NASA Kennedy Space Center Launch Vehicles

Images of the Vehicle Assembly Building and mobile launchers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, showcasing large structures and vehicles involved in space missions.

ML roll is half way to Pad 39B

The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission, atop crawler-transporter 2, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 30, 2020. In view at left is the Launch Control Center. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher was at Launch Pad 39B for 10 days, while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs performed several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch teams countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter moves NASA's new mobile launcher (ML) support structure from a construction site, north of the Vehicle Assembly Building (left), to the Mobile Launcher east park site.The base of the launcher is lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket. Once there, the ML can be outfitted with ground support equipment, such as umbilicals and access arms, for future rocket launches. It took about two years to construct the 355-foot-tall structure, which will support NASA's future human spaceflight program.

ML roll is half way to Pad 39B

NASA's mobile launcher is inside High Bay 3 at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Sept. 11, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher departed Launch Pad 39B after several days of testing with the pad. This is the first time that the modified mobile launcher made the trip to the pad and the VAB. The mobile launcher will spend seven months in the VAB undergoing testing. The 380-foot-tall structure is equipped with the crew access arm and several umbilicals that will provide power, environmental control, pneumatics, communication and electrical connections to the agency's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Ground Systems is preparing the ground systems necessary to launch SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission-1, missions to the Moon and on to Mars.

ML - First motion and beginning of roll of the ML to Pad 39B

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - This aerial view of the Vehicle Assembly Building reveals that it's a full house with vehicles on both pads at Launch Complex 39. Space shuttle Atlantis awaits liftoff from Pad 39A, at right, while processing of the Ares I-X rocket is almost finished on Pad 39B, at left. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27; space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 launch to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16.

Mobile Launcher Rollback to VAB. NASAs mobile launcher, carried atop the crawler-transporter 2, left launch pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 8, 2022, following the successful launch of the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on the Artemis I flight test on Nov. 16, 2022. The mobile launcher is scheduled to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Dec. 9, 2022, and it will remain inside the VAB for several weeks as teams get it ready for the Artemis II crewed mission. Following its stay in the VAB, it will go to the mobile launcher park site location at Kennedy where it will undergo emergency egress modifications and testing to support future Artemis missions.

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The payload canister moves out of the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida heading for Launch Pad 39A. It carries a cargo 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. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Mobile Launcher Platform-3 (MLP), which supported space shuttle Atlantis for its final flight to the International Space Station on the STS-135 mission, has been delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) atop a crawler-transporter. Seen also is the Space Shuttle Program's Launch Control Center (left).For more than 40 years, the MLPs have traveled between the massive VAB to both launch pads at Launch Complex 39, and then returned to the VAB for future use. MLP-3 was first used to launch Columbia on the STS-32 mission on Jan. 9, 1990.

The mobile launcher for NASAs Artemis missions rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 10, 2019, after spending a week and a half inside due to the approach of Hurricane Dorian. The nearly 400-foot-tall structure was moved from Launch Pad 39B to the VAB for safekeeping on Aug. 30. The storm passed about 70 miles east of the spaceport during the overnight hours Tuesday, Sept. 3, and Wednesday, Sept. 4. NASAs Exploration Ground Systems is moving the mobile launcher back to the launch pad, where teams will complete testing and checkout on the launcher in the coming weeks for the Artemis I mission.

