Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks to employees during an innovation showcase on Nov. 19, 2019, in the Florida spaceport’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building’s Mission Briefing Room. Nearly 50 exhibitors gathered to participate in the center’s Innovation Days – one of several events throughout the year aimed at fostering and encouraging an innovative culture at Kennedy. Showcase participants included individuals from multiple directorates, programs and organizations throughout Kennedy. In addition to the showcase, employees had the opportunity to attend an overview presentation on NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS), hosted by HLS Program Manager Lisa Watson-Morgan.
A flatbed truck, carrying the node structural test article (STA), is on its way to the Launch and Landing Facility from the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 20, 2020. In view is the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. The Node STA was used to prove the manufacturing processes and procedures were robust for extended human spaceflight. Those same processes and procedures were then used to build Node 1, which Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana flew to the space station on STS 88. NASA has stored the node STA in the SSPF, and it is moving to a new location to allow for more space in the facility’s high bay to support the agency’s space exploration and commercialization efforts in low-Earth orbit.
The third and final aeroshell for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) arrives by truck on July 12, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. It will be offloaded and secured in High Bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.
Technicians with Exploration Ground Systems perform inspections of the Northrop Grumman-manufactured two aft exit cones on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida before mating processes begin for the agency’s Artemis II mission. The aft exit cones are attached to the bottom piece of the two boosters, (seen here in these photos), which is called the aft segment, and the exit cones act like a battery pack to provide added thrust for the boosters while protecting the aft skirts from thermal environment during launch of the agency’s first crewed mission under Artemis that will test all of the Orion spacecraft systems.
Engineers and technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare to lift the left center center booster segment shown with the iconic NASA “worm” insignia for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. The booster segment is shown attached to a lifting beam ahead of integration onto the mobile launcher. The boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.
During the annual Earth Day celebration at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, guests have an opportunity to get an up-close look at experimental electric vehicles and see and Apollo era Lunar Roving Vehicle used in astronaut training. The battery-operated car was used on Apollos 15, 16 and 17 in 1971 and 1972. The two-day event featured approximately 50 exhibitors offering information on a variety of topics, including electric vehicles, sustainable lighting, renewable energy, Florida-friendly landscaping tips, Florida’s biking trails and more.
Plants utilized for ground experiments at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida that complement plant research on the International Space Station are photographed at an innovation showcase on Nov. 19, 2019. Nearly 50 exhibitors gathered in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building’s Mission Briefing Room to participate in the center’s Innovation Days – one of several events throughout the year aimed at fostering an encouraging an innovative culture at Kennedy. Showcase participants included individuals from multiple directorates, programs and organizations throughout Kennedy. In addition to the showcase, employees had the opportunity to attend an overview presentation on NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS), hosted by HLS Program Manager Lisa Watson-Morgan.
An operator dons a Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble (SCAPE) suit inside a room in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 31, 2018. SCAPE operators, wearing the suits, will participate in a hypergolic systems hot flow test at the MPPF. The test will serve as operational validation of the hypergol subsystem and demonstrate that the hypergols subsystem can service the Orion spacecraft, flow fuel at the required rates, drain and de-service the system, and meet the intended timeline. SCAPE suite are used in operations involving toxic propellants and are supplied with air either through a hardline or through a self-contained environmental control unit.
In the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium, Kenneth Todd, NASA ISS Operations Integration manager; speaks to members of the media at a prelaunch news conference for Orbital ATK CRS-6 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.
High up in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the final work platform, A north, for installation in High Bay 3. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of the high bay. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms.
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 4th, 2022. Starliner will be secured atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for Boeing's second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The spacecraft rolled out from Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center earlier in the day.
Rachid Amekrane, Airbus Defence and Space Integration test director, assists with securing a protective cover as a crane prepares to lift the panel during installation of one of four solar array wings inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 23, 2020. The Orion spacecraft for Artemis I is shown in the background. The solar arrays were extended, inspected, and then retracted, before installation on the spacecraft. Each solar array panel will generate 11 kilowatts of power and span about 63 feet. The array is a component of Orion’s service module, which is provided by the European Space Agency and built by Airbus Defence and Space to supply Orion’s power, propulsion, air and water. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, 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.
