NASA Vehicle Assembly Building

Images of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building and payload canisters, capturing the essence of space technology and transportation.

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. In view is the iconic countdown clock at the NASA News Center, commonly referred to as the Press Site. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the canister with space shuttle Atlantis HST payload inside rolls past the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center, behind it. 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.

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. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis (background, right) approaches the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building (left) on its way back from Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis has rolled back to the VAB so that workers can conduct inspections, make continuity checks and conduct X-ray analysis on the 36 solid rocket booster cables located inside each boosters 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 Jan. 19. The launch has been rescheduled no earlier than Feb. 6

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.

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida was used to assemble and house American-crewed launch vehicles from 1968 to 2011. AT 3,684,883 cubic meters, it is one of the largest buildings in the world by volume. Inside the facility, High Bay 3 is being upgraded and modified to support processing of the agency's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking from the Press Site across the Turn Basin at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the American flag appears to salute Space Shuttle Discovery as she marks a major milestone for Return to Flight, rolling out to Launch Pad 39B. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building, behind the flag, was at 2 04 p.m. EDT. The Shuttle sits atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, which is moved by the Crawler-Transporter underneath. The Crawler is 20 feet high, 131 feet long and 114 feet wide. It moves on eight tracks, each containing 57 shoes, or cleats, weighing one ton each. Loaded with the Space Shuttle, the Crawler can move at a maximum speed of approximately 1 mile an hour. A leveling system in the Crawler keeps the Shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5 percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Disc

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the canister with space shuttle Atlantis HST payload inside rolls past the Vehicle Assembly Building, behind it. 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.

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. In view is the iconic countdown clock at the NASA News Center, commonly referred to as the Press Site. 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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload canister with the Hubble Space Telescope equipment passes the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center (left) as it heads for Launch Pad 39A. On the pad, the Hubble equipment will be transferred to space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis' 11-day STS-125 mission to service Hubble is targeted for launch May 12. The flight will include five spacewalks in which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Under a darkening sky, the payload canister containing the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre, slowly moves past the Vehicle Assembly Building toward Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. At the pad the payload will be transferred to the payload changeout room, part of the rotating service structure. 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 an orbiter's payload bay. The payload will be installed into Endeavour for launch on the STS-123 mission targeted for March 11.

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.

Enclosed in its payload fairing, NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M) passes the Vehicle assembly Building at the agency'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. TDRS-M will be stacked atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V Centaur upper stage. It will be the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop the ULA Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 on Aug. 18, 2017.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Italian-built module, U.S. Node 2, moves past the Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility. The second of three connecting modules on the International Space Station, Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, 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. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet.

The parking area at the NASA News Center is filled with media vehicles and guest buses in anticipation of the liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The demonstration flight will be a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and is preparing for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.

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. - Seen across the water of the Launch Complex 39 turn basin, a crawler-transporter, carrying Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) number 3 with a set of twin solid rocket boosters bolted atop, crawls out of the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building during the second engineering analysis vibration test on the crawler and MLP. The crawler is moving at various speeds up to 1 mph in an effort to achieve vibration data gathering goals as it leaves the VAB, travels toward Launch Pad 39A and then returns. The boosters are braced at the top for stability. The primary purpose of these rollout tests is to gather data to develop future maintenance requirements on the transport equipment and the flight hardware. Various parts of the MLP and crawler transporter have been instrumented with vibration data collection equipment.

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

STS-131 LMC Support Structure Carrier Lift & Installation in Canister

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From across the turn basin can be seen Space Shuttle Atlantis approaching the Vehicle Assembly Building (at left). Atlantis is rolling back to the VAB from Launch Pad 39A. 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. -- The right-hand orbital maneuvering system pod is driven past the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 for installation on the orbiter Endeavour. The orbital maneuvering system/reaction control system left- and right-hand pods are attached to the upper aft fuselage left and right sides. Each pod is fabricated primarily of graphite epoxy composite and aluminum. Each pod is 21.8 feet long and 11.37 feet wide at its aft end and 8.41 feet wide at its forward end, with a surface area of approximately 435 square feet. The orbiter is being prepared for its first launch in just over four years. The vehicle has undergone an extensive modification period, including the addition of all of the return-to-flight safety upgrades added to both Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour is targeted for launch of mission STS-118 on June 28.