The mobile launcher for NASAs Artemis missions rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 10, 2019, after spending a week and a half inside due to the approach of Hurricane Dorian. The nearly 400-foot-tall structure was moved from Launch Pad 39B to the VAB for safekeeping on Aug. 30. The storm passed about 70 miles east of the spaceport during the overnight hours Tuesday, Sept. 3, and Wednesday, Sept. 4. NASAs Exploration Ground Systems is moving the mobile launcher back to the launch pad, where teams will complete testing and checkout on the launcher in the coming weeks for the Artemis I mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Vehicle Assembly Building, Launch Control Center and Mobile Launcher are in this view of the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the Launch Control Center, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing efforts to create a new firing room based on a multi-user concept in Firing Room 4.The design of Firing Room 4 will incorporate five control room areas that are flexible to meet current and future NASA and commercial user requirements. The equipment and most of the consoles from Firing Room 4 were moved to Firing Room 2 for possible future reuse.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Across the expanse of the turn basin, Space Shuttle Atlantis is seen as it creeps toward Launch Pad 39A. At left is the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion was at 8:19 a.m. The 3.4-mile trip along the crawlerway will take about 6 hours. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for March 15.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Against the backdrop of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a helicopter takes off near the NASA News Center. Liftoff of Atlantis was on time at 2:45 p.m. EST. This was the third launch attempt for Atlantis since December 2007 to carry the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. During the 11-day mission, the crew's prime objective is to attach the laboratory to the Harmony module, adding to the station's size and capabilities.

The mobile launcher with NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft aboard is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly Building following the opening of the doors before rolling out to Launch Pad 39B, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than no earlier than Aug. 29.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Modifications continue on the Mobile Launcher, or ML, at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view from the top of the ML is the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Launch Control Center at left and various other facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area. The ML is being modified and strengthened to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS, and Orion spacecraft.In 2013, the agency awarded a contract to J.P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Fla., to modify the ML, which is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy. The existing 24-foot exhaust hole is being enlarged and strengthened for the larger, heavier SLS rocket. The ML will carry the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B for its first mission, Exploration Mission-1, in 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A canister, carrying the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and Express Logistics Carrier-3 for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission, moves past the Vehicle Assembly Building on its journey from the Canister Rotation Facility to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At the pad, crews will move the payload into the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism (PGHM), and the rotating service structure (RSS) that protects the shuttle from the elements and provides access to its components will be rotated back into place. The payload is scheduled to be installed into the shuttle's cargo bay March 25.Endeavour and its six-member STS-134 crew are targeted to lift off April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT to deliver the payload to the International Space Station. This is Endeavour's final scheduled mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center are contrasted against a blue sky at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside Firing Room 4, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing efforts to create a new firing room based on a multi-user concept. Construction workers have installed the framing and some of the insulation and inner walls. The design of Firing Room 4 will incorporate five control room areas that are flexible to meet current and future NASA and commercial user requirements. The equipment and most of the consoles from Firing Room 4 were moved to Firing Room 2 for possible future reuse.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The TDRS-J spacecraft, enclosed in a container, is transported past the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2) for processing. The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System is the primary source of space-to-ground voice, data and telemetry for the Space Shuttle. It also provides communications with the International Space Station and scientific spacecraft in low-earth orbit such as the Hubble Space Telescope, and launch support for some expendable vehicles. This new advanced series of satellites will extend the availability of TDRS communications services until approximately 2017.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Dark clouds fill the sky behind the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA managers postponed todays space shuttle launch because of lightning and thunderstorms within the 20-nautical-mile circle around the launch pad. The fifth launch attempt for the STS-127 mission was scrubbed at 6:39 p.m. EDT. The first two launch attempts on June 13 and June 17 were scrubbed when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. Mission managers also decided to delay tanking on July 11 for a launch attempt later in the day to allow engineers and safety personnel time to analyze data captured during lightning strikes near the pad on July 10. Weather concerns caused a scrub July 12 as well. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of

Packed inside its canister, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket passes by the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ICPS is the first integrated piece of flight hardware to arrive for the SLS. It is the in-space stage that is located toward the top of the rocket, between the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter and the Orion Spacecraft Adapter. It will provide some of the in-space propulsion during Orion's first flight test atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from across the turn basin at Launch Complex 39 area, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 (open door) atop a Mobile Launcher Platform and begins rolling to Launch Pad 39A via a crawler-transporter. The combined height of the Shuttle, MLP and transporter is 235.2 ft. (71.6 m). Once at the pad, routine launch pad validations will commence, verifying all vehicle and facility interfaces. Endeavour is expected to lift off on mission STS-100 on April 19, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, to the International Space Station

