From left, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Exploration Ground Systems Manager Mike Bolger (left) and Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson (right) raise the Artemis flag near the countdown clock at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 14, 2022. NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft can be seen in the background at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B. The uncrewed Artemis I flight will be the first integrated test of the agency’s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Nov. 16. 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 Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. During the flight, Orion will launch atop the world’s most powerful rocket 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.

The countdown clock at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is photographed during a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing on Dec. 19, 2019. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Artemis I Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson (left) and Exploration Ground Systems Manager Mike Bolger (right) raise the Artemis flag near the countdown clock at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 14, 2022. NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft can be seen in the background at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B. The uncrewed Artemis I flight will be the first integrated test of the agency’s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Nov. 16. 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 Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown. During the flight, Orion will launch atop the world’s most powerful rocket 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.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. From left to right are Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; NASA astronaut Mike Finke; Bridenstine; and NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, 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, Nicole Mann and Mike Finke; and NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Bob Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director, 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 NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams, Nicole Mann and Mike Finke; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

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 NASA astronaut Mike Finke, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

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, Nicole Mann and Mike Finke; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Students from Florida’s St. Cloud High School and Storm Grove Middle School in Vero Beach pose in front of the countdown clock at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 19, 2023. As part of NASA’s NextGen STEM project, students were invited to tour the facilities at the spaceport before participating in a televised briefing inside the John Holliman Auditorium of the News Center, featuring Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Kelvin Manning; Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson; Manager of the Space Launch System Resident Management Office Elkin Norena; and Space Launch Delta 45 Weather Officer Melody Lovin. Along with the students participating in person, middle and high school students across the country had the opportunity to ask questions of the panel via phone to discuss the Artemis I mission and the agency’s future of human space exploration.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

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. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

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 NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Mike Finke, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. From left to right are Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; NASA astronaut Mike Finke; NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard; and Bridenstine. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. From left to right are Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; NASA astronaut Mike Finke; NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard; and Bridenstine. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, 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 Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; NASA astronaut Mike Finke; and NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. From left to right are Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; Bridenstine; NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard; and NASA astronaut Mike Finke. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Mike Finke, NASA 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; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; and Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

From left, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana and NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and astronauts representing NASA and Boeing participate in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. From left to right are Cabana; NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Suni Williams and Nicole Mann; Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson; NASA astronaut Mike Finke; NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard; and Bridenstine. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Suni Williams, NASA astronaut, participates in a Boeing Orbital Flight Test media briefing near the countdown clock at the Florida spaceport on Dec. 19, 2019. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, 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 NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronaut Mike Finke. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Bob Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director, 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 NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronaut Mike Finke. Boeing’s 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 Starliner’s first flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 flag is raised beneath the American Flag near the countdown clock at the News Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2020. Crew-1 is the first regular crew mission of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience capsule will launch atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A with NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, spacecraft commander; NASA astronaut Victor Glover, pilot; NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, mission specialist; and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi, mission specialist, to the space station for a six-month science mission.

A group of students and their chaperones tour NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, are visiting the space center under a Space Act Agreement with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

A group of students and their chaperones gather in the John Holliman Auditorium of the News Center for a mock news briefing during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, are visiting the space center with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

A group of students and their chaperones gather for a photo at the launch countdown clock near the News Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, are visiting the space center with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch is engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

A group of students and their chaperones gather in the John Holliman Auditorium of the News Center during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. Some of them are seated at the dais at the front of the auditorium. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, are visiting the space center with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

A group of students and their chaperones view a mural on a wall at the News Center during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, are visiting the space center with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

Leah Martin, in the center, NASA Communications, speaks to students and their chaperones during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation and lake in Montana, are visiting the space center with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

A group of students and their chaperones gather in the John Holliman Auditorium of the News Center to simulate a news conference during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. Some of them are seated at the dais at the front of the auditorium. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, are visiting the space center with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

A group of students and their chaperones gather in the John Holliman Auditorium of the News Center to simulate a news conference during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 6, 2022. Some of them are seated at the dais at the front of the auditorium. At far left is Leah Martin, NASA Communications. The middle-school students, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, are visiting the space center with the Students to Launch program. Students to Launch engages students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and creates awareness of careers in the space program.

Creating a golden streak in the night sky, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander soars upward after liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The Blue Ghost lander will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface to further understand the Moon and help prepare for future human missions.