KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

Solar Orbiter has officially begun its seven-year mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft launched aboard a United Launch Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Feb. 9 at 11:03 p.m. Also, NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana discussed accomplishments and looked ahead to the agency's bright future during an employee event held at the Florida spaceport.

Solar Orbiter Program Manager Cesar Garcia discusses the launch and talks about what is next for the spacecraft.

Joshua Santora, NASA Communications, talks with NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn after the successful launch of the Solar Orbiter Sunday evening from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, carrying Solar Orbiter, lights up the sky as it lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Status checks to proceed with terminal count are a "go" and everything is on schedule for Solar Orbiter's 11:03 p.m. EST launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

A look at the opening coverage of the Solar Orbiter Mission, which will lift off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Sending people to the Moon and Mars requires understanding how to provide nutrition for astronauts who may be away from Earth for extended periods of time. One solution is growing food in space, which can be challenging. To learn more, scientists will send three types of leafy greens and a new way to handle seeds in space to the International Space Station. Launching from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Northrop Grumman’s 13th cargo resupply mission, the VEG-03 series of experiments will send a new crop, amara mustard, to the orbiting laboratory. Red romaine lettuce and ‘extra dwarf’ pak choi – which astronauts have grown and eaten in space – also will return to the station. Researchers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida planted the pak choi and amara seeds in containers called plant pillows, but for red romaine lettuce, they inserted the seeds into a new type of seed-handling material called seed film. This water-soluble, dissolving film is the same material as a breath freshener strip. It will allow the crew to plant the seeds into pillows themselves, something that has never been done in orbit before. This could allow astronauts to pick and choose what crops they want to grow from a collection of seeds on the space station. For more information about the Space Station: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html For more information about NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility https://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home For more information about NASA’s Kennedy Space Center https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html

Under the leadership of NASA's first female Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, a team of nearly 100 engineers came together to rehearse various countdown simulations for the launch of Artemis I, familiarizing them with launch day operations. Also, Gateway Logistics Element Manager Mark Wiese attended the AirCargo 2020 conference in Nashville, presenting an overview of the Artemis program and the agency's plan for a commercial supply chain to the Gateway.

Sometimes, history inspires us. Sometimes, we find ourselves in the middle of history being made. Now, we are in the middle of the most aggressive push for the Moon since we landed there for the first time 50 years ago. Learn more from a conversation we had last year with NASA's first female Launch Director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.

The Solar Orbiter spacecraft was encapsulated inside the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility near Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft is being prepared for launch in February, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Plant pillows and a new seed handling material similar to breath freshener strips containing the seeds for three types of leafy greens, were packed inside Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility. Researchers assembled the supplies for a series of VEG-03 experiments that will be delivered to the International Space Station aboard Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft on Commercial Resupply Services Mission NG-13 in February.

NASA and Commercial Crew Program partners Boeing and SpaceX are preparing to launch astronauts from Florida's Space Coast.

NASA and SpaceX successfully demonstrated the launch-escape capabilities of the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft during an In-Flight Abort Test on January 19, 2020. The Falcon 9 rocket, with the Crew Dragon, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. The test paves the way for the Demo-2 mission, which will send a Crew Dragon with two astronauts aboard to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Demo-2 astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were on hand at Kennedy for the In-Flight Abort Test.

NASA and SpaceX conduct an In-Flight Abort Test on Jan. 19, 2020, to demonstrate Crew Dragon's ability to safely separate from a Falcon 9 rocket in the unlikely event of a failure during launch. Liftoff occurred at 10:30 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The in-flight abort is the final, major test before astronauts fly to the International Space Station aboard Crew Dragon under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Members of the media got an up-close look at Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft that flew on the company's Orbital Flight Test in December. Nicknamed "Calypso," the spacecraft is being refurbished for a future crewed flight. Also, scientists at NASA's Kennedy Space Center are growing tomatoes from seeds exposed to simulated solar particle radiation to study the effects of space radiation on plants.

NASA and the European Space Agency are preparing to launch Solar Orbiter, a mission that will study the Sun, its outer atmosphere and solar wind. Liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for Feb. 5 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Also, SpaceX is gearing up for their In-Flight Abort Test, scheduled for Jan. 18, to demonstrate Crew Dragon's ability to safely separate from a Falcon 9 rocket.

NASA’s Launch Services Program will be launching three science missions in 2020 to study the Sun, Mars and our Oceans.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, carrying the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:36 a.m. EST on Dec. 20, 2019, for the company’s uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT). OFT will be Starliner’s first mission to the International Space Station, ensuring the spacecraft and systems operate as designed before launching with crew.