This aerial photo captures many of the facilities involved in Space Shuttle launches. At center is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The curved road on the near side is the newly restored crawlerway leading into the VAB high bay 2, where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter currently sits. The road restoration and high bay 2 are part of KSCs Safe Haven project, enabling the storage of orbiters during severe weather. The crawlerway also extends from the east side of the VAB out to the two Space Shuttle launch pads. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank-solid rocket booster stack, atop a mobile launcher platform, rolls through the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center into high bay 3. The ET/SRB stack was moved from high bay 1 to make room for the ET-SRB stack for space shuttle Endeavour. Atlantis is targeted for launch on the STS-125 mission on May 12 to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour will fly on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station and bring the final segments for Japan's Kibo laboratory.

NASAs Moon rocket is on the move at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida, rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building for a 4.2-mile journey to Launch Complex 39B on March 17, 2022. Carried atop the crawler-transporter 2, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are venturing to the pad for a wet dress rehearsal ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I launch. The first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery moves away from high bay 3 of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building as begins its slow 4.2-mile journey via the crawlerway to Launch Pad 39B. The shuttle rests on a mobile launcher platform that sits atop a crawler-transporter. First motion was at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The rollout is an important step before launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery's launch is targeted for July 1 in a launch window that extends to July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour is seen inside the Mate-Demate Device, or MDD, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center's Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, and the mobile launcher built for the Space Launch System are also visible in the background. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft will carry Endeavour to Los Angeles where it will be placed on public display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - After moving out of high bay 1 in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank-solid rocket booster stack, atop a mobile launcher platform, rolls toward high bay 3. The move makes room in high bay 1 for the ET-SRB stack for space shuttle Endeavour. Atlantis is targeted for launch on the STS-125 mission on May 12 to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour will fly on the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station and bring the final segments for Japan's Kibo laboratory.

The single-engine Centaur upper stage for the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASAs Mars Perseverance rover is being transported to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on June 10, 2020. The Centaur will be lifted up and attached to the rockets first stage. The Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled to launch atop the Atlas V 541 rocket from Pad 41 on July 20, 2020. The rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rovers seven instruments will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher as it rolls out of High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for the first time to Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From across the turn basin can be seen Space Shuttle a href='.._.._subjects_atlantis.htm' Atlantis _a approaching the a href='.._.._subjects_vab.htm' Vehicle Assembly Building _a (at left). Atlantis is rolling back to the VAB from a href='.._.._subjects_lc39a.htm' Launch Pad 39A _a . In the VAB workers will conduct inspections, make continuity checks and conduct X-ray analysis on the 36 solid rocket booster cables located inside each boosters external system tunnel. An extensive evaluation of NASAs SRB cable inventory revealed conductor damage in four (of about 200) cables on the shelf. Shuttle managers decided to prove the integrity of the system tunnel cables already on Atlantis before launching. The launch has been rescheduled no earlier than Feb. 6

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery rolls out of high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for the long, slow journey to Launch Pad 39B and launch of mission STS-116. The mission is No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The mission payload is the SPACEHAB module, the P5 integrated truss structure and other key components. The launch window for mission STS-116 opens Dec. 7.

The mobile launcher with NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft aboard is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly Building following the opening of the doors before rolling out to Launch Pad 39B, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agencys deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than no earlier than Aug. 29.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Modifications continue on the Mobile Launcher, or ML, at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view from the top of the ML is the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Launch Control Center at left and various other facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area. The ML is being modified and strengthened to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS, and Orion spacecraft.In 2013, the agency awarded a contract to J.P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Fla., to modify the ML, which is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program office at Kennedy. The existing 24-foot exhaust hole is being enlarged and strengthened for the larger, heavier SLS rocket. The ML will carry the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B for its first mission, Exploration Mission-1, in 2017.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from across the turn basin at Launch Complex 39 area, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building high bay 3 (open door) atop a Mobile Launcher Platform and begins rolling to Launch Pad 39A via a crawler-transporter. The combined height of the Shuttle, MLP and transporter is 235.2 ft. (71.6 m). Once at the pad, routine launch pad validations will commence, verifying all vehicle and facility interfaces. Endeavour is expected to lift off on mission STS-100 on April 19, carrying the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the Canadian robotic arm, SSRMS, to the International Space Station