Day 2 of Underway Recovery Test 9 (URT-9) begins with preparing the tending lines to release the mock Orion capsule out of the back of the USS John P. Murtha. During the weeklong test, NASA’s Landing and Recovery team is performing their final mission certification ahead of Artemis I.
A close-up view of the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 20, 2021. All 10 levels of work platforms have been retracted from around the rocket as part of an umbilical test. During the test, several umbilical arms on the mobile launcher were extended to connect to the SLS rocket. They swung away from the launch vehicle, just as they will on launch day. NASA and Jacobs teams will continue conducting tests inside the VAB before transporting the Orion spacecraft to the assembly building and stacking it atop the SLS, completing assembly of the rocket for the Artemis I mission. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In later missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
NASA’s Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) arrived at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility on May 8. The fluid transfer module will demonstrate innovative methods to store, transfer and freeze standard cryogenic fluid in space. RRM3 is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station later this year.
Members of NASA’s Landing and Recovery team and partners from the Department of Defense stand on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha during Underway Recovery Test 10 (URT-10) off the coast of San Diego. URT-10 is the tenth in a series of Artemis recovery tests, but the first time NASA and its partners from the Department of Defense put their Artemis II recovery procedures to the test.
The vehicle for Orion’s Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) fight test passes by the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its 21.5-mile-trek to Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 22, 2019. During AA-2, a test version of Orion will launch on a booster to more than six miles in altitude, where Orion’s launch abort system will pull the capsule away to demonstrate it can keep a future crew inside safe if an emergency occurs during ascent on the Space Launch System rocket. The AA-2 elements will be stacked together at the launch pad over the next several weeks. The launch is planned for July 2 and is a critical safety test that helps pave the way for Artemis missions near the Moon, and will enable astronauts to set foot on the lunar surface by 2024.
Launch team members are seated at the Environment Control System consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble (SCAPE) suits are hanging in a row inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 31, 2018. SCAPE operators will don the suits and then participate in a hypergolic systems hot flow test at the MPPF. The test will serve as operational validation of the hypergol subsystem and demonstrate that the hypergols subsystem can service the Orion spacecraft, flow fuel at the required rates, drain and de-service the system, and meet the intended timeline. SCAPE suite are used in operations involving toxic propellants and are supplied with air either through a hardline or through a self-contained environmental control unit.
Members of the news media begin setting up at the NASA News Center to await liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control Center are visible in the background. The Falcon Heavy 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.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, payload for final packaging. NICER will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Dragon cargo carrier on the company’s 11th commercial resupply services mission to the space station. NICER will study neutron stars through soft X-ray timing. NICER will enable rotation-resolved spectroscopy of the thermal and non-thermal emissions of neutron stars in the soft X-ray band with unprecedented sensitivity, probing interior structure, the origins of dynamic phenomena and the mechanisms that underlie the most powerful cosmic particle accelerators known.
Employees had the opportunity to take a look under the hood of an electric vehicle on display during Kennedy Space Center’s annual Earth Day celebration. The two-day event featured approximately 50 exhibitors offering information on a variety of topics, including electric vehicles, sustainable lighting, renewable energy, Florida-friendly landscaping tips, Florida’s biking trails and more.
Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) conducted an emergency egress system demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 41 in Florida on June 19, 2018. The emergency egress system will allow for a safe evacuation in the unlikely event of an emergency on the launch pad on launch day. The Boeing CST-100 Starliner will launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket, carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.
NASA’s Biology Experiment-1 (BioExpt-1) is officially packaged and ready for handover to the Orion team for Artemis I inside the Space Station Processing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 18, 2022. BioExpt-1 is a space biology pathfinder, which will carry Arabidopsis, algae, yeast, and fungi science payloads for biology research beyond low-Earth orbit aboard the Orion capsule on the Artemis I mission. The payload container assemblies will be installed onto panels in the Orion capsule and will return to Earth to provide critical and unique data about life beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time in more than 40 years. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and eventually on to Mars.