The 212-foot-long Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage pathfinder is being transported back to the Pegasus barge at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 28, 2019. The core stage pathfinder is a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. It was used by the Exploration Ground Systems Program and their contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder was at Kennedy for about a month. It will make the trek back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

A close-up view of the top of the 212-foot-long Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage pathfinder as it is being moved back to the Pegasus barge at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 28, 2019. The core stage pathfinder is a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. It was used by the Exploration Ground Systems Program and their contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder was at Kennedy for about a month. It will make the trek back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

NASAs Artemis I Moon rocket - carried atop the crawler-transporter 2 - rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 6, 2022, beginning the 4.2-mile journey to Launch Complex 39B. The rocket is traveling to the launch pad for NASAs next wet dress rehearsal attempt ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and using the Moon as a steppingstone before venturing 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.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket begins its demonstration flight with liftoff at 3:45 p.m. EST from from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and prepared for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - This view taken from a helicopter shows damage to the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC following the category 3 Hurricane Jeanne. The storm barreled through Central Florida Sept. 25-26 from the southeast. The VAB had lost 850 panels from the south wall during Hurricane Frances. Twenty-five additional panels were pulled off the east wall by the winds from Jeanne. This was the fourth hurricane in 6 weeks to batter the state.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy stands at Launch Complex 39A, far right, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida awaiting liftoff on its demonstration flight. In the foreground is the centers iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. The demonstration flight is a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and is preparing for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket are being prepared for launch. Behind Bolden, from the left, are United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes partially hidden behind Bolden, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.

The mobile launcher for NASAs Artemis missions rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and past the Launch Control Center 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. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a transporter carrying the canister containing the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station - Express Logistics Carriers 1 and 2 - moves past the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to Launch Pad 39A. Once at the pad, the payload will be transferred into the Payload Changeout Room for installation in Atlantis' payload bay.The STS-129 crew will deliver 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. Launch is set for Nov. 16.

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 covered fifth segment simulator center for the Ares I-X rocket arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will join other segments being stacked there. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system. Ares I-X is targeted for launch in July 2009.

Kennedy Space Center director Janet Petro delivers remarks as the agencys Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard rolls out of High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building 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.

Telephoto lenses mounted on tripods top of CBS building press site at Launch Complex 39 with Vehicle Assembly Building in background, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida, USA

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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, center director Bob Cabana announces that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, left, and Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, look on.SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agencys plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Joint Extravehicular NBL ORION Mockup, or JENOM, is on display. The mock-up details the interior components of the vehicle including seat layout and the subsystem components on the outside of the pressure vessel. Orion mock-ups also have been used to verify accessibility of the servicing locations at the launch pad and in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Loaded on a transporter, the payload faring containing the Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM spacecraft departs the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and heads toward the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-3E. There it will be hoisted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V for launch. LDCM is the eighth satellite in the Landsat Program series of Earth-observing missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. LDCM will continue the programs critical role in monitoring, understanding and managing the resources needed for human sustainment such as food, water and forests.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The container that carries the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module (MPLM), secured on its transportation vehicle, makes its way past the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once there, the canister will be lifted to the payload changeout room. The payload ground-handling mechanism then will be used to transfer Raffaello out of the canister into space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Next, the rotating service structure that protects the shuttle from the elements and provides access will be rotated back into place.Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the station. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites and return a failed ammonia pump module to h

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, media gather outside of Orbiter Processing Facility-2 to photograph space shuttle Endeavour's move, or "rollover," to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). In the VAB, Endeavour will be lifted into a high bay where it will be attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters for its final and upcoming STS-134 mission.Endeavour and its STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, spare parts, a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, Lockheed Martin Orion Program manager Mike Hawes speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Behind Hawes, from the left, are NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa speaks to members of the news media as the Orion spacecraft and its United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket were being prepared for launch. Behind Ochoa, from the left, are NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, Lockheed Martin Orion Program Manager Mike Hawes and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space center workers pose for a group photo in front of space shuttle Discovery, which is visible on Launch Pad 39A. Later, the rotating service structure that protects the shuttle from the elements will be moved into place. It took the spacecraft about six hours to make the journey, known as "rollout," from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad. Rollout sets the stage for Discovery's STS-133 crew to practice countdown and launch procedures during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test in mid-October. Targeted to liftoff Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station.

