News Archive / Space Centers

• Northrop Grumman becomes 1st commercial tenant of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building

  Mike HowardAugust 17th, 2019

  Northrop Grumman became the first commercial tenant of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in High Bay 2.

• Mars 2020 rover makes ‘pit stop’ at JPL

  Jim SharkeyJuly 19th, 2019

  The launch window for NASA's Mars 2020 rover opens in just under a year, and engineers at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have been hard at work assembling the vehicle in the clean room of JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility. As one might imagine getting a vehicle prepped for such a massive undertaking - is a group effort.

• Proof of Apollo 11 landing hard as ‘rock’

  Joe LatrellJuly 15th, 2019

  JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Texas -- When asked why they believe the Apollo 11 Moon landings were faked, conspiracy theorists point to the lack of stars in the photos taken by the astronauts, incongruous shadows and other bits of data from that mission. Some evidence that counters their claims isn't so fragile, in fact - it's written in stone.

• Mars 2020 rover get rock-zapping SuperCam

  Jim SharkeyJuly 4th, 2019

  With its scheduled launch date just over a year away, work on NASA's Mars 2020 rover continues apace. In recent weeks, the rover has received MastCam-Z, its legs and wheels and its main robotic arm. and now one of the "big guns" of its scientific suite has been added to the rover.

• NASA’s 2020 Mars rover gets 7-foot-long robot arm

  Jim SharkeyJuly 1st, 2019

  Engineers working in High Bay clean room 1 of the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) recently added a vital component to the space agency's Mars 2020 rover. On June 21, the team installed the rover's main robotic arm.

• NASA’s Mars 2020 rover gets its legs and wheels

  Jim SharkeyJune 26th, 2019

  In early June, a public webcam was installed in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and lately there has been a lot of activity to watch.  In recent weeks, engineers have been busy assembling the Mars 2020 rover in preparation for its scheduled launch in July 2020. On June 13, 2019, the team installed one of the rover's most critical pieces of hardware.

• NASA concept for generating power in deep space a little KRUSTY

  Collin SkocikJune 18th, 2019

  Prospects of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon have taken a step forward with the test of a system known as Kilopower, a lightweight fission reactor which could provide ten kilowatts of power for at least a decade.

• Bridenstine: Artemis mission could send first woman to the Moon

  Michael ColeJune 11th, 2019

  GLENN RESEARCH CENTER, Ohio -- NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine paid a visit to the agency's Glenn Research Center on Monday, June 10.  During his visit Bridenstine noted how the agency's latest lunar initiative - could make history with the first woman walking on the Moon.

• 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.