Students from Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida, visited the Prototype Development Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, April 28, 2025. The STEM participants have an interest in technical trades and learned about the technicians at the Prototype Development Laboratory who design, fabricate, and test protypes, test articles, and test support equipment.
The transport carrier containing the European Service Module for NASA’s Artemis III mission arrives at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. The European Service Module, which is assembled by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, from parts made in 10 European countries and the United States, acts as the driving force behind Orion for deep space exploration, providing essential propulsion, thermal control, and electrical power.
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s iconic “worm” logo has been added to the aft wall of Orion’s crew module adapter ahead of NASA’s Artemis I mission. Originally created by the firm of Danne & Blackburn, the “worm” logo’s bold, sleek design was officially introduced in 1975 and was incorporated into many of the agency’s next-generation programs. It was retired in 1992, but has made a comeback in 2020 as the agency ushers in a new, modern era of human spaceflight. The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for installation of the solar array wings on Sept. 23, 2020. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, 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 by 2024.
The shipping container holding the European Service Module (ESM) is moved out of the cargo hold of the Antonov cargo aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 6, 2018. The ESM, built by the European Space Agency, will supply the main propulsion system and power to the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), a mission to the Moon. The ESM also will house air and water for astronauts on future missions. EM-1 will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration to destinations beyond Earth orbit. EM-1 will be the first integrated test of NASA's Space Launch System, Orion and the ground systems at Kennedy.
Rick Doe, payload program manager at SRI International, discusses the Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment during a NASA prelaunch technology TV show for the Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 23, 2019. The experiment’s two CubeSats will work with six other satellites to study irregularities in Earth’s upper atmosphere that interfere with GPS and communications signals. It is one of NASA payloads scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A beginning at 11:30 p.m. EDT on June 24, 2019. STP-2 is managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore poses for photos at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following his arrival for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Williams and Wilmore are the first crew to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. ET on Monday, May 6.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott attends a roundtable discussion among Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana and multi-user spaceport partners at Kennedy’s Saturn V Conference Center on March 15, 2019. The meeting was held to discuss the needs of the space center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
NASA’s Artemis II hardware, the launch vehicle stage adapter, is inside High Bay 4 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of rocket stacking operations. The cone shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket to the upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and protects the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices during launch and ascent during the Artemis missions.
The Orion crew module adapter for NASA’s Artemis III campaign undergoes wiring installs inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. In Orion’s final configuration before launch, the crew module adapter connects the capsule to the European Service Module 3. The crew module adapter houses electronic equipment for communications, power, and control, and includes an umbilical connector that bridges the electrical, data, and fluid systems between the main modules.
Melanie Pickett, a post-doctorate researcher at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participates in an innovation showcase on Nov. 19, 2019, in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building’s Mission Briefing Room. A first-time participant, Pickett presented information on an Algae Membrane Photobioreactor she and others are developing that would eliminate the need for sending water treated with toxic chemicals – currently used to break down urine – to the International Space Station. Nearly 50 exhibitors gathered to demonstrate new technologies and innovations during the center’s Innovation Days – one of several events throughout the year aimed at fostering and encouraging an innovative culture at Kennedy. Showcase participants included individuals from multiple directorates, programs and organizations throughout Kennedy. In addition to the showcase, employees had the opportunity to attend an overview presentation on NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS), hosted by HLS Program Manager Lisa Watson-Morgan.
A photo of former NASA astronaut Gerald “Jerry” Carr is displayed alongside a memorial wreath during a remembrance ceremony at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 31, 2020. The ceremony was held at the Heroes and Legends exhibit within the Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy’s visitor complex. Carr was commander of the Skylab 4 mission – the final, crewed mission of the Skylab program. He passed away Aug. 26 at the age of 88.
