Kennedy Space Center – Kennedy Space Center

NASA Stacks First Artemis II Segment on Mobile Launcher

Engineers and technicians with the Exploration Ground Systems Program stack the first Moon rocket segment – the left aft assembly for the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket booster onto mobile launcher 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.

Engineers and technicians inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida stacked the first segment of the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket boosters onto mobile launcher 1.

Comprising 10 segments total – five segments for each booster – the SLS solid rocket boosters arrived via train to NASA Kennedy in September 2023 from Northrop Grumman’s manufacturing facility in Utah. The booster segments underwent processing in the spaceport’s Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility before being transferred to the NASA’s iconic VAB for stacking operations.

Technicians inside the 525-foot-tall facility used an overhead crane to lift the left aft assembly onto the mobile launcher. Up next, workers will install the right aft assembly, placing it carefully onto the 380-foot-tall structure used to process, assemble, and launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

The first components of the Artemis II Moon rocket to be stacked, the solid rocket boosters will help support the remaining rocket segments and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly. At launch, the 177-foot-tall twin solid rocket boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

NASA Prepares for Artemis II Rocket Integration

Since the mobile launcher returned in October from Launch Pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, work has been underway for upcoming stacking operations of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket.

To prepare for launch, the mobile launcher is undergoing optical scans, system checkouts, and umbilical refurbishment, including installation of the aft skirt electrical umbilicals.

The booster segments soon will move from the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility to the VAB via a transporter. The aft assemblies, or bottom portions of the five segment boosters, will be situated in the facility’s transfer aisle then lifted atop the mobile launcher in High Bay 3.

The examinations and preparations of the mobile launcher and rocket elements lay the groundwork for Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon.

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Prepares for Hurricane Milton

With Hurricane Milton approaching the area, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida went into HURCON II on Thursday, Oct. 8. NASA Kennedy’s Hurricane Conditions rank IV, III, II, and I, indicating what preparations should be made ahead of an approaching hurricane.

The center is now restricted to essential personnel only. Gate 2 on State Road 3 will remain closed through the storm. Gate 3 on State Road 405 and Gate 4 on State Road 402 will remain open until sustained winds reach above 34 knots (40 miles per hour).

The Ride Out Team, comprising emergency response representatives from across the center, will report Wednesday ahead of the heaviest impacts to the area and safely shelter in the spaceport’s Launch Control Center for the remainder of the storm. The team along with NASA weather officials and center leadership will continue meeting regularly to discuss the storm’s path and center’s response, as well as ensuring the latest updates to the workforce are communicated throughout the storm.

Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the spaceport by Wednesday evening, with tornadoes possible ahead of Milton’s center of approach. Hurricane force winds are expected to arrive early Thursday morning. Rain totals of 8-12 inches are expected through Saturday. After the hurricane has passed and winds have dropped sufficiently, center facilities and infrastructure will be assessed before employees are cleared to return to work.

Previously, NASA and SpaceX secured the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft until after the storm has passed and the center has time to assess any impact from the storm. Center-wide, programs have secured their facilities to protect equipment and commodities and to prevent loose objects from becoming projectiles during the storm.

Visit Kennedy Space Center’s operational status webpage for more information.

NASA’s Mobile Launcher Rolls Ahead of Artemis II Preparation

Image shows NASA's mobile launcher 1 prepare to move from Launch Pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. — Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to move mobile launcher 1 atop the agency’s crawler-transporter 2 from Launch Complex 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. The crawler recently reached 2,500 miles traveling to the launch pad since its construction in 1965. The mobile launcher has been at the launch pad since August 2023 undergoing upgrades and tests in preparation for NASA’s Artemis II mission. The mobile launcher will be used to assemble, process, and launch NASA’s SLS (Space Launch Systems) and Orion spacecraft to the Moon and beyond.

NASA rolled closer to integrating elements of the Artemis II Moon rocket together as teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida began moving the mobile launcher 1 from Launch Complex 39B along a 4.2 mile stretch back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. First motion of the mobile launcher, atop NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, occurred at 12:09 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 3.

Teams rolled the mobile launcher out to Kennedy’s Pad 39B in August 2023 for upgrades and a series of ground demonstration tests in preparation for NASA’s Artemis II mission. These preparations ranged from a launch day demonstration for the crew, closeout crew, and the pad rescue team, to testing the emergency egress system, water flow system, and the new liquid hydrogen sphere at the launch pad.

On its way to transport the mobile launcher back from the pad, NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 also achieved a milestone nearly 60 years in the making. Already designated by Guinness World Records as the heaviest self-powered vehicle – larger than a baseball infield and weighing approximately 6.65 million pounds – the crawler reached 2,500 miles traveled since its construction in 1965.

The mobile launcher is expected to arrive outside the Vehicle Assembly Building around 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct.3, before the Exploration Ground Systems teams move it into High Bay 3 on Friday, Oct.4.

Follow the livestream of the mobile launcher on the move.

Liftoff One Hour Away for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launch

Image shows a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for NASA's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. — A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket is vertical at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for NASA’s Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

The SpaceX closeout team has left the crew access arm, which will soon retract from the Dragon spacecraft. Launch, set for 1:17 p.m. EDT, is now less than an hour away.

Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron are watching lightning, rain, and wind in the area, but launch currently remains a “go” for liftoff from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

It will take 28.5 hours for NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, to reach the International Space Station and dock to the Harmony module’s forward port. Once there, they’ll be greeted by nine members of the Expedition 72 crew. There will be a brief handover period before NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 members, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin return to Earth. The four-person crew has been at the orbiting laboratory since March 5, when they docked to the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft.