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

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Towering atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter, Space Shuttle Discovery rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to Launch Pad 39B which is 4.2 miles (6.8 kilometers) away. While at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a "call-up" due to the need to replace portions of the pointing system the gyros which have begun to fail on the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. The gyroscopes allow the telescope to point at stars, galaxies and planets. The STS-103 crew will also be installing a Fine Guidance Sensor, a new enhanced computer, a solid-state digital recorder, and a new spare transmitter to replace older equipment, and replacing degraded insulation on the telescope

The space shuttle Atlantis moves to Launch Pad 39A during rollout at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, in Florida. ( NASA Photo / Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool ).

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39Bin this view of the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center, Sunday, April 3, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team conducts the wet dress rehearsal test at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with the Orion capsule atop, prepares to roll out of High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 17, 2022, for its journey to Launch Complex 39B. Carried atop the crawler-transporter 2, NASAs Moon rocket is venturing out to the launch pad for a wet dress rehearsal ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I launch. The first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

The engine vertical installer for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) arrives by large transport truck at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 25, 2019. The engine installer arrived from the manufacturer, Precision Fabrication and Cleaning in Canaveral Groves, Florida. The new ground support equipment will be ready for preflight assembly in the event one of the four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the SLS rocket needs to be replaced. During launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, the four core stage engines will provide the thrust needed to lift the rocket and Orion spacecraft off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy for Exploration Mission-1. The uncrewed Orion will travel on a three-week test mission thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B in this view of the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center, Monday, April 4, 2022, as the Artemis I launch team conducts the wet dress rehearsal test at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the wet dress rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and drain the tanks to practice timelines and procedures for launch.

The Artemis I aft skirts for the NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rockets twin solid rocket boosters are moved along the road to the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 10, 2020. In the background is the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The aft skirts were refurbished by Northrop Grumman. They house the thrust vector control system, which controls 70 percent of the steering during initial ascent of the SLS rocket. The aft skirts will remain in the RPSF until ready for stacking with the forward and aft parts of the boosters on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 of the VAB. Through the Artemis Program, NASA is working to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

A brilliant blue sky forms the background for a panoramic view of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ten levels of work platforms have been installed in High Bay 3 of the VAB. They will surround and provide access for service and processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Ground Systems oversaw the upgrades and installation of the new work platforms to support the launch of the SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister passes NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center on its way to Launch Pad 39B. Inside are the payloads for mission STS-121: the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, with supplies and equipment for the International Space Station; the lightweight multi-purpose experiment support structure carrier; and the integrated cargo carrier, with the mobile transporter reel assembly and a spare pump module. The payload will be transferred from the canister to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay at the pad. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 from Launch Pad 39B in a window that opens July 1 and extends to July 19.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister moves past NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to Launch Pad 39B. Inside are the payloads for mission STS-121: the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, with supplies and equipment for the International Space Station; the lightweight multi-purpose experiment support structure carrier; and the integrated cargo carrier, with the mobile transporter reel assembly and a spare pump module. The payload will be transferred from the canister to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay at the pad. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 from Launch Pad 39B in a window that opens July 1 and extends to July 19.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On its slow 4.2-mile journey via the crawlerway to Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Discovery passes the barge in the turn basin. In the foreground on the south side of the basin is the flag and countdown clock near the NASA News Center. The shuttle rests on a mobile launcher platform that sits atop a crawler-transporter. First motion in NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building was at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The rollout is an important step before launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery's launch is targeted for July 1 in a launch window that extends to July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Discovery leaves the confines of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building as begins its slow 4.2-mile journey via the crawlerway to Launch Pad 39B. The shuttle rests on a mobile launcher platform that sits atop a crawler-transporter. First motion was at 12:45 p.m. EDT. The rollout is an important step before launch of Discovery on mission STS-121 to the International Space Station. Discovery's launch is targeted for July 1 in a launch window that extends to July 19. During the 12-day mission, Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies and make repairs to the station.