On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, July 16, 2019, astronaut Michael Collins, left, speaks to Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana in the astronaut crew quarters about the moments leading up to launch at 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, and what it was like to be the first to land on the Moon.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore greets NASA officials at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following his arrival for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. As part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, Wilmore is joind by NASA astronaut Suni Williams as the first crew to launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. ET on Monday, May 6.
In the Swarmathon competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, students were asked to develop computer code for the small robots, programming them to look for "resources" in the form of AprilTag cubes, similar to barcodes. Teams developed search algorithms for the Swarmies to operate autonomously, communicating and interacting as a collective swarm similar to ants foraging for food. In the spaceport's third annual Swarmathon, 23 teams represented 24 minority serving universities and community colleges were invited to develop software code to operate these innovative robots known as "Swarmies" to help find resources when astronauts explore distant locations, such as the Moon or Mars.
The Artemis I Orion spacecraft with its spacecraft adapter cone attached, is moved by crane along the high bay inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 20, 2020. This is one of the final major hardware operations the spacecraft will undergo during closeout processing prior to being integrated with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in preparation for the first Artemis mission. The spacecraft adapter cone connects the bottom portion of Orion’s service module to the top part of the rocket known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Orion will fly on the agency’s Artemis I mission – the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.
Launch team members are seated at the Integration consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
Engineers connect the Orion crew and service modules for the Artemis II mission on Oct. 19, 2023, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. With the crew and service modules integrated, the team will power up the combined crew and service module for the first time. After power on tests are complete, Orion will begin altitude chamber testing, which will put the spacecraft through conditions as close as possible to the environment it will experience in the vacuum of deep space. The crew and service modules are the two major components of Orion that will fly NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a mission around the Moon and bring them home safely.
The Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) is seen in the waters of the Pacific Ocean during NASA’s Underway Recovery Test 10 (URT-10). The CMTA is a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft and is used by NASA and its Department of Defense partners to practice recovery procedures for crewed Artemis missions. URT-10 is the first test specifically in support of the Artemis II mission and allowed the team to practice what it will be like to recover astronauts and get them back to the recovery ship safely.
Artemis II NASA astronauts (left to right) Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen stand in the white room on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as part of an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. The test ensures the ground systems team is ready to support the crew timeline on launch day.
Jill Seubert, deputy principal investigator, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, explains the payload during a NASA prelaunch technology TV broadcast for the Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 23, 2019. The new space clock could improve how we navigate on the Moon, to Mars and beyond. The space clock is one of four NASA payloads scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A beginning at 11:30 p.m. EDT on June 24, 2019. STP-2 is managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.
Launch team members are seated at the Main Propulsion consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
Launch team members are seated the Integration consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
A Centaur upper stage is lifted at the Space Launch Complex 41 Vertical Integration Facility at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Nov. 8, 2019, for mating to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage in preparation for Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT). The uncrewed OFT mission will rendezvous and dock Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft with the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Starliner will launch atop the Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41.
Jennifer Kunz, center, director of Safety and Mission Assurance, and Bob Mott, right, chief of the Commercial Systems Division in the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, serve food to Kennedy employees during a Safety and Health Days celebration on March 5, 2020. Taking place March 2 through March 6, Safety and Health Days provides Kennedy employees with a variety of presentations to attend – all of which focus on how to maintain a safe and healthy workforce. The celebration on March 5 took place at the Florida spaceport’s KARS Park II and was open for all employees to attend.
Two manikins are installed in the passenger seats inside the Artemis I Orion crew module atop the Space Launch System rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2022. As part of the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE) investigation, the two female manikins – Helga and Zohar – are equipped with radiation detectors, while Zohar also wears a radiation protection vest, to determine the radiation risk on its way to the Moon. Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate NASA’s capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft’s integrated systems before crewed missions. Under Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable lunar exploration.