Through broken clouds, the shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, and its passenger Atlantis ease their way past the Vehicle Assembly Building, at right, for a landing at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, known as the SLF. The aircraft is a modified Boeing 747 jetliner. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California to end mission STS-117. The return to KSC began July 1 and took three days after stops across the country for fuel. The last stop was at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky. Weather conditions over the last leg postponed the return trip until July 3. Touchdown was at 8:27 a.m. EDT. Atlantis will be removed from the back of the SCA via the mate/demate device at the SLF. It will then be towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility to begin processing for its next launch, mission STS-122 in December.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - - The media station their cameras to capture the move of the aft skirt and lower segment of the Solid Rocket Booster for the Return to Flight mission STS-114. A significant milestone in Return to Flight, these first segments are moving from the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Other segments will follow for stacking. Two SRBs support the liftoff of the Space Shuttle on a launch. The twin 149-foot tall, 12-foot diameter SRBs provide the main propulsion system during launch to place the 180,000-pound orbiters in the proper orbit around the Earth. They operate parallel with the Space Shuttle main engines for the first two minutes of flight and jettison away from the orbiter with help from the Booster Separation Motors, about 26.3 nautical miles above the Earths surface.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis, on its Mobile Launcher Platform, is seen from across the turn basin as it rolls out to Launch Pad 39A for the second time. An attempt to roll out on Jan. 2 incurred a failed computer processor on the first crawler transporter. The Shuttle was returned to the VAB using a secondary computer processor on the vehicle. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the International Space Station, carrying the U.S. Laboratory, named Destiny. The lab module will have five system racks already installed inside. After delivery of electronics in the lab, electrically powered attitude control for Control Moment Gyroscopes will be activated. Atlantis is scheduled for launch no earlier than Jan. 19, 2001, with a crew of five

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Crew Dragon atop, stands poised for launch at historic Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 21, 2020, ahead of NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission. The rocket and spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program, returning human spaceflight capability to the U.S. after nearly a decade. This will be SpaceXs final flight test, paving the way for NASA to certify the crew transportation system for regular, crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. Launch is slated for 4:33 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 27.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Columbia completes the short journey from Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). During its approximately one-week stay inside the VAB, the spaceplane will be mated to the external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, and electrical and mechanical interfaces will be verified. Rollout to Launch Pad 39B is planned for Oct. 16, where the two primary payloads of the upcoming STS-80 mission -- the Wake Shield Facility-3 (WSF-3) and Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (ORFEUS-SPAS-2) -- will be installed. Liftoff on the final Shuttle flight of 1996 is targeted for no earlier than Nov 8 at 2:47 p.m. EST

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Black storm clouds hang over the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center, bringing thunder and heavy rain to the area. 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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Striding through the Vehicle Assembly Building are STS-116 crew members (from left) Mark Polansky, commander; Nicholas Patrick, Sunita Williams, Christer Fugelsang and Joan Higginbotham, mission specialists. The crew is at KSC for a Crew Equipment Interface Test. Mission crews make frequent trips to the Kennedy Space Center to become familiar with the equipment and payloads they will be using. STS-116 will be mission 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. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 7.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, dark clouds hover over the Vehicle Assembly Building in the Launch Complex 39 area. Severe storms associated with a frontal system are moving through Central Florida, producing strong winds, heavy rain, frequent lightning and even funnel clouds.

A close-up view the NASA insignia in front of the entrance to the new headquarters building on April 3, 2019, at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The newly constructed facility anchors the multi-user spaceports Central Campus. More than 500 civil service and contractor employees will be based in the 200,000-square-foot building. The facility earned the U.S. Green Building Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold designation. Features include LED lighting throughout, along with occupancy sensors to turn off unneeded lights; windows, screens and shades designed to maximize natural light; chilled beam HVAC technology reducing the need for ductwork, and more.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) to begin the approximately half-mile journey to launch Pad-0A, Thursday, July 10, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch with the Cygnus spacecraft filled with over 3,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. The Orbital-2 mission is Orbital Sciences' second contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA.