An early morning view of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To the right is the Launch Control Center. In the background is the mobile launcher. All 10 levels of new work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, have been installed in VAB High Bay 3 for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades to the VAB, including installation of the new platforms to prepare for the first test flight of Orion atop the SLS from Launch Pad 39B.

An aerial view of NASA's mobile launcher (ML) atop crawler-transporter 2 as it begins its trek to Launch Pad 39B on Aug. 30, 2018, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ML will undergo a fit check on the surface of the pad, followed by several days of systems testing. The 380-foot-tall mobile launcher is equipped with the crew access arm and several umbilicals that will provide power, environmental control, pneumatics, communication and electrical connections to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Ground Systems is preparing the ground systems necessary to launch SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission-1, missions to the Moon and on to Mars.

Technicians with NASAs Exploration Ground Systems move the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on July 30, 2020, for processing. Carried by NASAs Pegasus barge, the LVSA arrived at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf after departing from the agencys Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The LVSA will connect the SLS core stage to the rockets upper stage and will remain in the VAB until its time for stacking on the mobile launcher ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

After its journey from NASAs Stennis Space Center in Mississippi aboard the Pegasus barge, the mighty Space Launch System (SLS) core stage arrives at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 27, 2021. The core stage is the final piece of Artemis hardware to arrive at the spaceport and will be offloaded and moved to Kennedys Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be prepared for integration atop the mobile launcher with the completed stack of solid rocket boosters ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

The mobile launcher for NASAs Artemis missions rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 10, 2019, after spending a week and a half inside due to the approach of Hurricane Dorian. The nearly 400-foot-tall structure was moved from Launch Pad 39B to the VAB for safekeeping on Aug. 30. The storm passed about 70 miles east of the spaceport during the overnight hours Tuesday, Sept. 3, and Wednesday, Sept. 4. NASAs Exploration Ground Systems is moving the mobile launcher back to the launch pad, where teams will complete testing and checkout on the launcher in the coming weeks for the Artemis I mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A piece of metal lies on the ground near the NASA Kennedy Space Centers Vehicle Assembly Building following the wrath of hurricane Wilma as it crossed the state Oct. 24. Kennedys facilities sustained minor structural damage, primarily to roofs or from water intrusion. The Vehicle Assembly Building lost some panels on the east and west sides. Some facilities lost power. A total of 13.6 inches of rain was recorded at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The highest wind gust recorded was 94 mph from the north-northwest at Launch Pad 39B, while the maximum sustained wind was 76 mph from the north-northwest at the top of the 492-foot weather tower located north of the Vehicle Assembly Building.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this aerial view of the mobile launcher park site area shows a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program under construction. In the background at left is Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from which Atlas V rockets are launched.When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASAs specially designed barge, Pegasus, is docked in the Launch Complex 39 Area Turn Basin with its cargo of the newly redesigned External Tank. The barge was towed from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The tank will be off-loaded and transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building, seen at left of the barge. In the transfer aisle of the VAB, the tank will be raised from a horizontal to a vertical position, then lifted high up into a storage cell, or checkout cell, where it will undergo inspections of the mechanical, electrical and thermal protection systems. New processing activities resulting from re-design of the tank include inspection of the bipod heater and External Tank separation camera, which includes charging the camera batteries. The tank will be then prepared for mating to the Solid Rocket Boosters. When preparations are complete, the tank will be lifted from the checkout cell, moved across the transfer aisle and into High Bay 1, wher

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis awaits liftoff from Launch Pad 39A, at right, while processing of the Ares I-X rocket is almost finished on Launch Pad 39B, in the background. The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27; space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 launch to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16.