Chemist Trey Barnes prepares a gas sample for injection into a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system preconcentrator for analyzing trace level gas contaminants inside NASA Engineering’s Analytical Laboratories at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 7, 2021. One of seven branches in the NASA Laboratories, Development, and Testing Division, the Analytical Laboratories branch provides microscopic imagery and analysis through the use of a wide variety of microscopic techniques to identify contaminants and other urgent problems associated with aerospace flight hardware, ground support equipment, and related facilities.
While onboard the USS John P. Murtha, NASA and the Department of Defense practice Artemis II recovery operations with the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) in July of 2023. The CMTA is a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft and is used to verify the recovery team is ready to support crew recovery after missions to the Moon.
The transport carrier containing the European Service Module for NASA’s Artemis III mission arrives at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. The European Service Module, which is assembled by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, from parts made in 10 European countries and the United States, acts as the driving force behind Orion for deep space exploration, providing essential propulsion, thermal control, and electrical power.
Launch team members are seated at the Hazardous Gas consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
The Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis I mission, fully assembled with its launch abort system, is lowered on top of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 20, 2021. The stacking of Orion on top of the SLS completes assembly for the Artemis I flight test. Teams will begin conducting a series of verification tests ahead of rolling out to Launch Complex 39B for the Wet Dress Rehearsal. Artemis I will be an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable lunar exploration.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana attend a roundtable discussion among multi-user spaceport partners at Kennedy’s Saturn V Conference Center on March 15, 2019. The meeting was held to discuss the needs of the space center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Phil Moyer, original project lead for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), tours the Vehicle Assembly Building on Nov. 22, 2019 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB was recognized with the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award by the Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers during a ceremony on Jan. 10, 2020. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.
Students from Rockledge High School in Rockledge, Fla., make “plarn” – plastic yarn -- out of used plastic bags during Kennedy Space Center’s annual Earth Day celebration. The plarn was donated to be woven into mats for homeless veterans. The two-day Earth Day event featured approximately 50 exhibitors offering information on a variety of topics, including electric vehicles, sustainable lighting, renewable energy, Florida-friendly landscaping tips, Florida’s biking trails and more.
Installation of the spacecraft adapter (SA) cone to the Artemis I Orion spacecraft shown in progress inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Aug. 10, 2020. This is one of the final major hardware operations the spacecraft will undergo during closeout processing prior to being integrated with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in preparation for the first Artemis mission. The spacecraft adapter cone connects the bottom portion of Orion’s service module to the top part of the rocket known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Orion will fly on the agency’s Artemis I mission – the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.
Launch team members are seated at the Electrical System consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
Family members of the original Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) architect tour the iconic facility on Nov. 22, 2019 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Among the visitors are Dick Bergmann, far right, original lead designer for the VAB. In view, far left, is Kelvin Manning, Kennedy’s associate director, technical. The Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers bestowed its National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award to the facility. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.
Lisa-Watson Morgan, NASA’s Human Landing System program manager, provides an overview of the program to Kennedy Space Center employees in the Florida spaceport’s Training Auditorium on Nov. 19, 2019. Watson-Morgan’s presentation was part of the center’s Innovation Days, one of several events throughout the year aimed at fostering and encouraging an innovative culture at Kennedy. In addition to the presentation, Kennedy employees had the opportunity to attend an innovation showcase, where nearly 50 exhibitors demonstrated new technologies and innovations. Showcase participants included individuals from multiple directorates, programs and organizations throughout Kennedy.
A crane is attached to the shipping container holding the European Service Module (ESM) after it was moved out of the cargo hold of the Antonov cargo aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 6, 2018. The ESM, built by the European Space Agency, will supply the main propulsion system and power to the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), a mission to the Moon. The ESM also will house air and water for astronauts on future missions. EM-1 will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration to destinations beyond Earth orbit. EM-1 will be the first integrated test of NASA's Space Launch System, Orion and the ground systems at Kennedy.
