuttle Atlantis in Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility. Atlantis is undergoing final preparations for its transfer to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex targeted for November.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at Kennedy's Visitor Complex. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis spent 293 days in space during 33 missions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis payload bay doors are partially opened. The 50-foot-long OBSS attaches to the Remote Manipulator System, or Shuttle arm, and is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight. It equips the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttles Thermal Protection System while in space. Mission STS-121 is targeted for launch in September. Once Atlantis' bay doors are open again, further work will be done in the bay.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane has lifted the Orion crew module out of a special test stand. Lockheed Martin Space Systems and NASA engineers performed a series of static load tests on Orion that simulated 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.

Artemis IV Orion Pressure Vessel Shipped to KSC . Teams at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans prepare the completed Orion pressure vessel for the Artemis IV mission for shipment to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The pressure vessel, which was assembled by lead contractor, Lockheed Martin, is the Orion crew module primary structure - the core upon which all other elements of Orions crew module are integrated. The structure is critical to Artemis crews as it holds the pressurized atmosphere astronauts breathe and work in a while in the vacuum of deep space. Once the module arrives at Kennedys Vehicle Assembly Building high bay, teams will begin integration of the pressure vessel with the Orion spacecraft crew module adapter and other assembly.With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for human exploration of the Moon and on to Mars. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

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.

In the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Wednesday, June 27, 2018, technicians and engineers install the heat shield on NASA's Parker Solar Probe. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - Inside Orbital Sciences Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a worker completes connections on the Space Technology 5 (ST5) spacecraft before enclosure. The ST5, mated to Orbital Sciences' Pegasus XL launch vehicle, contains three microsatellites with miniaturized redundant components and technologies. Each will validate New Millennium Program selected technologies, such as the Cold Gas Micro-Thruster and X-Band Transponder Communication System. After deployment from the Pegasus, the micro-satellites will be positioned in a “string of pearls” constellation that demonstrates the ability to position them to perform simultaneous multi-point measurements of the magnetic field using highly sensitive magnetometers. The data will help scientists understand and map the intensity and direction of the Earths magnetic field, its relation to space weather events, and affects on our planet. With such missions, NASA hopes to improve sci

Teams Move Artemis II SLS Engine Section into Position for Final Join. Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans moved the engine section of NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon, into position for the final join of the core stage Feb. 13. The engine section is the bottom-most portion of the 212-foot-tall core stage. It is the last of five major elements that is needed to connect the stage into one major structure. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and flight. During launch and flight, liquid propellants from the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tanks are delivered through the engine section to the four RS-25 engines. The engine section also includes the avionics that help steer the engines after liftoff. Next, te

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orions Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASAs Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. 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 the SLS rocket.

Space cargo module

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians secure the pump module assembly plate into position onto the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier, or LMC. The module assembly will be used to secure the return of a failed ammonia pump module in shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis and its payload are being prepared for the STS-135 mission, which will deliver the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 is targeted to launch June 28, and will be the last spaceflight for the Space Shuttle Program.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The U.S. Node 2 is undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 (PMA-1) for the International Space Station is moved for further processing in KSCs Space Station Processing Facility. A PMA is a cone-shaped connector that will be attached to Node 1, the space stations structural building block, during ground processing. Node 1 with two PMAs attached will be the first element of the station scheduled to be launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 in July 1998

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), foreground, is part of the STS-109 flight hardware for maintenance of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The ACS and other hardware, installed on four principle payload carriers, are being processed inside the clean room at the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF). The STS-109 launch aboard Columbia is targeted for Feb. 14, 2002, and will be the 108th flight in the Space Shuttle program

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Columbia's payload bay doors are ready to be closed for mission STS-107. Installed inside are the Hitchhiker Bridge, a carrier for the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments, plus the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), also known as SPACEHAB. STS-107 is scheduled for launch July 19, 2001

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the payload bay doors of Discovery are being closed in preparation for the rollover of the orbiter to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The primary payload, the U.S. Node 2, which is named Harmony, will be installed in the payload bay at the pad prior to Discovery's liftoff on mission STS-120. The mission will be the 23rd flight for the assembly of the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Discovery is targeted for launch on Oct. 23.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Suspended from an overhead crane in the Space Station Processing Facility, the P3 Integrated Truss Structure glides along the ceiling to a workstand. The port-side P3 truss is scheduled to be added to the International Space Station on mission STS-115 in 2002 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. The P3 will be attached to the first port truss segment, P1, being installed in an earlier mission.

The Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket, with NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft attached, is secured on an assembly integration trailer Aug. 23, 2017, inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Pegasus rocket is being prepared for the ICON mission. The explorer will launch on June 15, 2018, from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (June 14 in the continental United States) on the Pegasus XL, which is attached to the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft. ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. The explorer will help determine the physics of Earth's space environment and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology and communications systems.

NASA is preparing major pieces of the Space Launch System rockets core stage to be joined as part of assembling the core stage for the Artemis II mission that will send crews to lunar orbit. Crews will soon connect the forward assembly with the 130-foot liquid hydrogen tank in the final assembly area at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. When this process is completed, four of the five large structures that make up the core stage will be joined. The 66-foot forward assembly consists of the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank and the intertank, which were mated earlier. This forward assembly will be joined with the 130-foot liquid hydrogen tank, the largest part of the stage that holds more than 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant. To compete the Artemis II core stage, engineers will add the engine section, which is currently being outfitted and includes the main propulsion systems that connect to the four RS-25 engines, Together, with the SLS twin solid rocket boosters

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay doors are closed for the shuttle's move to the Vehicle Assembly Building.The move, or "rollover," is targeted for Dec. 12. The Tranquility module, the payload for Endeavour's STS-130 mission to the International Space Station, will be installed in the payload bay after the shuttle has reached the pad. Endeavour's launch is targeted for Feb. 4, 2010.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, replica shuttle main engines 3 RSME has been installed on the space shuttle Endeavour. The orbiter is surrounded by work platforms allowing access to all areas of the spacecraft.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis. Endeavour is being prepared for public display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Its ferry flight to California is targeted for mid-September. Endeavour was the last space shuttle added to NASAs orbiter fleet. Over the course of its 19-year career, Endeavour spent 299 days in space during 25 missions.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the three stages of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL are being mated for the launch of NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, spacecraft. AIM is the seventh Small Explorers mission under NASA's Explorer Program. The program provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space within heliophysics and astrophysics. 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 mesospheric climate and its relationship to global climate change. AIM is scheduled to be mated to the Pegasus XL during the second wee

Technicians at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany weigh the European Service Module on Oct. 31, 2018 ahead of shipment to Kennedy Space Center. The service module will depart Germany on November 5th, 2018 and will arrive in the U.S. on November 6...For the first time, NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft, extending the international cooperation of the International Space Station into deep space. The European Service Module is a unique collaboration across space agencies and industry including ESAs prime contractor, Airbus, and 10 European countries. The completion of service module work in Europe and shipment to Kennedy signifies a major milestone toward NASAs human deep space exploration missions to the Moon and beyond.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot James Kelly look at tile above the aft end of Discoverys payload bay. They and other crew members are at KSC for Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. During CEIT, the crew has an opportunity to get a hands-on look at the orbiter and equipment they will be working with on the mission. Return to Flight Mission STS-114 will carry the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies for the International Space Station, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope. Launch of STS-114 has a launch window of May 12 to June 3.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) hoist prepares to lift the first Block 1 engine to be installed in an orbiter into the number one position on Discovery while the spaceplane is being prepared for the STS-70 mission in the high bay of Orbiter Processing Facility 2. The new engine, SSME No. 2036, features a new high-pressure liquid oxygen turbopump, a two-duct powerhead, a baffleless main injector, a single-coil heat exchanger and start sequence modifications. The other two main engines to be used during the liftoff of the STS-70 mission are of the existing Phase II design.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Discovery is ready to roll out of the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 on its transporter for the short trip to the Vehicle Assembly Building. In the VAB, the shuttle will be lifted and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher platform. Discovery is targeted for launch to the International Space Station for mission STS-120 on Oct. 23. The crew will be delivering and installing the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, named Harmony. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a work platform outside for the station's robotic arm.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The first Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) is installed on Space Shuttle Atlantis following the welding repair of the propulsion system flow liners as preparations to launch mission STS-112 continue. Sitting atop the engine is Angela DiMattia, the move director for Rocketdyne. Just behind and below her is Rocketdyne employee Brickford Lero, offering some additional guidance. Mission STS-112 is an assembly flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch no earlier than Sept. 28, 2002. Members of the STS-112 crew are Commander Jeffrey Ashby; Pilot Pamela Melroy; and Mission Specialists David Wolf, Piers Sellers, Sandra Magnus, and Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Space Agency.

