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Rocket Launches at Cape Canaveral

Dramatic images of various rockets launching from Cape Canaveral, showcasing exhaust plumes, strong lighting, and the power of space exploration.

An Atlas-Centaur 56 rocket is launched and is carrying an INTELSAT V commercial communications satellite. The launching took place at Complex 36. Base: Eastern Space & Missile Ctr State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)
An Atlas-Centaur 56 rocket is launched and is carrying an INTELSAT V commercial communications satellite. The launching took place at Complex 36. Base: Eastern Space & Missile Ctr State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)
146 assets in this story
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KAZAKHSTAN - The Soyuz TMA-16 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, carrying Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberte to the International Space Station. (
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A view from the Atlas Space Operations Center of the launch of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 30, 2020. The Atlas V carried NASAs Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter for its mission to Mars. Liftoff was at 7:50 a.m. EDT. The Perseverance 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.
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The only clouds seen on a perfect Spring morning are the clouds of smoke and steam erupting from the launch of a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket carries the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, beginning its nearly 7-month journey to orbit the planet Mars. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will map the Martian surface looking for geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past. Science gathered by three science instruments on board will be key to future missions to Mars, including orbital reconnaissance, lander and human missions
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Producing about 3 million pounds of thrust, this solid rocket booster does its part to lift space shuttle Endeavour from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida into the night sky. Launch of the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station was at 4:14 a.m. EST. This was the second launch attempt for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 crew and the final scheduled space shuttle night launch. The first attempt on Feb. 7 was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station is the Tranquility node, a pressurized module that will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directiona
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida comes alive as the engines ignite under the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket, carrying NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K, TDRS-K, to orbit. Liftoff was at 8 48 p.m. EST. The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Boeing Delta IV rocket roars off the launch pad to lift the GOES-N satellite on top into space. Liftoff from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was on time at 6:11 p.m. EDT. GOES-N is the latest in the Earth-monitoring series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites developed by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By maintaining a stationary orbit, hovering over one position on the Earth's surface, GOES will be able to provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric "triggers" for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. Photo by Carleton Bailie for Boeing
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The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket with the NASA Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) onboard is seen shortly after the mobile service tower at SLC-2 was rolled back, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The ICESat-2 mission will measure the changing height of Earth's ice.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) lifts off from Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on Aug. 25 at 1:35:39 a.m. EDT. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASAs family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, spacecraft atop the Delta II rocket is spotlighted after rollback of the mobile service tower on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Pad 17-B. GLAST is a powerful space observatory that will explore the universe's ultimate frontier, where nature harnesses forces and energies far beyond anything possible on Earth; probe some of science's deepest questions, such as what our universe is made of, and search for new laws of physics; explain how black holes accelerate jets of material to nearly light speed; and help crack the mystery of stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. Launch is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. June 11.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, carrying NASAs twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, is rolled back from Space Launch Complex 41 to the Vertical Integration Facility where they will be secured and protected from inclement weather due to Tropical Storm Isaac.RBSP will explore changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- known as "space weather" -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will provide data on the fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe. The launch is rescheduled for 4:05 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30, pending approval from the range.
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The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen at launch Pad-0A, at sunrise Sunday, May 20, 2018 at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch with the Cygnus spacecraft filled with 7,400 pounds of cargo for the International Space Station (ISS), including science experiments, crew supplies, and vehicle hardware. The mission is Orbital ATK's ninth contracted cargo delivery flight to ISS for NASA.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off into the clouds over Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft.Launch was on schedule at 1:28 p.m. EST Nov. 18 at the opening of a two-hour launch window. After a 10-month journey to the Red Planet, MAVEN will study its upper atmosphere in unprecedented detail from orbit above the planet. Built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., MAVEN will arrive at Mars in September 2014 and will be inserted into an elliptical orbit with a high point of 3,900 miles, swooping down to as close as 93 miles above the planet's surface.
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The Soyuz TMA-18 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, April 2, 2010 carrying Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Russia, Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of Russia and NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson of the U.S. to the International Space Station. (
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA's Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft atop is prepared for launch.Liftoff is slated for 7:20 PDT/10:20 EDT today. Aquarius, the NASA-built instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission.
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At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 2 in preparation for the liftoff of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket now is poised to boost the satellite to a polar orbit. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
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A McDonnell Douglas Delta II Space Lift Vehicle successfully carried the NASA X-ray Timing Explorer (XTE) into orbit. The Delta II lifted off Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, at 0848 hrs, EST. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In a view from Press Site 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, a Boeing Delta II (7326) rocket lights up the ground as it propels Deep Space 1 into the sky after liftoff from Launch Complex 17A. .
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At NASA's Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft atop is prepared for launch.Liftoff is slated for 7:20 PDT/10:20 EDT today. Aquarius, the NASA-built instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission.
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Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, blast off aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Friday, April 15, 2005 for a two-day trip to the International Space Station.
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NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen illuminated by spotlights atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, March 18, 2022, after being rollout out to the launch pad for the first time 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.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The light from engine ignition is reflected in the water near Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as a Delta IV rocket clears the tower with the GOES-O satellite aboard. Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT. The first attempt to launch GOES-O, on June 26, was scrubbed due to thunderstorms in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral. The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O was developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Each of the GOES satellites continuously provides observations of 60 percent of the Earth including the continental United States, providing weather monitoring and forecast operations as well as a continuous and reliable stream of environmental information and severe weather warnings. Once in orbit, GOES-O will be designated GOES-14, and NASA will provide on-orbit checkout and then transfer operational responsibility to NOAA.