Thomas Cauvel, an intern assisting with software/electrical engineering on NASA’s Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor, or OSCAR, at Kennedy Space Center assembles the flight hardware. OSCAR is an Early Career Initiative project at the Florida spaceport that studies technology to convert trash and human waste into useful gasses such as methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. By processing small pieces of trash in a high-temperature reactor, OSCAR is advancing new and innovative technology for managing waste in space. OSCAR would reduce the amount of space needed for waste storage within a spacecraft, turn some waste into gasses that have energy storage and life support applications, and ensure waste is no longer biologically active. A prototype has been developed, and a team of Kennedy employees are in the process of constructing a new rig for suborbital flight testing.
A close-up view of an American flag and a small tree on the final work platform, A north, as the platform is lifted up by crane from the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of High Bay 3. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms.
Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and primary contractor Amentum, integrate the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket with the solid rocket boosters onto mobile launcher 1 inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, March 23, 2025. Artemis II is the first crewed test flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.
Technicians with European Service Module processing teams from the European Space Agency, Airbus, and Airbus Netherlands assist with securing a protective cover as a crane prepares to lift the panel during installation of one of four solar array wings inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 23, 2020. The Orion spacecraft for Artemis I is shown in the background. The solar arrays were extended, inspected, and then retracted, before installation on the spacecraft. Each solar array panel will generate 11 kilowatts of power and span about 63 feet. The array is a component of Orion’s service module, which is provided by the European Space Agency and built by Airbus Defence and Space to supply Orion’s power, propulsion, air and water. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, 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.
NASA’s Pegasus barge, carrying the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, arrives at the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on July 29, 2020. Traveling to Florida from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the LVSA will connect the SLS core stage to the rocket’s upper stage for the Artemis I launch. Once the LVSA is offloaded, it will be moved to High Bay 4 in the Vehicle Assembly Building for processing ahead of launch. The first launch under the agency’s Artemis program, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.
Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida work to safely lower the Artemis I Orion spacecraft into the FAST cell after completing the installation of the spacecraft adapter (SA) cone inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Aug. 20, 2020. This is one of the final major hardware operations the spacecraft will undergo during closeout processing prior to being integrated with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in preparation for the first Artemis mission. The spacecraft adapter cone connects the bottom portion of Orion’s service module to the top part of the rocket known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Orion will fly on the agency’s Artemis I mission – the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.
A member of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Emergency Response Team checks his firearm as the team prepares for the next tactical challenge at the 37th Annual SWAT Round-Up International at the Lawson Lamar Firearms and Tactical Training Center in Orlando, Florida. The competition was held Nov. 10 to 15, 2019, and featured five different tactical challenges. Kennedy's ERT members exchanged best practices and competed with more than 50 teams from the U.S. and around the world.
Members of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Emergency Response Team break through a barricade during one of the tactical challenges at the 37th Annual SWAT Round-Up International at the Lawson Lamar Firearms and Tactical Training Center in Orlando, Florida. The competition was held Nov. 10 to 15, 2019, and featured five different tactical challenges. Kennedy's ERT members exchanged best practices and competed with more than 50 teams from the U.S. and around the world.
A team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida assesses the Dust Concentration Monitor and the Millimeter Wave Doppler Radar inside a regolith bin at the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab at the spaceport’s Swamp Works on July 28, 2022, as part of Plume Surface Interaction (PSI) Instrumentation testing. The PSI Project is advancing both modeling and testing capabilities to understand exactly how rocket exhaust plumes affect a planetary landing site. This advanced modeling will help engineers evaluate the risks of various plumes on planetary surfaces, which will help them more accurately design landers for particular locations.
Jonathan Gleeson, Kennedy Space Center employee providing support for NASA’s Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) under the center’s Laboratory Support Services and Operations contract, installs OSCAR to the flight hardware that will carry it on its suborbital flight test. OSCAR is an Early Career Initiative project at the Florida spaceport that studies technology to convert trash and human waste into useful gasses such as methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. By processing small pieces of trash in a high-temperature reactor, OSCAR is advancing new and innovative technology for managing waste in space. OSCAR would reduce the amount of space needed for waste storage within a spacecraft, turn some waste into gasses that have energy storage and life support applications, and ensure waste is no longer biologically active. A prototype has been developed, and a team of Kennedy employees have worked on constructing a new rig for suborbital flight testing.
Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lift the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage – the largest part of the rocket – and prepare to move it over to High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be placed atop the mobile launcher in between the twin solid rocket boosters, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 10, 2021. The 188,000-pound core stage, with its four RS-25 engines, will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send the Artemis I mission to space. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, as well as establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface in preparation for human missions to Mars.
In the Swarmathon competition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, students were asked to develop computer code for the small robots, programming them to look for "resources" in the form of AprilTag cubes, similar to barcodes. Teams developed search algorithms for the Swarmies to operate autonomously, communicating and interacting as a collective swarm similar to ants foraging for food. In the spaceport's third annual Swarmathon, 23 teams represented 24 minority serving universities and community colleges were invited to develop software code to operate these innovative robots known as "Swarmies" to help find resources when astronauts explore distant locations, such as the Moon or Mars.
With the lights out, the ISRU Pilot Excavator digs in regolith bin during testing inside Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 28, 2022. Tests use a gravity assist offload system to simulate reduced gravity conditions found on the Moon. On the surface of the Moon, mining robots like the Pilot Excavator will excavate the regolith and take the material to a processing plant where usable elements such as hydrogen, oxygen and water can be extracted for life support systems. The Pilot Excavator can scoop up icy regolith which can be used to make operations on the Moon sustainable.
Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team and the Exploration Ground Systems Program practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.
Launch team members are seated at the Liquid Oxygen consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen stand in the white room on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as part of an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. The test ensures the ground systems team is ready to support the crew timeline on launch day.
On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, July 16, 2019, astronaut Michael Collins, left, speaks to Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana in the astronaut crew quarters about the moments leading up to launch at 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, and what it was like to be the first to land on the Moon.
Launch team members are seated at the Communication and Tracking consoles inside Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 13, 2021. They are participating in a joint integrated simulation for the Artemis I launch that covered both cryogenic loading and terminal countdown portions of prelaunch activities. Members of NASA’s mission management team and launch team conducted the simulation together. The Kennedy team was certified for the Artemis I launch. During Artemis I, the agency’s Orion spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy aboard NASA’s most powerful rocket – the Space Launch System – to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Through NASA’s Artemis missions, the agency, along with commercial and international partners, will establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.
Safety favors are photographed inside the Kennedy Space Center Training Auditorium on March 4, 2020, during the Florida spaceport’s annual Safety and Health Days. Taking place March 2 through March 6, Safety and Health Days provides Kennedy employees with a variety of presentations to attend – all of which focus on how to maintain a safe and healthy workforce.
NASA Kennedy Space Center employees learn more about safety from an informational table set up inside the Florida spaceport’s Training Auditorium on March 4, 2020, during the center’s annual Safety and Health Days. Taking place March 2 through March 6, Safety and Health Days provides Kennedy employees with a variety of presentations to attend – all of which focus on how to maintain a safe and healthy workforce.
On July 16, 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, left, and astronaut Michael Collins take a walk at Launch Complex 39A. During his visit to the Florida spaceport, Collins discussed the moments leading up to launch at 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, and what it was like to be part of the first crew to land on the Moon.
Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program stack the next solid rocket booster segment, the left aft center, on the for the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket onto mobile launcher 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Once assembled, the boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.
Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen ride from Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to Launch Pad 39B in the Artemis crew transportation vehicles as part of an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20, to test the crew timeline for launch day.
The Artemis I Orion spacecraft with its spacecraft adapter cone attached, is moved by crane into the FAST cell inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 20, 2020. This is one of the final major hardware operations the spacecraft will undergo during closeout processing prior to being integrated with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in preparation for the first Artemis mission. The spacecraft adapter cone connects the bottom portion of Orion’s service module to the top part of the rocket known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Orion will fly on the agency’s Artemis I mission – the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon that will ultimately lead to the exploration of Mars.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft, soars into the sky from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:17 a.m. EST on April 8, 2022, on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1). Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are aboard the flight to the International Space Station. The Ax-1 mission is the first private astronaut mission to the space station.