This image highlights the liquid oxygen tank, which will be used on the core stage of NASA Space Launch System rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASAs Artemis program, at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The forward skirt houses flight computers, cameras, and avionics systems. The liquid oxygen tank holds 196,000 gallons of liquid oxygen cooled to minus 297 degrees Fahrenheit. The LOX hardware sits between the core stages forward skirt and the intertank. Along with the liquid hydrogen tank, it will provide fuel to the four RS-25 engines at the bottom of the core stage to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to launch NASAs Artemis missions to the Moon. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rockets massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a special payload removal device is used to lower the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module into the payload canister. Raffaello will then be readied for transport to the Space Station Processing Facility where its contents will be unloaded. Atlantis completed NASAs final space shuttle mission, STS-135, after landing at the centers Shuttle Landing Facility, July 21, 2011, at 5:57 a.m. EDT. Following removal of all payloads in Atlantis cargo bay, workers will begin to prepare the spacecraft for eventual permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the underbelly of an orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod comes into view as it is lifted from its transporter. The pod will be reinstalled on space shuttle Atlantis.The orbital maneuvering system provided the shuttle with thrust for orbit insertion, rendezvous and deorbit, and could provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system. The OMS is housed in two independent pods located on each side of the shuttle's aft fuselage. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers. Atlantis OMS pods were removed and sent to White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico to be cleaned of residual toxic propellant. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis' future hom

In a lab at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agencys powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orions systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronauts ability to view the displays and controls.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, a crane lifts space shuttle Endeavour's Orbiter Boom Sensor System and moves it toward the payload bay for reinstallation. The OBSS is a 50-foot boom with a laser and cameras on it that astronauts use to inspect a shuttle's heat shield while in orbit. After returning from the STS-127 mission July 31, 2009, Endeavour now is being processed for the STS-130 mission targeted for Feb. 4, 2010. Endeavour will deliver to the International Space Station the Tranquility pressurized module that will provide room for many of the station's life support systems.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians attach the Orion ground test vehicle, or GTA, to a mockup of the service module in high bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The ground test vehicle is being used 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, 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.

In the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians assist as the Orbital ATK CYGNUS pressurized cargo module is secured on the KAMAG transporter. 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. - The space shuttle Atlantis begins backing out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis is switching places with Endeavour which had been in Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility OPF. In the OPF, Atlantis will undergo final preparations for its transfer to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex targeted for November. The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at Kennedy's Visitor Complex. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis spent 293 days in space during 33 missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, cranes raise space shuttle Endeavour to vertical. Endeavour then will be lifted into High Bay 1 and attached to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already installed on the mobile launcher platform. Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39B on April 17. Endeavour will be prepared on the pad for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary following space shuttle Atlantis' launch on the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. After Atlantis is cleared to land, Endeavour will move to Launch Pad 39A for its upcoming STS-127 mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch in mid-June.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis payload bay doors were closed in preparation for its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building.The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the space shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Atlantis is scheduled to roll over to the visitor complex in November in preparation for the exhibits grand opening in July 2013.

Inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers install the first stage aft skirt on the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will launch eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. When preparations are completed at Vandenberg, the rocket, with CYGNSS in its payload fairing, will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft and transported to NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Dec. 12, 2016, the carrier aircraft is scheduled to take off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket with the L-1011 flying off shore. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role i

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis has been lowered to a horizontal position and its wheels lowered. Atlantis has been removed from its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters stack after the delay of its STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis will be returned to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Atlantis' targeted launch on Oct. 14 was delayed when a system that transfers science data from the orbiting observatory to Earth malfunctioned on Sept. 27. The new target launch date is under review.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spacecraft technicians from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory rotate the multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, using the turning fixture to align the MMRTG with the angle of the MMRTG integration cart behind it. The cart will be used to install the MMRTG on the Curiosity rover for a fit check. The rover is on an elevated work stand, at right. The MMRTG will be installed on the rover for launch at the pad.The MMRTG will generate the power needed for the mission from the natural decay of plutonium-238, a non-weapons-grade form of the radioisotope. Heat given off by this natural decay will provide constant power through the day and night during all seasons. Curiosity, MSL's car-sized rover, has 10 science instruments designed to search for signs of life, including methane, and help det

