News Archive / Space Centers

• Northrop Grumman cancels OmegA rocket following NSSL contract loss

  Matt HaskellSeptember 10th, 2020

  In an expected move following recent contract awards, Northrop Grumman has announced the cancellation of their OmegA launch vehicle program.

• First segment of Orion capsule delivered for assembly ahead of Artemis III mission

  Theresa CrossSeptember 10th, 2020

  Lockheed Martin takes delivery and begins production of the Artemis III Orion capsule, as the first parts of the pressure vessel are delivered to the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

• Northrop Grumman continues to advance NASA’s Artemis program

  Matt HaskellSeptember 3rd, 2020

  Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman continues to meet milestones in preparation for NASA’s Artemis program, as it completes a successful booster test fire for Artemis IV, and delivers the final abort motor for Artemis II

• US Air Force Global Strike Command conducts Minuteman III test from Vandenberg Air Force Base

  Ashly CullumberSeptember 2nd, 2020

  On Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at 12:03 a.m. Pacific Time, an operational test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was conducted from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

• Orion spacecraft passes final milestone for first Artemis launch

  Cullen DesforgesSeptember 2nd, 2020

  On September 1, NASA announced that the flight-ready Orion Crew capsule had completed a significant milestone in preparation for its voyage on the first launch of the Artemis Program, Artemis 1.

• SpaceX launches first polar launch from Florida in 60 years

  Matt HaskellAugust 30th, 2020

  SpaceX has successfully launched the SAOCOM-1B satellite for the Argentinian Space Agency, CONAE – the first polar trajectory launch from Florida’s Space Coast in 60 years.

• 24-hour scrub leaves Delta IV and NROL-44 on the pad at SLC-37

  Theresa CrossAugust 27th, 2020

  This morning’s planned launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta lV Heavy rocket, set to carry the NROL-44 mission, was scrubbed while the countdown was in a planned hold at T-minus 4 hours and 15 minutes.

• ULA set to launch mission for National Reconnaissance Office

  Matt HaskellAugust 26th, 2020

  United Launch Alliance is preparing to launch the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office atop their Delta IV Heavy rocket early Thursday morning. 

• SpaceX successfully launches Booster for the sixth time

  Theresa CrossAugust 18th, 2020

  On August 18 at 10:31 a.m. EDT, SpaceX successfully launched the latest batch of 58 corporate satellites from Cape Canaveral Florida, destined to become part of their growing Starlink constellation.

• SpaceX set to launch its 100th Mission with Starlink and SkySat

  Cullen DesforgesAugust 18th, 2020

  SpaceX is on the cusp of launching its 100th mission, due to loft the eleventh batch of Starlink satellites on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, atop their Falcon 9 rocket.

• Fourth GPS satellite arrives safely in Florida

  Cullen DesforgesAugust 10th, 2020

  On July 14, the fourth satellite in the Global Positioning System III (GPS III) system arrived at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, for processing in preparation of its launch in September.

• Perseverance rover launches on its journey to explore Mars

  Matt HaskellJuly 30th, 2020

  CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – At 7:50 a.m. EDT, the ULA Atlas V rocket lifted off on its journey to Mars with NASA’s Perseverance rover, and Ingenuity helicopter.

• NASA, ULA on the eve of launch of Perseverance Mars rover

  Matt HaskellJuly 29th, 2020

  Years of hard work and preparation have culminated in NASA’s newest Mars rover, Perseverance, sitting  atop its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral, set to leave Earth as early as 7:50 a.m. EDT (11:50 UTC) Thursday morning.

• Minotaur IV sucessfully sends NROL-129 into blue, Virginia skies

  Steve HammerJuly 15th, 2020

  Virginia based Northrop Grumman today launched classified mission NROL-129 for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) aboard a Minotaur IV rocket from launchpad 0B at The Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), adjacent to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. The countdown clock was held at T-minus 16 minutes for 46 minutes, allowing for multiple […]

• Northrop Grumman set to loft NROL-129 atop Minotaur IV

  Sean CostelloJuly 14th, 2020

  Teams from Northrop Grumman, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Mid-Atlantic Spaceport (MARS) are all reporting as being poised and ready to launch the NROL-129 mission tomorrow, July 15, 2020, atop a Minotaur IV rocket. Even the weather appears to be supportive, with the latest forecast indicating only a 10% chance of violating acceptable […]

• NASA TAPS ASTROBOTIC TO DELIVER VIPER ROVER TO THE MOON

  Michael ColeJune 16th, 2020

  NASA awarded a nearly $200 million contract Thursday to Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, to deliver NASA’s VIPER rover to a destination at the moon’s south pole in 2023.

• 3 SkySat, 58 Starlink satellites fly during first SpaceX Rideshare launch

  Cullen DesforgesJune 13th, 2020

  At 5:21 a.m. EDT, SpaceX’s ninth set of Starlink satellites departed Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, flying with three SkySat satellites, part of the company’s first commercial ride share arrangement.

• President Trump delivers remarks after Demo-2 launch

  Michael McCabeJune 6th, 2020

      President Donald J. Trump gave a speech inside of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building after the successful launch of astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

• SOFIA data sheds new light on endurance of Pluto’s atmosphere

  Laurel KornfeldJune 1st, 2020

  Data captured by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), an airborne observatory that studied Pluto’s atmospheric hazes just two weeks before New Horizons‘ 2015 flyby, indicates the hazes in Pluto’s atmosphere are regularly replenished.

• The drought is over: NASA and SpaceX successfully launch Demo-2

  Cullen DesforgesMay 30th, 2020

  History has been made and an almost nine-year drought has ended. SpaceX has successfully launched its first crewed mission, marking the beginning of a new era in human spaceflight. The SpaceX Crew Dragon is now officially on her way to the International Space Station for the first time with humans on board.