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The Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft clears the tower on Launch Complex 17, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as it hurtles into the clear blue sky. Liftoff occurred at 11:02 a.m. EDT. The launch sends the Mars Odyssey on an approximate 7-month journey to orbit the planet Mars. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will map the Martian surface looking for geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past. Science gathered by three science instruments on board will be key to future missions to Mars, including orbital reconnaissance, lander and human missions
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Following the postponement on Nov. 15, 2017, the countdown is again underway for the liftoff of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 18, 2017, atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A Delta IV Heavy rocket roars to life at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle is carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. The flight will send Orion 3,600 miles in altitude beyond the Earth's surface on a four-and-a-half hour mission.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water begins pouring across the mobile launcher platform underneath space shuttle Atlantis as it lifts off on the STS-123 mission. The water provides sound suppression over the roar of the engines and solid rocket boosters. Liftoff was on time at 2:28 a.m. EDT. Endeavour's crew will make a record-breaking 16-day mission to the International Space Station and deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.
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An RCA Satcom-3 communications satellite is launched aboard a Delta 150 launch vehicle from Complex 17. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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KODIAK ISLAND, Alaska. -- With light still on the horizon, a Lockheed Martin Athena I launch vehicle lifts off the launch pad at Kodiak Launch Complex (KSC) with the Kodiak Star spacecraft on board. Liftoff occurred at 10:40 p.m. EDT, Sept. 29. The Kodiak Star payload consists of four satellites: PICOSat, PCSat, Sapphire and Starshine 3. Starshine is sponsored by NASA. The 200-pound sphere will be used by students to study orbital decay. The other three satellites, also on educational missions, are sponsored by the department of defense. PICOSat is a technology demonstration satellite with four experiments on board. PCSat was designed by midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, and will become part of the amateur radio community's automatic position reporting system. Sapphire is a micro-satellite built by students at Stanford University and Washington University - St. Louis to test infrared sensors for space use. KLC is the newest commercial launch complex in the United States, ide
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mobile service tower slowly rolls away from the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will launch NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission. The "rollback" began at about 11:20 p.m. EDT.GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future lunar vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moons surface. Launch is scheduled for 8:37:06 a.m. EDT Sept. 8.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Flags wave briskly at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as space shuttle Atlantis is revealed following the move of the rotating service structure (RSS). The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits liftoff on the pad. RSS "rollback" marks a major milestone in Atlantis' STS-135 mission countdown.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
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The Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft is seen a few hours prior to launch with Expedition 61 crewmembers Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
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The Soyuz TMA-20M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Saturday, March 19, 2016 carrying Expedition 47 Soyuz Commander Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Jeff Williams of NASA, and Flight Engineer Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. (
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The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket launches with the NASA Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) onboard, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The ICESat-2 mission will measure the changing height of Earth's ice.
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The Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early Wednesday, June 8, 2011 carrying Expedition 28 Soyuz Commander Sergei Volkov of Russia, NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fossum and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa to the International Space Station.
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At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 2 in preparation for the liftoff of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket now is poised to boost the satellite to a polar orbit. Built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff at 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
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The Soyuz rocket with Expedition 33/34 crew members, Russian Cosmonaut and Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy, NASA Astronaut and Flight Engineer Kevin Ford, and Russian Cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin onboard the TMA-06M spacecraft launches to the International Space Station on Tuesday, October 23, 2012, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin will be on a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
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A Commercial Delta II IS successfully launched from Complex 17B at 7:10 AM, EDT. The Delta II was carrying the Koreasat #1 Communications Satellite. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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jsc2020e017055 - Expedition 63 Launch - The Soyuz MS-16 lifts off from Site 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday, April 9, 2020 sending Expedition 63 crewmembers Chris Cassidy of NASA and Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos into orbit for a six-hour flight to the International Space Station and the start of a six-and-a-half month mission.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Spotlights illuminate the United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket that will launch NASAs twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:08:52 a.m. EDT Sept. 10.GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moons surface.
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Boeing Delta II rocket propels NASAs Genesis spacecraft into the sky as photographers take aim. The Genesis/Delta launch occurred ontime at 12:13:40 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Genesis is on a journey to collect and return to Earth just 10 to 20 micrograms of solar wind, invisible charged particles that flow outward from the Sun. The particles will be studied by scientists over the next century to search for answers to fundamental questions about the exact composition of our star and the birth of our solar system
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The Soyuz MS-08 rocket is launched with Expedition 55 Soyuz Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and flight engineers Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel of NASA, Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Artemyev, Arnold, and Feustel will spend the next five months living and working aboard the International Space Station.
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A DELTA II, carrying the NASA Wind Satellite, is successfully launched from Complex 17B at 4:31 A.M. EDT. Base: Cape Canaveral State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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The Soyuz MS-04 rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, April 20, 2017 Baikonur time carrying Expedition 51 Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA into orbit to begin their four and a half month mission on the International Space Station. (
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The Soyuz MS-13 rocket is launched with Expedition 60 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, flight engineer Andrew Morgan of NASA, and flight engineer Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency), Saturday, July 20, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Skvortsov, Morgan, and Parmitano launched at 12:28 p.m. Eastern time (9:28 p.m. Baikonur time) to begin their mission to the International Space Station.
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The Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft is launched with Expedition 59 crewmembers Nick Hague and Christina Koch of NASA, along with Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, Friday March 15, 2019, Kazakh time (March 14 Eastern time) at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Hague, Koch, and Ovchinin will spend six-and-a-half months living and working aboard the International Space Station.