Launch conductors complete their poll of the launch teams for Boeing's Orbital Flight Test (OFT) to the International Space Station. Following the poll, teams received the "go" to proceed with the launch countdown. OFT will be Boeing's first uncrewed flight test under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the live broadcast begins for the countdown and launch of Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test (OFT) of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 6:36 a.m. EST, Dec. 20, 2019, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41. OFT is Boeing’s first uncrewed flight test under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Members of the media had an opportunity to see the Solar Orbiter spacecraft at the nearby Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility where it’s being prepared for launch on February 5, 2020. NASA held a prelaunch briefing this week for Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test. The company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Commercial and government partnerships and contracts might not sound that fascinating, but when we're talking about certifying Boeing Starliner to carry humans to space, the challenges and complexities become a whole lot more interesting.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket topped by Boeing's CST-100 Starliner was fully fueled for a countdown rehearsal for the upcoming Orbital Flight Test, Boeing’s uncrewed flight to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Also, Kennedy Space Center Bob Cabana hosted an end-of-year coffee event for the workforce at the multi-user spaceport.

SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after launching aboard the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 on Thursday afternoon. The launch marked the 19th mission under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services mission. Also, Kennedy Space Center recently hosted an Innovation Days event, attracting nearly 50 exhibitors to the center’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. Participants represented multiple programs and organizations throughout the multi-user spaceport.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, SpaceX's Headquarters in Hawthorne, California, and Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston, the live broadcast begins for the countdown and liftoff of SpaceX’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 12:29 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, from Launch Complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

There is a successful deployment of the Dragon spacecraft! SpaceX's 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 12:29 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. On the CRS-19 mission, the Dragon spacecraft is carrying 5,700 pounds of science investigations, supplies and equipment, including a next-generation Earth imaging system, to the orbiting laboratory.

Dragon's solar arrays are deployed as the spacecraft begins its journey to the International Space Station. SpaceX's 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 12:29 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. On the CRS-19 mission, the Dragon spacecraft is carrying 5,700 pounds of science investigations, supplies and equipment, including a next-generation Earth imaging system, to the orbiting laboratory.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:29 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. This is SpaceX’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA to the International Space Station. On the CRS-19 mission, the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft will deliver 5,700 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory.

How do astronauts measure the weight of small items on the International Space Station, which is a microgravity environment, and scales don't work without gravity? Although astronauts can't measure weight without gravity, they can measure mass. According to Newton’s second law, force, acceleration and mass are all related to one another. In space, astronauts use the Mass Measurement Device (MMD), which applies a known acceleration to the sample and measures the resulting force. The MMD can measure between 1-100 grams and has an accuracy of .1 grams. There are also other mass measurement devices on the ISS like the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD), which can measure the mass of an astronaut.

NASA's Orion spacecraft left Kennedy Space Center and was flown to the agency's Plum Brook Station in Ohio to undergo environmental testing. Also, the 19th SpaceX mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 12:51 EST.

A team of researchers on the ground at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center supports astronauts as they harvest crops grown in space aboard the International Space Station in the Veggie growth chamber. The experiment examines Mizuna mustard as a salad green to determine productivity, nutritional value and suitability of using fresh crops to supplement astronauts’ diets. The ability to grow a supplemental food crop is a solution to the challenge of long-duration missions into deep space, and the International Space Station is the only platform for long-duration research in microgravity where astronauts are solving these challenges. The packaged diet currently used by crews in low-Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station works well and has supported an uninterrupted human presence in space since Nov. 2, 2000; however, it relies on resupply missions. During a two- or three-year mission to Mars, the vitamins and quality of packaged food would degrade over time. Supplementation with fresh, edible crops will provide necessary nutrients while also enhancing dietary variety. To learn more about the International Space Station visit https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html To learn more about NASA’s Moon to Mars efforts please visit https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft rolls to Space Launch Complex 41 in preparation for the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test mission to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Also, Kennedy Space Center’s Emergency Response Team posted a top-10 finish in the annual SWAT Round-up International competition in Orlando.

The Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) is a new tool that NASA is sending to the Moon as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract. On the Moon, MSolo can measure resources like water, or it can measure the amount of gasses coming from landers during touchdown. Water, in the form of lunar ice, is an important resource for NASA's Artemis program, which will land the first woman and next man on the surface of the Moon by 2024, because astronauts can use it for sustainment and fuel. MSolo took an off-the-shelf mass spectrometer and ruggedized it to work in the harsh lunar environment.