Technicians with NASAs Exploration Ground Systems move the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on July 30, 2020, for processing. Carried by NASAs Pegasus barge, the LVSA arrived at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf after departing from the agencys Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The LVSA will connect the SLS core stage to the rockets upper stage and will remain in the VAB until its time for stacking on the mobile launcher ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Spotlighted against the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 327-foot-tall Ares I-X rocket begins its slow trek to Launch Pad 39B. The move, known as "rollout," began at 1:39 a.m. EDT. The transfer of the pad from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program took place May 31. Modifications made to the pad include the removal of shuttle unique subsystems, such as the orbiter access arm and a section of the gaseous oxygen vent arm, along with the installation of three 600-foot lightning towers, access platforms, environmental control systems and a vehicle stabilization system. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 27.

Enclosed in its payload fairing, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) passes by the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its way to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellite will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in November. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.

NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken return to the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building from Launch Complex 39A after completing a dress rehearsal for the Demo-2 mission launch, Saturday, May 23, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Behnken and Hurley are scheduled to launch at 4:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

The Vehicle Assembly Building is seen at sunset as preparations continue for the NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission, Monday, May 25, 2020, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission is the first launch with astronauts of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. The test flight serves as an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceXs crew transportation system. Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are scheduled to launch at 4:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to low-Earth orbit for the first time since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this aerial view of Launch Complex 39 shows a new mobile launcher, or ML, for the Constellation Program, at far right, being constructed in the mobile launcher park site area north of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building. In the background is the Indian River.When completed, the tower will be approximately 345 feet tall and have multiple platforms for personnel access. Its base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the heavier load of the tower and a taller rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A full-size test mock-up of the Orion spacecraft arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to test the path flight hardware will take during future launch processing.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket.

An aerial view of Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 13, 2021. SpaceX launches its Falcon 9 rocket from the launch pad carrying a Crew Dragon or Cargo Dragon to the International Space Station, for Commercial Crew or Commercial Resupply missions, respectively. In view is the Fixed Service Structure and crew access arm.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At the NASA Press Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a tent is erected in the shadow of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building for a unique event, a Tweetup, being held to share the excitement of a space shuttle launch with a new audience.The two-day event will provide NASA Twitter followers the opportunity to take a tour of Kennedy, view a shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers, as well as the staff behind the tweets on @NASA. Launch of shuttle Atlantis on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is scheduled for 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Through the open doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building can be seen the second redesigned External Tank (ET-121). The tank recently arrived at the Turn Basin after its 900-mile journey at sea from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. In addition to the Return to Flight modifications, this tank has been outfitted with temperature sensors and accelerometers, used to measure vibration. These sensors will gather information about how the tank performs during flight. The tank is designated for use on Return to Flight mission STS-121, which has a launch window of July 12 to July 31, 2005.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A full-size test mock-up of the Orion spacecraft arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to test the path flight hardware will take during future launch processing.Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of the Orion is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket and in 2017 on a Space Launch System rocket.

Bright lights illuminate the Vehicle Assembly Building in the early morning on Oct. 20, 2020, as the mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission begins its rollout atop crawler-transporter 2 at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is being rolled to Launch Pad 39B. During its two-week stay at the pad, engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs will perform several tasks, including a timing test to validate the launch teams countdown timeline, and a thorough, top-to-bottom wash down of the mobile launcher to remove any debris remaining from construction and installation of the umbilical arms. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On the crawlerway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an aerial view shows the mobile launcher (ML) as it rolls out aboard the crawler-transporter moving from next to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, a distance of 4.2 miles. Data on the ML will be collected from structural and functional engineering tests and used for the next phases of construction. The 355-foot-tall ML structure, which took about two years to construct, is being modified to support NASAs Space Launch System (SLS), the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. SLS will also create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis, attached to its bright-orange external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, takes center stage on its seaside launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this aerial image taken from a NASA helicopter.Atlantis and its crew of four -- Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim -- are scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, an