The space station will be traveling over northeast Bulgaria during liftoff.

NASA’s live coverage of the Crew-9 mission continues on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Also, check back for updates on the mission blog, @commercial_crew on X, or commercial crew on Facebook.

NASA+ Crew-9 Launch Coverage Begins

Image of countdown clock on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, ahead of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Launch to the International Space Station — Image of countdown clock on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launch to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA

NASA’s live coverage is underway on NASA+ and the agency’s website for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.

At 1:17 p.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, will begin their journey to the space station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 55% of favorable weather conditions for the launch. The cumulus cloud rule, flight through precipitation, and surface electric fields rule are the primary weather concerns.

Right now, the Crew-9 crewmembers are inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, undergoing medical checks and receiving a weather briefing before suiting up.

Hague and Gorbunov will join NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived at the space station in June, to complete their crew contingent. The crew will spend about five months at the orbiting laboratory conducting experiments, research demonstrations, and spacewalks to perform maintenance on the space station before returning in February 2025.

Stay with us throughout the day as we countdown toward launch. Updates will be posted on the mission blog, @commercial_crew on X, or commercial crew on Facebook.

Orion’s Artemis III European Service Module Joined with Crew Module Adapter

Image shows European Service Module 3 preparing to be connected to the crew module adapter — Teams began connecting the European Service Module 3 to the crew module adapter on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The integrated hardware will provide propulsion, thermal control, and electrical power for NASA’s Orion spacecraft set to carry four NASA astronauts to the lunar South Pole region of the Moon for the agency’s Artemis III campaign. NASA/Kim Shiflett

Teams have joined the Artemis III European Service Module and crew module adapter for NASA’s Orion spacecraft inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, following the completion of the Integration Readiness Review on Sept. 17.

The ESA (European Space Agency)-provided European Service Module is assembled by Airbus in Bremen, Germany, from parts made in 10 European countries and the United States. It acts as the driving force behind the Orion spacecraft for deep space exploration, providing essential propulsion, thermal control, and electrical power. The module also will supply astronauts with vital resources like water and oxygen, ensuring they’re well-supported during their journey to the Moon.

The crew module adapter bridges electrical, data, and fluid systems between Orion’s crew and service modules with an umbilical connector, and it also houses electronic equipment for communications, power, and control.

The integrated European Service Module and crew module adapter, which together make the service module, will undergo final inspections before engineers move it to the clean room inside the spaceport’s O&C high bay for welding operations. Later in the production flow, the Artemis III crew module will be connected to the service module via the crew module adapter.

The European Service Module is managed by the Orion team at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The arrival of the Artemis III hardware to Kennedy marks the first time two Orion service modules have been inside the O&C facility at the same time during the agency’s Artemis campaign. The Artemis II service module is already mated to the crew module, and engineers continue to process the integrated modules inside the facility ahead of the test flight.

NASA, SpaceX Shift Crew-9 Launch to NET Sept. 28 Over Weather Concerns

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft atop, is vertical at the launch pad of Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch to the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, will launch to the orbiting laboratory on the company’s ninth crew rotation flight for NASA as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA and SpaceX teams have adjusted the next launch opportunity for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to no earlier than 1:17 p.m. EDT, Saturday, Sept. 28, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida due to expected tropical storm conditions in the area. The change allows teams to complete a rehearsal of launch day activities Tuesday night with the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, which rolled to Space Launch Complex-40 earlier in the day. Following rehearsal activities, the integrated system will move back to the hangar ahead of any potential storm activity.

Although Tropical Storm Helene is moving through the Gulf of Mexico and expected to impact the Florida panhandle, the storm system is large enough that high winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida’s east coast.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are to launch aboard the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station on what will be the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. They will conduct research and perform maintenance activities during their five-month mission. The mission is launch from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Duo Lands at Florida Spaceport

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut walking from a Gulfstream jet — NASA astronaut Nick Hague, front, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov arrive via Gulfstream jet on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, ahead of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch. The pair will stay in the center’s Astronaut Crew Quarters in preparation for their launch on Thursday, Sept. 26, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: Danielle Sempsrott/NASA

NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, arrived at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida just moments ago on Saturday, Sept. 21.

NASA leaders will greet the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 at 1:30 p.m. EDT for a brief welcome ceremony with the following participants:

Kelvin Manning, deputy director, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
NASA astronaut Nick Hague
Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov

The ceremony will stream live on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Hague and Gorbunov will quarantine at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy. While there, they’ll conduct a dry dress rehearsal of the mission, sleep shift to align their resting and waking periods with mission requirements, rehearse flight procedures, as well as make calls to family and friends.

The crew is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station at 2:05 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 26, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

NASA’s Rocket On Roll: Core Stage Arrives at Vehicle Assembly Building

After completing its journey from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans aboard the Pegasus barge, teams with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) transport the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Once inside, SLS will be prepared for integration atop the mobile launcher ahead of the Artemis II launch. — After completing its journey from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans aboard the Pegasus barge, teams with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) transport the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission is inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Tugboats and towing vessels moved the barge and core stage 900-miles to the Florida spaceport from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where it was manufactured and assembled.

Team members with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program safely transferred the 212-foot-tall core stage from the agency’s Pegasus barge, which arrived at NASA Kennedy’s Complex 39 turn basin wharf on July 23, onto the self-propelled module transporter, which is used to move large elements of hardware. It was then rolled to the Vehicle Assembly Building transfer aisle where teams will process it until it is ready for rocket stacking operations.

In the coming months, teams will integrate the rocket core stage atop the mobile launcher with the additional Artemis II flight hardware, including the twin solid rocket boosters, launch vehicle stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft.

The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.