An Orbital ATK rocket is seen as it is rolled out to launch Pad-0A at Wallops Flight Facility Thursday, May 17, 2018 at Wallops Island, VA. The Antares will launch a Cygnus spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The mission is Orbital ATKs ninth contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA. Included in the 7,400 pounds of cargo onboard Cygnus, are science experiments, crew supplies, and vehicle hardware.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The lid is removed from the transportation trailer containing a half section of the 10-foot-diameter fairing for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, in the Building 836 high bay on south Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.The fairing will protect the SMAP spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during its ascent to orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 2. SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data will also be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for November 2014.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Severe weather begins to roll over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the night launch teams planned to move the rotating service structure (RSS) away from space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39A. The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits lift off on the pad. RSS "rollback," as it's called, was delayed by nearly five hours to allow the storms to move offshore. Endeavour and the STS-134 crew will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the International Space Station. Endeavour was scheduled to launch at 3:47 p.m. on April 29, but that attempt was scrubbed for at least 72 hours while engineers assess an issue associated with the shuttle's Auxiliary Power Unit 1. STS-134 will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building OandC at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Keith Hefner, NASA's Space Launch System program planning and control manager, speaks to news media representatives updating progress on preparing the Orion spacecraft for its first uncrewed mission, Exploration Flight Test-1 EFT-1 in 2014. The crew module is seen behind Hefner in its test stand. Launched atop NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket, Orion is now targeted to take astronauts in a sample return mission to an asteroid as early as 2021. On the third anniversary of President Barack Obama issuing his challenge to NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid, news media representatives were given an opportunity to see up-close the Orion spacecraft which could take astronauts on such a flight. They also heard from key leaders of that effort in Kennedy's OandC where Orion's assembly is taking place.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden talks about bookending the space agency's Space Shuttle Program following the successful STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Four astronauts brought Atlantis home to the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:57 a.m. EDT. Atlantis' final return from space completed a 13-day, 5.2-million-mile journey to the International Space Station.STS-135 delivered spare parts, equipment and supplies in the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module that will sustain station operations for the next year. STS-135 was the 33rd and final flight for Atlantis, which has spent 307 days in space, orbited Earth 4,848 times and traveled 125,935,769 miles.

Chris Ferguson, Boeing astronaut, participates in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. In the background from left to right are Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliners first flight to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An aerial view of the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, and other buildings in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Launch Control Center is in front of the VAB. To the right 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA, Kennedy Space Center and State of Florida dignitaries helped launch the opening of the newest attraction at Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex the Shuttle Launch Experience. Former astronauts John Young (left) and Bob Crippen (right) share their impressions with the audience. Seated on stage are Lt. Governor of Florida Jeff Kottkamp and Center Director Bill Parsons. The attraction includes a simulated launch with the sights, sounds and sensations of launching into space. Find out more about the Visitor Complex and the Shuttle Launch Experience at http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC/attractions/index.asp.

Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft passes by the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 21, 2019, making its way to the Space Launch Complex 41 Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. At the pad, Starliner will be secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in preparation for Boeings uncrewed Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

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

NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Mike Fincke, right, pose for photographs while visiting NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, May 18, 2022, in advance of the agencys Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) for NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 19, 2022.

A flatbed carrier is in view on the surface of Launch Pad 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 23, 2020. It is carrying the engine service platform that was lowered and removed from the mobile launcher for Artemis I. The nearly 400-foot-tall mobile launcher is at the pad while engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs complete 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.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The newly redesigned External Tank heads for the open doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building, seen behind it. The tank arrived Jan. 5 after a 900-mile sea voyage aboard NASAs specially designed barge, Pegasus, from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. 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, where it will be lowered and attached to the boosters, which are

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Crew Arrival at Kennedy Space Center. Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, CCP, speaks to members of the news media during crew arrival for NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. In the background, from left, are: Janet Petro, director, NASA Kennedy; Bob Cabana, associate administrator, NASA; and Bill Nelson, administrator, NASA. Crew-7 will launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft on the companys Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff is targeted for 3:49 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A.

An onlooker holds up a mobile device to record space shuttle Atlantis as it rolls to ts new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, early Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The spacecraft traveled 125,935,769 miles during 33 spaceflights, including 12 missions to the International Space Station. Its final flight, STS-135, closed out the Space Shuttle Program era with a landing on July 21, 2011.

