News Archive / Space Centers

• Vandenberg Space Force Base sees its 2,000th launch

  Theresa CrossOctober 4th, 2021

  Last week, Vandenberg Space Force Base saw its 2,000th launch with the orbiting of the Landsat 9 Earth observation satellite.

• NASA’s Lucy Trojan asteroid spacecraft arrives in Florida

  Cullen DesforgesAugust 10th, 2021

  NASA’s first spacecraft to explore Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, Lucy, has arrived in Florida in advance of its October 2021 launch.

• Former Shuttle Landing Facility to get new ‘utility corridor’

  Theresa CrossJuly 10th, 2021

  Construction on a new "utility corridor" has begun at the former Shuttle Landing Facility, now known as the Launch and Landing Facility, which is run by Space Florida.

• First Space Launch System rocket core stage arrives in Florida

  Theresa CrossApril 29th, 2021

  The core stage for NASA's Space Launch System rocket arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the uncrewed Artemis 1 Moon mission, scheduled for later this year.

• NASA conducts Orion water drop tests ahead of Artemis 2

  Matt HaskellApril 7th, 2021

  NASA made a considerable splash Tuesday afternoon by dropping its Orion crew module into a pool of water at its research facility in Langley, Virginia.

• Final Delta II added to Kennedy Space Center’s rocket garden

  Cullen DesforgesMarch 31st, 2021

  The newly-stacked United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket stands proud at its final home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

• Engineers detail plans for Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s first flight

  Michael McCabeMarch 24th, 2021

  Now that NASA’s Perseverance rover is safely on Mars, all eyes are shifting toward the deployment of a small technology demonstration, a drone-like helicopter called Ingenuity.

• NASA finishes stacking twin SLS boosters for Artemis 1 mission

  Theresa CrossMarch 11th, 2021

  NASA has finished stacking the twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for “the most powerful rocket in the world,” the massive Space Launch System.

• Vulcan rocket progresses towards first launch with pathfinder arrival

  Matt HaskellFebruary 13th, 2021

  Progress continues to advance for United Launch Alliance’s newest rocket, as the pathfinder for the Vulcan rocket arrived by the company’s cargo ship and was unloaded at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Saturday, February 15.

• Hot fire test of NASA’s SLS Rocket ends prematurely, placing 2021 launch date into question

  Derek RichardsonJanuary 17th, 2021

  For the first time, NASA fired up the core stage for its Space Launch System rocket, which is designed to send humans into deep space. However, an anomaly prompted the engines to shut down much earlier than planned.

• Orion is on the move, across the grounds of Kennedy Space Center

  Sean CostelloJanuary 16th, 2021

  Under blue Florida skies, NASA put in motion the next phase of preparations for the first Space Launch System (SLS) mission, Artemis I, with the moving of the Orion capsule from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility.

• SpaceX Successfully launches first operational crewed mission

  Matt HaskellNovember 16th, 2020

  At 7:27 PM EST on November 15, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with a Crew Dragon capsule containing 4 astronauts lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A in Florida.

• NASA and SpaceX set to launch first operational Crew Dragon mission

  Matt HaskellNovember 15th, 2020

  Following up on the successful launch and return of NASA Astronauts in May, SpaceX is on the cusp of flying the first certified operational mission of their Crew Dragon capsule.

• ULA successfully launches NRO-101 mission into evening Florida sky

  Sean CostelloNovember 13th, 2020

  With the tell-tale crackle of three GEM 63 solid rocket boosters, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket leapt from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41 pad at 5:32 p.m. EST this evening, carrying a top-secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload skyward.

• Breakdown of Crew-1 Flight Plan: an inside look

  Cullen DesforgesNovember 13th, 2020

  On Tuesday November 10, teams at SpaceX and NASA completed the final launch readiness review for the first operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

• ULA set for second launch attempt of classified NRO payload

  Matt HaskellNovember 13th, 2020

  United Launch Alliance is set to re-attempt the launch of their Atlas V rocket and its NROL-101 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office on Friday evening. 

• Crew-1’s dress rehearsal complete; countdown to launch continues

  Sean CostelloNovember 12th, 2020

  With less than 48 hours until the scheduled liftoff of Falcon 9 and NASA’s Crew-1 mission, all systems appear go on Florida’s Space Coast.

• ULA set to launch classified spy satellite atop Atlas V, featuring first GEM 63 boosters

  Matt HaskellNovember 4th, 2020

  United Launch Alliance is set to launch their Atlas V rocket on Wednesday evening, November 4, launching the highly classified NROL-101 spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral.

• SpaceX marks their 100th successful flight during Starlink launch

  Matt HaskellOctober 24th, 2020

  On Saturday Oct 24, A SpaceX Falcon 9 took to the stars from Cape Canaveral with another batch of Starlink satellites, marking the company’s 100th successful launch. 

• ISS Expedition 63 crew returns home safely

  Cullen DesforgesOctober 22nd, 2020

  On October 21, 2020, the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft carrying the Expedition 63 crew members departed the International Space Station, successfully returning NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and Russian Cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner back to planet Earth at a landing site in Kazakhstan.