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) science rack (left) is moved into position for installation into the Multi-Purpose Logisitics Module Leonardo. Leonardo will fly on Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-121. The MELFI will provide cooling and storage for scientific experiment samples and perishable materials in four insulated containers, known as dewars, with independently selectable temperatures of -80 degrees Celsius, -26 degrees Celsius, and +4 degrees Celsius. MELFI will also be used to transport samples to and from the Station. MELFI is provided as laboratory support equipment by the European Space Agency. STS-121 is the second Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends from Sept. 9 through Sept. 24.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a crane moves the service module for Orion in the high bay. To the right, the spacecraft adapter cone is secured on a work 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. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the remote manipulator system, or RMS, arm is lifted out of space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The RMS is used to grab, or grapple, the payload as well as retrieve, repair and deploy satellites; provide a mobile extension ladder for spacewalking crewmembers; and be used as an inspection aid to allow flight crew members to view the orbiters or payloads surfaces through a TV camera on the arm. Discovery is targeted to launch Aug. 6 on the STS-128 mission.

STS-132 Atlantis Rear Landing Gear Drop

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane is attached to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo Exposed Facility, or EF, part of the payload for the STS-127 mission. The module will be transferred to 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.

. The engine that will power NASAs quiet supersonic X-59 in flight is installed, marking a major milestone in the experimental aircrafts journey toward first flight. The installation of the F414-GE-100 engine at Lockheed Martins Skunk Works facility brings the vehicle close to the completion of its assembly.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, Node 2 undergoes testing. Known as the Traveled Work Systems Test (TWST), it executes open work that traveled with the Node 2 from Italy and simulates the on-orbit activation sequence. Node 2 was powered up Aug. 19 for the testing. The second of three Station connecting modules, the Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for several other elements. Node 2 is scheduled to launch on mission STS-120, assembly flight 10A to the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to install a Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne space shuttle main engine (SSME) into a transportation canister.This is the second of the 15 engines used during the Space Shuttle Program to be prepared for transfer to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines will be stored at Stennis for future use on NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will carry NASA's new Orion spacecraft, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a worker help guides the progress of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo Exposed Facility, or EF, as it moves across the room to another stand. The EF, along with the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, will be carried aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station targeted for launch May 15, 2009. When it is installed on the Kibo laboratory,the EF 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 System.

2014-09-18-13-19-55At the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft is encapsulated in the upper stage of the Soyuz booster rocket Sept. 18 that will propel it into orbit. The Soyuz will arrive at its launch pad on Sept. 23 for final pre-launch preparations. Expedition 41/42 Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore of NASA, Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Flight Engineer Elena Serova of Roscosmos will launch aboard the Soyuz Sept. 26, Kazakh time, to begin a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. Serova will become the fourth Russian woman to fly in space and the first Russian woman to live and work on the station.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the remote manipulator system, or RMS, arm is lifted away from space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. The RMS is used to grab, or grapple, the payload as well as retrieve, repair and deploy satellites; provide a mobile extension ladder for spacewalking crewmembers; and be used as an inspection aid to allow flight crew members to view the orbiters or payloads surfaces through a TV camera on the arm. Discovery is targeted to launch Aug. 6 on the STS-128 mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility prepare to install the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), or Shuttle arm, in Atlantis payload bay. The RMS includes the electromechanical arm that maneuvers a payload from the payload bay of the orbiter to its deployment position and then releases it. It can also grapple a free-flying payload, maneuver it to the payload bay of the orbiter and berth it in the orbiter. The RMS arm is 50 feet 3 inches long and 15 inches in diameter. It weighs 905 pounds, and the total system weighs 994 pounds. The RMS has six joints that correspond roughly to the joints of the human arm, with shoulder yaw and pitch joints; an elbow pitch joint; and wrist pitch, yaw and roll joints. The end effector is the unit at the end of the wrist that actually grabs, or grapples, the payload. Atlantis is the designated orbiter to fly on mission STS-121. The mission has a launch window of July 12 - July 31, 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an overhead crane slowly lifts shuttle Atlantis into a vertical position above the transfer aisle. The spacecraft will be moved to a high bay where it will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already on the mobile launcher platform.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are expected to launch in mid-July, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, preparations are under way to close the payload bay doors of Discovery for the rollover of the orbiter to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Seen along the edges of the bay are the Canadian-built shuttle robotic arm and orbiter boom sensor system. The primary payload, the U.S. Node 2, which is named Harmony, will be installed in the payload bay at the pad prior to Discovery's liftoff on mission STS-120. The mission will be the 23rd flight for the assembly of the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Discovery is targeted for launch on Oct. 23.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the launch tower on Launch Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the lower end of the Lockheed Martin Centaur second stage is being lowered through an opening toward the Atlas V below. The Centaur will be mated with the Atlas V. The Atlas V_Centaur is the launch vehicle for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The MRO is designed for a series of global mapping, regional survey and targeted observations from a near-polar, low-altitude Mars orbit. These observations will be unprecedented in terms of the spatial resolution and coverage achieved by the orbiters instruments as they observe the atmosphere and surface of Mars while probing its shallow subsurface as part of a follow the water strategy. The launch window for the MRO begins Aug. 10.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Orbiter Processing Facility stand by as a crane lifts the Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS) for installation in Discovery. Located in the forward fuselage nose area, 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 designated as the Return to Flight vehicle for mission STS-114, no earlier than March 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane moves the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module across the floor toward a payload canister. The canister will deliver the module, part of the payload for space shuttle Discoverys STS-124 mission, to Launch Pad 39A. On the mission, the STS-124 crew will transport the Kibo module as well as the Japanese Remote Manipulator System to the International Space Station to complete the Kibo laboratory. The launch of Discovery is targeted for May 31.