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During opening ceremonies for the 40th anniversary celebration of American spaceflight, Rick Abramson, president of Delaware North Parks Services of Spaceport, Inc., waves to the spectators. Behind him are four of the space pioneers being honored: (from left) Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn Jr. and Scott Carpenter. Next to Carpenter stands a commemorative painting of a Mercury rocket launch that the four signed. The ceremonies were held in the KSC Visitor Complex Rocket Garden. The event was capped with a dinner held at the KSC Apollo/Saturn V Center

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Compex-41, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, at the microphone, along with other agency and contractor officials spoke to members of the news media about preparations for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, mission.MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch on Nov. 18, 2013 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Near Launch Pad 39A, STS-118 Mission Specialist Dave Williams practices using the camera and telephoto lens to photograph the external tank/solid rocket booster stack on Space Shuttle Endeavour. Williams and other mission specialists will take photos of the tank after separation from Endeavour after launch. The STS-118 crew is at Kennedy to take part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, including M-113 training, payload familiarization, emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The payload aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour includes the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. The STS-118 mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and is targeted for launch on Aug. 7. NASA/George Shelton

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden delivers a state of the agency” address at NASA's televised fiscal year 2016 budget rollout event with Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana looking on, at right. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion, SpaceX Dragon and Boeing CST-100 spacecraft, all destined to play a role in NASA’s overall exploration objectives, were on display.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The dark water of the turn basin at NASA's Kennedy Space Center mirrors the night lights and the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center, silhouetted against the post-sunset sky.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks to employees about the agencys progress toward sending astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars during a televised event, Monday, March 11, 2019, at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Representatives from the Kennedy workforce, news media, and social media were in attendance. NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to be flown on Exploration Mission-2, was on display.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Trent Perrotto of NASA Public Affairs addresses an audience of participants during a NASA social question and answer session. The group is assembled in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building high bay for an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion capsule in Florida. Joining Perrotto on stage, from the left, are Mark Geyer, Orion program manager David Beaman, NASA Space Launch System spacecraft and payload integration manager Pepper Phillips, program manager for NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations and NASA astronaut Rex Walheim.The tweeters will share their experiences with followers through the social networking site Twitter. Slated for Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014, the capsule will travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans built the crew module pressure vessel. The Orion production team

NASA astronaut Suni Williams, left, watches as a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeings CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Starliner is targeted to launch at 6:54 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 19. OFT-2 is an important uncrewed flight test designed to test the end-to-end capabilities of the system to help the agency certify Starliner to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, left, is seen with Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, after the rollout of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover to the launch pad at Launch Complex 41, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Perseverance rover is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. Launch is scheduled for Thursday, July 30.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The external fuel tank, ET- 132, designated for use with space shuttle Discovery on the STS-128 mission makes the turn toward the Vehicle Assembly Building (at right) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be moved into a high bay for checkout. On the STS-128 mission, Discovery will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery is targeted for Aug. 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Jose Perez-Morales (right), NASA launch pad project manager, and Larry Schultz, NASA mobile launcher project manager, outline the upgrades to Launch Pad 39B and the mobile launcher to support NASA's forthcoming Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. Their audience is made up of media representatives taking the 21st Century Ground Systems tour. Other stops on the tour include the Vehicle Assembly Building, a crawler-transporter parked on the crawlerway, and the Launch Control Center's Firing Room 1. These facilities and equipment will be used to prepare and launch NASA's new Orion spacecraft.The tour was arranged as part of prelaunch media activities for the agency's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launch. Liftoff of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is planned during a launch window which extends from 10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST on Nov. 26.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from left, Frank DiBello, president of Space Florida, John Elbon, vice president and general manager of Boeing's Space Exploration, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, speak to media before a full-scale mockup of The Boeing Companys CST-100 spacecraft at the ceremony announcing the signing of an innovative agreement between NASA and Space Florida. NASA announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center. Space Florida has an agreement for use of the OPF-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, and NASA's new mobile launcher, or ML, are seen during a field-guided boat tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As part of the center's first-ever Innovation Expo, the tour, called "Living Outdoor Laboratory for Environmental Sustainability," is giving employees the opportunity to see the unique estuarine ecosystems that are protected from development by the presence of Kennedy and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The 355-foot-tall ML structure, which took about two years to construct, will be modified by NASAs Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program to support NASAs Space Launch System, the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts into deep space on future exploration missions.The diverse and healthy area encompassing about 140,000 acres of central Florida's east coast has been closed to the public for 50 years, allowing the coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries and marshes, f

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, enclosed in its payload fairing, passes through the Launch Complex 39 area and Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as it travels from the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., to its launch site. TDRS-K will lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.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.

