News Archive / Space Centers

• 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.

• Inter-satellite laser communications improving Starlink performance, as SpaceX expands constellation

  Theresa CrossOctober 18th, 2020

  SpaceX launched its fourteenth batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral’s LC-39A, at 8:25 a.m. EDT, October 18, 2020, flying into blue Florida skies atop a Falcon9 booster flying for its sixth time. 

• Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson resigns from Starliner test flight

  Cullen DesforgesOctober 16th, 2020

  On Wednesday October 7, Boeing Astronaut Chris Ferguson announced that he has removed himself from the first crewed test flight of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.

• ISS Expedition 64 crew launches to ISS in record time

  Cullen DesforgesOctober 16th, 2020

  On Wednesday, October 14 at 1:45 AM EDT, three astronauts and their Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft left the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to begin a six month mission to the International Space Station.

• Weather clears, allows famed Falcon 9 to lift a thirteenth batch of Starlink satellites

  Theresa CrossOctober 6th, 2020

  Early Tuesday morning, SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites, flying from LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

• Northrop Grumman successfully launches NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft

  Sean CostelloOctober 2nd, 2020

  It was an on-time departure from Wallops Island tonight, as a Northrop Grumman Antares booster lifted the NG-14 payload aloft at 9:16 p.m. EDT.

• ULA announces new launch date for NROL-44

  Cullen DesforgesSeptember 19th, 2020

  United Launch Alliance has set September 27, 2020 as the target date for the third launch attempt of the NROL-44 payload aboard their Delta IV Heavy Rocket, due to launch at 12:10 a.m. EDT. The launch window will last for approximately 90 minutes.

• 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.