The jettison motor for Orions Launch Abort System (LAS) is shown inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The motor, which arrived at Kennedy on Sept. 10, 2018, will be stored in the LASF until processing for a full-stress test of the LAS called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2), scheduled for April 2019. Designed and built by NASA and Lockheed Martin, the LAS will protect astronauts if a problem arises during launch by pulling the spacecraft away from a failing rocket. The jettison motor is one of three solid propellant rocket motors in the LAS (the abort motor and attitude control motor are the other two). The jettison motor will pull the LAS away from the crew module, allowing Orions parachutes to deploy and the spacecraft to safely land in the ocean.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility at Port Canaveral, Fla., supplies and other cargo have been installed in the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1, or MRM-1, its hatch is closed for flight, and it is ready to be transported to the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The six-member crew of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and the MRM-1, known as Rassvet, to the International Space Station. The second in a series of new pressurized components for Russia, MRM-1 will be permanently attached to the Earth-facing port of the Zarya control module. Rassvet, which translates to 'dawn,' will be used for cargo storage and will provide an additional docking port to the station. STS-132 is the 34th mission to the station and the 132nd space shuttle mission. Launch is targeted for May 14.

NASA Moves Core Stage 3 Intertank. Technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility move the intertank of NASAs Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III to Cell G on October 26, 2022 to await application of the thermal protection system. Thermal protection systems protect space vehicles from aerodynamic heating during entry to planet atmosphere and re-entry to earth atmosphere. The intertank lays between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Together with the engine section and the forward skirt, they comprise the SLS core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to power the stages four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff and Artemis missions to the Moon and future missions to Mars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, known as Dextre, moves across the facility via an overhead crane to the payload canister at right for transfer to Launch Pad 39A. Dextre is a sophisticated dual-armed robot, which is part of Canada's contribution to the International Space Station. Along with Canadarm2, which is called the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, and a moveable work platform called the Mobile Base System, these three elements form a robotic system called the Mobile Servicing System. The three components have been designed to work together or independently. Dextre is part of the payload on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, targeted for launch March 11. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company

The Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD) payload is prepared for hoisting and installation into the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery in Orbiter Processing Facility 2. The MFD is one of several payloads that will fly on the STS-85 mission. This payload is designed to test the operational capability of the Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEM RMS) Small Fine Arm (SFA), which can be seen atop its Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure (MPESS) carrier that will serve as a platform in the payload bay for the robotic arm experiment. The arm, which will be a part of the JEM element of the International Space Station, will be operated from the orbiters aft flight deck during the 11-day mission. Other payloads that will be aboard Discovery on this space flight include the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2), Technology Applications and Science-1 (TAS-1) and International Extr

The Artemis I Orion spacecraft, secured on the Space Launch System (SLS) and enclosed in its launch abort system, is in view high up in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 10, 2022. Work platforms are extended around Orion and scaffolding has been secured to allow access for inspection and processing work. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASAs deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy. In later missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