Protective enclosure housing camera for capturing still images of the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-130, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida, USA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the podium, Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. offers remarks at the commissioning ceremony for the new Convoy Command Vehicle behind him. At left is Mike McCulley, chief operating officer, United Space Alliance. The new 40-foot vehicle is replacing a 15-year old model, and will be used following Shuttle landings as the prime vehicle to control critical communications between the orbiter, the crew and the Launch Control Center, to monitor the health of the Shuttle Orbiter systems and to direct convoy operations at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Upgrades and high-tech features incorporated into the design and development of this vehicle make it more reliable and efficient for the convoy crew. Seating capacity was increased from 4 to 12, and video recorders and television monitors were added to provide the convoy team with the maximum amount of visual information

Closeup of the Helios Prototype, the latest and largest example of a slow-flying ultralight flying wing designed for high-altitude, long-duration Earth science or telecommunications relay missions.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Crawler Transporter sits behind the Vehicle Assembly Building after its road test of the new shoes. The Crawler Transporter that will move Space Shuttle Discovery to the launch pad for Return to Flight is taking its first road test following the replacement of all its shoes. The crawlers have 456 shoes, 57 per belt (8 belts in all). Each shoe weighs 2,200 pounds. Cracks appeared in the shoes in recent years, spurring a need for replacement. The new manufacturer, in Duluth, Minn., has improved the design for a safe Return to Flight and use through the balance of the Space Shuttle Program.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Crew Arrival at Kennedy Space Center. Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro speaks to members of the news media during crew arrival for NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. The crew will launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft on the companys Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff is targeted for 3:49 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, from Kennedys Launch Complex 39A. Crew-7 is the seventh crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the eighth flight of Dragon with people as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Florida Gov. Rick Scott speaks to the audience during the ceremony announcing the signing of an innovative agreement between NASA and Space Florida. NASA announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center. Space Florida has an agreement for use of the OPF-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Ares I-X forward segment nears the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be mated with the aft center and aft segments already stacked. Part of the Constellation Program, the Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is the essential core of a space transportation system that eventually will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system . The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 30.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 crew address the media. From left are Commander Charles O. Hobaugh; Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Leland Melvin, at microphone; Pilot Barry E. Wilmore; and Mission Specialists Robert L. Satcher Jr. and Randy Bresnik.The crew members of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission are at Kennedy for training related to their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Launch of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for Nov. 16.

Gulfstream Aerospace and NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center are testing the structural integrity of a telescopic 'Quiet Spike' sonic boom mitigator on the F-15B testbed. The Quiet Spike was developed as a means of controlling and reducing the sonic boom caused by an aircraft 'breaking' the sound barrier.

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden tours the Orion mockups in Bldg. 9 at Johnson Space Center in Houston followed by a short Q&A in front of the mockup on Sept. 26, 2011. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.

Artemis CTVs Delivery to KSC. With the Vehicle Assembly Building in the background, the three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2023. The zero-emission vehicles, which will carry astronauts to Launch Complex 39B for Artemis missions, were delivered by the manufacturer, Canoo Technologies Inc. of Torrance, California.

NASA leadership marked the accomplishments of the team at the agencys Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where technicians recently completed welding together the pressure vessel for the Orion spacecraft and continue to manufacture the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At a news conference, NASA and United Launch Alliance officials discussed preparations for the planned launch of NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, atop an Atlas V rocket. Participating in the briefing, from the left are, George Diller, NASA Public Affairs, Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator, Space Communications and Navigation SCaN, NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate in Washington Tim Dunn, NASA launch director at the Kennedy Space Center Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions for United Launch Alliance in Denver, Colo. Jeffrey Gramling, NASA TDRS-K project manager, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. and Joel Tumbiolo, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Liftoff for the TDRS-K is planned for Jan. 30, 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 co

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