All articles tagged with #kennedy space center
NASA Wallops employees in Code 800 are now under Kennedy Space Center management effective immediately, with GSFC Engineering and Technology Directorate leadership instructed to cancel their travel to Wallops; an email with more details is expected later this week.
NASA has begun assembling Artemis III’s Space Launch System at Kennedy Space Center, raising the rocket’s core stage inside the Vehicle Assembly Building ahead of a planned 2027 liftoff. The mission will test critical rendezvous and docking with lunar landers and will gauge performance alongside SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon as a stepping stone to crewed lunar exploration.
NASA has created a new senior director of launch operations role and appointed former chief of staff Brian Hughes to oversee launch operations at Kennedy Space Center and Wallops Flight Facility, a move intended to better align government and industry efforts, accelerate approvals, and expand U.S. launch activity as demand for commercial, scientific, and national-security launches grows.
NASA Watch reports concerns at Kennedy Space Center about converting longtime contractors to civil-service roles, including waiving education requirements to retain expertise, which has led to layoffs of older engineers and promotion of degree-holders; NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman tweeted that the education rule is dated and capable contractors should become civil servants, though the post notes NASA PAO did not comment and that the full picture remains unclear.
NASA announced Janet Petro, director of Kennedy Space Center, is retiring; Kelvin Manning will serve as acting center director. Petro is credited with transforming Kennedy into a multi-user spaceport and guiding cross-agency initiatives to boost efficiency.
NASA's Artemis II capsule Integrity returned to Florida's Kennedy Space Center after a roughly 10-day circumlunar flight, stowing the record-breaking mission on a successful note. Following a Pacific splashdown, engineers will inspect the capsule's heat shield and recycle mission equipment in preparation for Artemis III’s Earth-orbit docking and a potential lunar landing as early as 2028. The mission carried four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada's Jeremy Hansen—who will undergo medical exams and debriefs before their next lunar step.
NASA's Artemis 3 SLS core stage has arrived at Kennedy Space Center, completing a 900-mile barge journey from Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans aboard the Pegasus barge. The 212-foot-tall core stage will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building to be mated with its engine section, finalizing the SLS core; Artemis 3 will remain in Earth orbit to test rendezvous/docking with lunar landers (SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon), with the launch now targeted for late 2027.
SpaceX plans to launch its Falcon Heavy for the first time in 18 months on April 27 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite to geostationary orbit to provide high‑throughput broadband across the Asia‑Pacific region. The two side boosters are expected to land back at Cape Canaveral, while the central booster will not be recovered; the upper stage will deploy ViaSat-3 F3 to GEO about five hours after liftoff. Coverage will be available live from SpaceX and Space.com, continuing Falcon Heavy’s return to flight after its last mission in October 2024.
NASA rolled the Space Launch System’s enormous 212‑foot core stage for Artemis 3 from Michoud to a Pegasus barge and onward to Kennedy Space Center, a key milestone toward a mid‑2027 crewed lunar landing. The rollout involved only 80% of the final height since the engine section hasn’t been attached yet, with final integration to come. Artemis 3 will test rendezvous and docking with private lunar landers (SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon) and, if successful, pave the way for Artemis 4 near the Moon’s south pole around 2028.
NASA will roll the top four-fifths of the Artemis III Space Launch System core stage from Michoud Assembly Facility to the Pegasus barge for transport to Kennedy Space Center, inviting U.S. media to cover the April 20 rollout as the stage is outfitted and stacked for Artemis III (targeted for 2027) with RS-25 engines shipping from Stennis by mid-2026.
NASA released infrared imagery and Nikon DSLR photos of the Artemis II liftoff, showing the SLS rocket and Orion against a darkened sky and capturing details like booster separation. The 10-day lunar flyby mission lifted off at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, 2026 from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, carrying crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. The launch used a large water-deluge system to manage heat, with exhaust temperatures around 6,000°F.
Artemis II’s four astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen) are in final quarantine ahead of a planned 6:24 p.m. ET liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, targeting a free-return lunar trajectory. Weather remains a key factor with an 80% go forecast despite onshore showers; launch decisions hinge on cloud thickness, winds, lightning rules, and space weather, as NASA holds a final prelaunch briefing and Space Coast spectators prepare for a historic mission.
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is offering a limited number of Artemis II launch viewing packages with tickets going on sale March 23, as NASA plans a no-earlier-than-April 1 liftoff of the SLS/Orion mission carrying four astronauts on a 10-day lunar mission; about 400,000 visitors are expected to travel to Brevard County for the historic launch.
Construction on SpaceX’s Gigabay processing facility at Kennedy Space Center continues to prepare Starship production, while nearby work on Starship’s launch tower progresses.
NASA’s Artemis 2 rocket and Orion crew capsule were moved back to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center after recent maintenance, with rollout completing ahead of the April launch window. Artemis 2 will carry a four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—for a 10-day loop around the Moon, as managers finalize systems and ground checks in case liftoff occurs starting April 1 (with potential extensions through April 6 and into late April if needed).