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Towering atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter, Space Shuttle Discovery rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to Launch Pad 39B which is 4.2 miles (6.8 kilometers) away. While at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a "call-up" due to the need to replace portions of the pointing system the gyros which have begun to fail on the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. The gyroscopes allow the telescope to point at stars, galaxies and planets. The STS-103 crew will also be installing a Fine Guidance Sensor, a new enhanced computer, a solid-state digital recorder, and a new spare transmitter to replace older equipment, and replacing degraded insulation on the telescope

NASA's Pegasus Barge, which has a storied history of supporting the Space Shuttle Program, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B turn basin wharf, carrying its first load in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived Friday, Sept. 27, ferrying the 212-foot-long Space Launch System (SLS) core stage pathfinder. Weighing in at 228,000 pounds, the pathfinder is a full-scale mockup of the rocket's core stage. The pathfinder will be utilized by the Exploration Ground Systems Program and their contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, utilizing important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy for approximately one month before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister passes NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center on its way to Launch Pad 39B. Inside are the payloads for mission STS-121: the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, with supplies and equipment for the International Space Station; the lightweight multi-purpose experiment support structure carrier; and the integrated cargo carrier, with the mobile transporter reel assembly and a spare pump module. The payload will be transferred from the canister to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay at the pad. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 from Launch Pad 39B in a window that opens July 1 and extends to July 19.

Artemis I Rollout for Launch. The mobile launcher, with NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft atop, rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Buildings High Bay 3 to begin its 4.2-mile journey to Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 4, 2022. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASAs SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and is scheduled to launch Monday, Nov. 14. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by launching Orion atop the SLS rocket, operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orions heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. During the flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any human-rated spacecraft has ever flown, paving the way for human deep space exploration and demonstrating our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After 30 years and 135 missions, employees and invited guests crowd the Launch Complex 39 area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to see the rocket's red glare of NASA's Space Shuttle Program soar for the last time. Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to liftoff at 11:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. On board will be four experienced astronauts -- STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.STS-135 will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts for the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the

The left hand aft skirt for NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket arrives at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from the Hangar AF facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The aft skirt will be transported to the Booster Fabrication Facility. The space shuttle-era aft skirt, was inspected, resurfaced, primed and painted for use on the left hand booster of the SLS rocket for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). NASA is preparing for EM-1, deep-space missions, and the journey to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An aerial view, from the west looking toward the east, shows the entire Launch Pad 39B area at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A new elevator has been constructed on the surface of the pad and the crawlerway leading up to the surface is being repaired. Repairs also are being made to the crawler track panels and catacomb roof below on either side of the flame trench. Also in view are the water tower and the three tall lightning towers that surround the pad. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean. Upgrades are underway at Pad B and other facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area. The Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program office at Kennedy is leading the centers transformation from a historically government-only launch complex to a spaceport that can safely handle a variety of rockets and spacecraft, including NASAs Space Launch System.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An aerial view of the Vehicle Assembly Building and other buildings in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To the left is the mobile launcher that will be used to transport NASAs Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew capsule to Launch Pad 39B. Upgrades are underway at Pad B and other facilities in the Launch Complex 39 area. The Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program office at Kennedy is leading the centers transformation from a historically government-only launch complex to a spaceport that can safely handle a variety of rockets and spacecraft, including NASAs Space Launch System.

A view of the north side of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from the top of the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the VAB, 10 levels of platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, have been installed in High Bay 3. The platforms will surround NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. Crawler-transporter 2 will carry the rocket and spacecraft atop the mobile launcher to Launch Pad 39B for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB and the mobile launcher.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Black storm clouds roll in over the Vehicle Assembly Building, bringing thunder and heavy rain. This type of weather convinced flight control managers to wave off the two scheduled landing attempts at KSC for Endeavour, returning from mission STS-111

The mobile launcher with NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft aboard is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly Building during the opening of the doors to High Bay 3 before rolling out to Launch Complex 39B for the first time, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ahead of NASAs Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Launch Complex 39B to verify systems and practice countdown procedures for the first launch.