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage is lifted to the vertical position on Nov. 4, 2019, in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, in preparation for Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT). The uncrewed OFT mission will rendezvous and dock Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft with the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Starliner will launch atop the Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One is on its way to the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The Blue Ghost lander launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 carrying 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface to further understand the Moon and help prepare for future human missions.
Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks to employees at the Florida spaceport about plans for the coming year. The event took place in the Lunar Theater at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Apollo Saturn V Center. The year will be highlighted with NASA's partners preparing test flights for crewed missions to the International Space Station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program and six launches by the Launch Services Program. Exploration Ground Systems will be completing facilities to support the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Exploration Research and Technology Programs will continue to provide supplies to the space station launched as part of the Commercial Resupply Services effort.
The third and final aeroshell for Orion's Launch Abort System (LAS) is lifted by crane in High Bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 12, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The aeroshell was shipped from EMF Inc. on nearby Merritt Island. The aeroshell will be lowered onto slats. All three aeroshells will be stacked and prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test, scheduled for April 2019. During the test, a booster will launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a fully functional LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. Orion is being prepared for its first integrated uncrewed flight atop the SLS on Exploration Mission-1.
Technicians move NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to accommodate installation of its five-panel solar array at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. After moving the spacecraft, the team had to precisely align the spacecraft in preparation for the installation. The huge arrays – spanning more than 100 feet when fully deployed, or about the length of a basketball court – will collect sunlight to power the spacecraft as it flies multiple times around Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, conducting science investigations to determine its potential to support life.
Technicians with Exploration Ground Systems perform inspections of the Northrop Grumman-manufactured two aft exit cones on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida before mating processes begin for the agency’s Artemis II mission. The aft exit cones are attached to the bottom piece of the two boosters, (seen here in these photos), which is called the aft segment, and the exit cones act like a battery pack to provide added thrust for the boosters while protecting the aft skirts from thermal environment during launch of the agency’s first crewed mission under Artemis that will test all of the Orion spacecraft systems.
Jeremy Parr participates in the training of new Landing and Recovery team members during Underway Recovery Test-8. NASA is preparing for an Orion splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after Artemis I.
During the annual Earth Day celebration at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, guests have an opportunity to learn about the environment. The two-day event featured approximately 50 exhibitors offering information on a variety of topics, including electric vehicles, sustainable lighting, renewable energy, Florida-friendly landscaping tips, Florida’s biking trails and more.
A member of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Emergency Response Team talks looks through the scope of his rifle as he prepares for the next tactical challenge during the 37th Annual SWAT Round-Up International at the Lawson Lamar Firearms and Tactical Training Center in Orlando, Florida. The competition was held Nov. 10 to 15, 2019, and featured five different tactical challenges. Kennedy's ERT members exchanged best practices and competed with more than 50 teams from the U.S. and around the world.
Employees, invited guests and members of the news media await liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 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.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew member Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov walks out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of launch on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Gorbunov will launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. Launch is targeted for 1:17 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Crew-9 is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The transport carrier containing the European Service Module for NASA’s Artemis III mission arrives at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. The European Service Module, which is assembled by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, from parts made in 10 European countries and the United States, acts as the driving force behind Orion for deep space exploration, providing essential propulsion, thermal control, and electrical power.
Technicians test the system to deploy NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft solar arrays, which uses “thermal knives” to cut the restraints holding the solar arrays in place inside the agency’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. The Europa Clipper spacecraft will travel to Jupiter’s icy moon to determine its potential to support life. After launch the thermal knives will cut the restraints, allowing the solar arrays to deploy and collect sunlight to power the spacecraft as it begins its journey to investigate Europa.