SpaceX completed static fire tests of its Crew Dragon spacecraft at Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Nov. 13, 2019. During the tests, SpaceX completed firings of its Draco thrusters and SuperDraco engines. Stacking is complete on the rocket set to launch Boeing's CST-100 Starliner on its first flight to the International Space Station. Teams mated a Centaur upper stage to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage inside the Space Launch Complex 41 Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner completed the Pad Abort Test, November 4, at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The next spacecraft to study the Sun arrived at Kennedy on November 1. Solar Orbiter was delivered to the Launch and Landing Facility, formerly the Shuttle Landing Facility, aboard an Antonov cargo plane. Solar Orbiter is a European Space Agency mission with NASA participation. This week, the spaceport was the first NASA center to be named a Purple Heart Entity by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Kennedy is being recognized as a Purple Heart Entity for the support of veterans though employment opportunities and services provided to veterans by the center’s veterans employee resource group.

The Space Launch System core stage pathfinder - a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's actual core stage - was loaded back onto NASA's Pegasus barge for its return trip to the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. While at Kennedy, the pathfinder allowed teams to practice offloading, maneuvering and stacking techniques. Also, SpaceX fired up the Crew Dragon's SuperDraco engines in preparation of the company's In-Flight Abort Test.

Rockets are dangerous. And before we strap our star sailors in, we need to know there is a proven escape plan. Learn about the next two major tests under NASA's Commercial Crew Program as we prepare to transport humans safely to and from the International Space Station.

Exploration Ground Systems accomplished many milestones in 2019 on the way to Artemis I. From moving the mobile launcher out to Launch Pad 39B for testing and validation, to conducting launch countdown simulations in Firing Room 1, we are going! Artemis I will be the first test of the Space Launch System and Orion capsule on a journey around the Moon.

The NASA Business Opportunities Expo 2019 attracted about 200 business and government exhibitors. The event, which highlighted women-owned small businesses — and other socioeconomic categories — was held in Port Canaveral. Also, the rock band X Ambassadors toured unique areas around Kennedy Space Center, including Launch Complex 39B and Swamp Works.

The Space Launch System's Core Stage Pathfinder is lifted from the Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle and into High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 16, 2019. The Pathfinder, or practice hardware, is being used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving, and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly.

Practice makes perfect! Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, rehearsed lifting procedures of the Space Launch System core stage using a full-scale mock-up, called pathfinder, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Kennedy employees recently assembled the flight hardware for NASA's Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor, or OSCAR, inside a laboratory at the center. OSCAR will be used to study technology that converts trash and human waste into useful gasses such as methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

The Space Launch System's Core Stage Pathfinder is lifted from the Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle and into High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 16, 2019. The Pathfinder, or practice hardware, is being used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving, and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly.

Most of the time, we launch rockets with the pointy end up. Sometimes, we strap rockets to the belly of commercial airliners and drop them over the ocean. Learn about NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) and the air-launched Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket that carried the satellite into space.

Exploration Ground Systems continued to make sure the mobile launcher is ready for Artemis I with a multi-arm swing test on Friday, October 4, 2019 at Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Umbilical Arm Simultaneous Retract Test included retraction of the connections that will provide fuel, coolant and communications to the Space Launch System rocket up until launch. The umbilicals tested included the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage Umbilical (ICPSU), the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical (CSFSU) and the Core Stage Intertank Umbilical (CSIU).

This week, NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket on a mission to study the weather where Earth meets space. Also, the agency's Exploration Ground Systems contucted a swing arm test of multiple arms on the mobile launcher, another step toward launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Artemis I.

NASA Launch Manager Omar Baez is interviewed following the launch of the agency's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON). ICON was air-launched from a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, which was attached to the underside of the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft. ICON is embarking on a mission to study the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above.

The Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carrying NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) launches from the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft. ICON is embarking on a mission to study the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above.

NASA Launch Manager Omar Baez polls the agency launch team for a final "go/no-go" to launch the Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carrying the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON). ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above.

NASA begins team coverage of the launch of the agency's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket. The air-launched rocket will be carried aloft by the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft, which took off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above.

The Northrop Grumman L-1011 Stargazer aircraft takes off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying the Pegasus XL rocket that contains NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON). ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in Earth's atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above.

For over 20 years, NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) has been the workhorse of uncrewed spaceflight, enabling exploration of Pluto, the Sun, the Earth and other worlds. In this episode, we hear from Amanda Mitskevich and Chuck Dovale - two leaders within LSP.