A brilliant blue sky forms the backdrop for a view of the south and east sides of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Exploration Ground Systems oversaw the upgrades. The building casts a reflection in a surrounding waterway. Ten levels of new work platforms have been installed in VAB High Bay 3. They will surround and provide access for service and processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Ground Systems oversaw the upgrades and installation of the new work platforms to support the launch of the SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions.

NASAs Pegasus barge departs from the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 4, 2020, for its trip to NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. The Pegasus barge arrived at Kennedy on July 29, delivering the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket - the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, providing the muscle necessary to get to the Moon and eventually to Mars. In the background is the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the LVSA - hardware that will connect the core stage of the rocket to the upper stage - is now undergoing processing. The next time the Pegasus barge returns to Kennedy, it will be carrying the SLS core stage - the final piece of the rocket that needs to be delivered ahead of the Artemis I launch.

After completing its journey from NASAs Stennis Space Center in Mississippi aboard the Pegasus barge, teams with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and lead contractor Jacobs transport the massive Space Launch System (SLS) core stage to Kennedy Space Centers Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on April 29, 2021 in this aerial view. Once inside the VAB, it will be prepared for integration with the completed stack of solid rocket boosters atop the mobile launcher ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion spacecraft passes the spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its 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 flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASAs Space Launch System rocket.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister passes NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center on its way to Launch Pad 39B. Inside are the payloads for mission STS-121: the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, with supplies and equipment for the International Space Station; the lightweight multi-purpose experiment support structure carrier; and the integrated cargo carrier, with the mobile transporter reel assembly and a spare pump module. The payload will be transferred from the canister to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay at the pad. Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-121 from Launch Pad 39B in a window that opens July 1 and extends to July 19.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Clouds spread throughout the sky behind Launch Pad 39B where Space Shuttle Atlantis still sits after the scrub of its launch on mission STS-115. Atlantis was originally scheduled to launch at 12:29 p.m. EDT on this date, but a 24-hour scrub was called by mission managers due to a concern with fuel cell 1. Towering above the shuttle is the 80-foot lightning mast. At right is the 300,000-gallon water tank that releases its contents onto the mobile launcher platform during liftoff to aid sound suppression. During the STS-115 mission, Atlantis' astronauts will deliver and install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment on the station. The girder-like truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics and will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability for the completed station. This mission is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - As part of NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large space shuttle-era work platform being removed from high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. The work is part of a center-wide modernization and refurbishment initiative to accommodate NASAs Space Launch System and a variety of other spacecraft instead of the whole building supporting one design.The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is developing the necessary ground systems, infrastructure and operational approaches required to safely process, assemble, transport and launch the next generation of rockets and spacecraft in support of NASAs exploration objectives. Future work also will replace the antiquated communications, power and vehicle access resources with modern efficient systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for replacement have been used since the VAB opened in 1965.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Dozens of storks are roused from the ground near the Vehicle Assembly Building after the Space Shuttle Atlantis has moved out. The Shuttle has been in the VAB undergoing tests on the solid rocket booster cables. A prior extensive evaluation of NASAs SRB cable inventory on the shelf revealed conductor damage in four (of about 200) cables. Shuttle managers decided to prove the integrity of the system tunnel cables already on Atlantis, causing return of the Shuttle to the VAB a week ago. The Shuttle rolled back to Launch Pad 39A to get ready for launch on Feb. 7 at 6 11 p.m. EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis awaits liftoff from Launch Pad 39A, at right, while processing of the Ares I-X rocket is almost finished on Launch Pad 39B, in the background at left.The Ares I-X flight test is set for Oct. 27; space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 launch to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16.

NASA Kennedy Space Center - official site for NASA's center in Cape Canaveral, Florida

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