. These photos show how technicians at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans installed the third and fourth RS-25 engines onto the core stage for the agencys SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will help power NASAs first crewed Artemis mission to the Moon. Technicians added the first engine to the SLS core stage Sept. 11. The second engine was installed onto the stage Sept. 15 with the third and fourth engines following Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. Engineers consider the engines to be soft mated to the rocket stage. Technicians with NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company and the RS-25 engines lead contractor, along with Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, will now focus efforts on the complex tax of fully securing the engines to the stage and integrating the propulsion and electrical systems within the structure. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASAs backbone for deep space explora

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Forward Reaction Control System (FRCS) of space shuttle Atlantis sits in the transfer aisle of Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 in anticipation of being installed. The FRCS provides the thrust for attitude (rotational) maneuvers (pitch, yaw and roll) and for small velocity changes along the orbiter axis (translation maneuvers). Processing of Atlantis is under way for mission STS-115, the 19th flight to the International Space Station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, an overhead crane moves the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello across the room toward the weight and balance stand at left. Raffaello is the second MPLM built by the Italian Space Agency, and serves as a reusable logistics carrier and primary delivery system used to resupply and return station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Weighing nearly 4.5 tons, the Raffaello measures 21 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. The MPLM will fly on mission STS-100, scheduled to launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on April 19

This image shows the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for NASA'S Mars 2020 Perseverance rover during a fit check with the rover in the payload processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 16-17, 2020. The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator is designed and built by the U.S. Department of Energy, and provided to NASA as part of the space agency's Radioisotope Power Systems Program. It arrived at NASA KSC in April 2020 following its final assembly and transport from the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory. The fit check is the first time that the fueled flight generator is connected to the rover. After the successful fit check, the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator was disconnected; it will be connected to the rover for the final time on the launch pad atop the mission's Atlas V launch vehicle in July, before the planned launch of the Mars 2020 mission. The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectri

A view of the Soyuz rocket engines after engineers at the Baikonur Cosmodrome mated the Soyuz TMA-4 capsule with its booster rocket in preparation for a launch on April 19 of the Expedition 9 crew and a European astronaut to the International Space Station, Friday, April 16, 2004 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, STS-117 Mission Specialist John (Danny) Olivas (right) again practices photographing the orbiter Atlantis with a camera he will use on the mission. At left is Mission Specialist James Reilly. They and other crew members are at KSC to take part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test that allows them opportunities to become familiar with equipment and hardware for their mission. STS-117 will deliver the S3/S4 and another pair of solar arrays to the space station. The 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-117 is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 16.

Boeings CST-100 Starliner Orbital Flight Test vehicle will fly the first test flight to space on an uncrewed mission to the International Space Station. Here you see the spacecrafts upper dome undergoing the final preparations before the upper and lower dome are mated for a pressure test, and then the two domes will move on to be populated with avionics, life support and other critical hardware.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), also known as the Canadian robotic arm, is moved toward Discoverys payload bay for installation. The RMS is used to deploy and retrieve payloads, provide a mobile extension ladder or foot restraints for crew members during extravehicular activities; and to aid the flight crew members in viewing surfaces of the orbiter or payloads through a television camera on the RMS. The arm is also serving as the base for the new Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), one of the safety measures for Return to Flight, equipping the Shuttle with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttles Thermal Protection System while in space. Discovery is scheduled for a launch planning window of May 2005 on Return to Flight mission STS-114.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane is used to lift a mock air lock being prepared for installation in the payload bay of the space shuttle Atlantis in Bay 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility. Atlantis is undergoing final preparations for its transfer to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex targeted for November.The work is part of Transition and Retirement of the remaining space shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour. Atlantis is being prepared for public display at Kennedy's Visitor Complex. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis spent 293 days in space during 33 missions.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the payload faring for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, has been checked out and awaits the arrival of the TDRS-K.Launch of the TDRS-K on the Atlas V rocket is planned for January 29, 2013. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.

