News Archive / Space Centers

• Mars 2020 rover closer to mobility

  Lloyd CampbellMay 17th, 2019

  NASA's Mars 2020 rover is continuing to take shape. Engineers recently installed a controller assembly to be used to properly move and steer spacecraft.

• NASA’s Mars 2020 rover stacked for testing

  Jim SharkeyApril 25th, 2019

  NASA's Mars 2020 mission has reached a crucial milestone in preparation for its launch, currently scheduled for July of 2020. In recent weeks, major spacecraft components and test equipment have been tucked inside the entry capsule in a process known as 'vehicle stacking.'

• Mars 2020 Rover tests proceeding

  Lloyd CampbellMarch 29th, 2019

  Testing of the Mars 2020 Rover's systems and software is already taking place in preparation for a launch to the Red Planet in the summer of 2020.

• First flight of Boeing Starliner spacecraft could slip again

  Jason RhianMarch 21st, 2019

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- It is being reported that Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which is being producing as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), has encountered another delay. If accurate, this latest delay could see the mission pushed back by almost half a year.

• Astronauts for Boeing’s first crewed CCP flight reshuffled

  Cullen DesforgesJanuary 22nd, 2019

  Boeing has experienced a rearranging of the astronauts assigned to Starliner's first crewed flight.

• SLS liquid hydrogen tank test article placed on test stand

  Derek RichardsonJanuary 18th, 2019

  A 149-foot-tall test article for the Space Launch System's liquid hydrogen tank was loaded onto a test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

• InSight team creates Martian rock garden, lander begins work

  Jim SharkeyDecember 22nd, 2018

  Using tools ranging from rakes and shovels to augmented reality headsets, engineers with NASA's Mars InSight mission have built a Martian rock garden which recreates the lander's new home on Mars. This allows engineers to practice placing science instrument on the surface using InSight's Earth-bound twin - ForeSight.

• Opportunity: All’s quiet on the Martian front…

  Jim SharkeyDecember 4th, 2018

  While the Martian skies have cleared of the dust that enveloped much of the Red Planet, NASA's Opportunity rover remains silent in Perseverance Valley. The rover was last heard from on June 10, 2018. As of November 27, the mission team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had sent 359 recovery commands in a effort to wake the rover.

• Antares not the only thing grounded by recent nor’easter

  Jason RhianNovember 19th, 2018

  The planned Nov. 15 flight of the NG-10 mission to the ISS was delayed two days while NASA waited for a powerful storm to pass. The mission wasn't the only thing held back by bad weather however.

• Once used for Shuttle landings, iconic runway cleared for horizontal launches

  Jim SharkeyNovember 10th, 2018

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — With the close of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, the future of the facilities that supported the program was in doubt. The mantra of Kennedy Space Center becoming a "multi-user spaceport" was drummed out at every event where the center's future was discussed. With every passing day, that mantra appears to becoming a reality.

• Final ASPIRE test certifies Mars 2020 parachute

  Heather SmithNovember 6th, 2018

  NASA's Mars 2020 rover is one step closer to exploring the dusty plains of the Red Planet. A recent test has not only demonstrated the viability of a key system - it has also made history.

• Sites and snapshots: Focus on Mars increasing with Mars 2020 and MarCO missions

  Jim SharkeyOctober 24th, 2018

  NASA's Mars 2020 rover and InSight's companion, Mars Cube One, continue to blaze a path to the flash-frozen world as word of a new possible location for Martian life emerges.

• Rocket Lab announces new launch site at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility

  Jason RhianOctober 18th, 2018

  California-based Rocket Lab has announced a new site from which it plans to fly its Electron rocket from - one based in the United States.

• Opportunity spotted as dust settles on Mars

  Jim SharkeySeptember 27th, 2018

  NASA's Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, has been seen from high on orbit - but the rover still isn't responding.

• NASA Administrator Bridenstine says NASA Glenn critical for return to Moon

  Michael ColeSeptember 22nd, 2018

  CLEVELAND, Ohio — NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine paid a visit to the space agency's Glenn Research Center earlier this week, as well as its associated testing facility, Plum Brook Station in nearby Sandusky.

• What goes out, must come back: NASA moves Mobile Launcher to VAB for year of work leading to EM-1

  Curt GodwinSeptember 9th, 2018

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After journeying out to Launch Pad 39B for several days of fit checks and tests, NASA has rolled the 11-million pound (4.99-million kilogram) Mobile Launcher (ML) back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for further work.

• Mobile Launcher test drive inches SLS one step closer to Exploration Mission-1

  Curt GodwinSeptember 1st, 2018

  A Chinese proverb roughly states: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." While this adage rings true for those undertaking Earthly ventures, it is also fitting for the launch of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS).

• JPL unveils efforts to explore Mars to NASA Administrator

  Jason RhianAugust 27th, 2018

  PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine paid a visit to the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory today, Monday Aug. 27, 2018 and was provided a review of NASA's efforts to explore the Red Planet.

• Lockheed Martin, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex launch new Astronaut Training Experience

  Jason RhianAugust 17th, 2018

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Lockheed Martin and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex "launched" the new Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. The event was conducted with pomp, leading members of the space community and those who stand to benefit from this new attraction.

• NASA Administrator discusses NASA’s future during stop at Kennedy

  Jason RhianAugust 8th, 2018

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine paid his first visit to NASA's Kennedy Space Center on a two-day stop that began on Monday, Aug. 6 and concluded today (Aug. 7). The visit comes just days before one of the most important NASA missions of the year is poised to get underway.