NASA's Psyche Solar Array Integration. The first of two solar arrays for NASAs Psyche spacecraft has been extended inside the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 20, 2023. Technicians are preparing to integrate the solar arrays to the Psyche spacecraft. The solar arrays were shipped from Maxar Technologies, in San Jose, California. They are part of the solar electric propulsion system, provided by Maxar, that will power the spacecraft on its journey to explore a metal-rich asteroid. Psyche will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Launch is targeted for Oct. 5, 2023. Riding with Psyche is a pioneering technology demonstration, NASAs Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facilitys bay 3, the orbiter boom sensor system is lowered by a crane into the payload bay of space shuttle Discovery for installation to support mission STS-128. The 50-foot-long boom attaches to the shuttle arm and provides equipment to inspect the shuttle's heat shield while in space. It contains an intensified television camera (ITVC) and a laser dynamic range imager, which are mounted on a pan and tilt unit, and a laser camera system (LCS) mounted on a stationary bracket. The STS-128 flight will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station on space shuttle Discovery. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Aug. 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility-1 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to reinstall the left orbital maneuvering system, or OMS, pod on space shuttle Atlantis.The orbital maneuvering system provided the shuttle with thrust for orbit insertion, rendezvous and deorbit, and could provide up to 1,000 pounds of propellant to the aft reaction control system. The OMS is housed in two independent pods located on each side of the shuttle's aft fuselage. Each pod contains one OMS engine and the hardware needed to pressurize, store and distribute the propellants to perform the velocity maneuvers. Atlantis OMS pods were removed and sent to White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico to be cleaned of residual toxic propellant. The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of the shuttle fleet. A groundbreaking was held Jan. 18 for Atlantis' future home, a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall in Shuttle Plaza a

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the STS-124 mission payload, the Japanese Experiment Module - Pressurized Module, is being transferred from the Payload Changeout Room into space shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Launch of Discovery is targeted for May 31.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facilitys bay 3, the orbiter boom sensor system is lifted by a crane for installation in space shuttle Discoverys payload bay for mission STS-128. The 50-foot-long boom attaches to the shuttle arm and provides equipment to inspect the shuttle's heat shield while in space. It contains an intensified television camera (ITVC) and a laser dynamic range imager, which are mounted on a pan and tilt unit, and a laser camera system (LCS) mounted on a stationary bracket. The STS-128 flight will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station on space shuttle Discovery. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Aug. 6.

Wheels are installed on NASAs Mars Perseverance rover inside Kennedy Space Centers Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on March 30, 2020. Perseverance will liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in July 2020. NASAs Launch Services Program based at Kennedy is managing the launch. The rover will land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.

The upper and lower domes of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Spacecraft 2 Crew Flight Test Vehicle were mated June 19, 2018, inside the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Starliner will launch astronauts on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

Engineers and technicians at NASA Glenn's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, are preparing for the first major test in the campaign to verify the structural integrity of Orions service module for Artemis I, the spacecrafts first flight atop the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Orions service module, which will power and propel the vehicle and supply it with air and water, is being provided by ESA and built by Airbus Defence and Space. The solar array wing deployment test will verify that the qualification model wing unfurls as expected. On Saturday, Feb. 20, an international team of engineers and technicians lifted and tilted the service module test article -- which includes structural representations of the service module, crew module adapter, and spacecraft adapter -- to a 90 degree angle to position it for the deployment test of one of Orions four solar arrays. The next step in preparation for the test is attaching the solar array before the Feb. 29 deployment test. This

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large crane is being used to remove the right orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod from space shuttle Atlantis.The work is part of the Space Shuttle Programs transition and retirement processing of shuttle Atlantis. Both OMS pods will be removed and sent to White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico where they will undergo a complete deservicing and cleaning and then be returned to Kennedy for reinstallation on Atlantis. Atlantis is being prepared for display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The Space Launch System (SLS) core stage is seen in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 4, 2021. Teams with the agencys Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs are preparing to lift the 188,000-pound core stage and place it on the mobile launcher in between the two solid rocket boosters in High Bay 3 of the VAB. The core stage alone will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust at launch, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch the Artemis I mission. The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

NASA is preparing major pieces of the Space Launch System rockets core stage to be joined as part of assembling the core stage for the Artemis II mission that will send crews to lunar orbit. Crews will soon connect the forward assembly with the 130-foot liquid hydrogen tank in the final assembly area at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. When this process is completed, four of the five large structures that make up the core stage will be joined. The 66-foot forward assembly consists of the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank and the intertank, which were mated earlier. This forward assembly will be joined with the 130-foot liquid hydrogen tank, the largest part of the stage that holds more than 500,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant. To compete the Artemis II core stage, engineers will add the engine section, which is currently being outfitted and includes the main propulsion systems that connect to the four RS-25 engines, Together, with the SLS twin solid rocket boosters

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In Orbiter Processing Facility 1 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload bay doors are being closed on space shuttle Atlantis. The designated shuttle for the STS-129 mission, Atlantis will deliver to the International Space Station 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. Atlantis is targeted to launch Nov. 12.

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