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Kennedy Space Center

All articles tagged with #kennedy space center

space3 days ago•153 min saved

SpaceX Prepares Historic Pad 39A for First Starship Launch

SpaceX is nearing the completion of infrastructure upgrades at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to enable the first launch of its Starship megarocket from Florida. According to SpaceX, the historic Pad 39A is currently undergoing final acceptance and operational testing, with the new launch tower nearly complete. This move marks a significant expansion of Starship operations beyond its primary Texas base, aiming to increase launch frequency and support future missions to the Moon and Mars.

via Space|

#kennedy-space-center #pad-39a #rocket-launch

space20 days ago•2 min saved

Chinese Tourist Pleads Guilty to Drone Flight in Restricted NASA Airspace

A Chinese tourist, Xiaodong He, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for flying a drone in restricted national defense airspace over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He conducted a 12-minute flight on July 25, recording four videos within 1.56 miles of pad 39B and 4.23 miles of the Rotation, Processing & Surge Facility before KSC police seized the drone. He faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine; sentencing is pending. His wife says they were unaware of the restrictions and were vacationing. He was later arrested in New York City and released on pretrial supervision with his passport surrendered.

via Florida Today|

#drone #guilty-plea #kennedy-space-center

space-exploration1 month ago•131 min saved

NASA gears up Nancy Grace Roman Telescope launch with SpaceX Falcon Heavy

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is on track for Aug. 30 launch from Kennedy Space Center atop SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, with live updates as the observatory moves toward the Sun-Earth L2 to study dark energy and exoplanets.

via Space|

#exoplanets #falcon-heavy #kennedy-space-center

space1 month ago•158 min saved

NASA's Max Power Expo Charges Into Kennedy Space Center

NASA will host a two-day aerospace expo called Max Power at Kennedy Space Center on November 7–8, featuring immersive experiences, air shows, tech demonstrations, spaceflight hardware displays and talks by NASA experts, with astronauts slated to appear and Administrator Jared Isaacman set to participate in the air show; officials say the event could become the first in a series.

via Space|

#astronauts #kennedy-space-center #max-power

space2 months ago•106 min saved

NASA pushes Artemis III prep toward 2027 moon mission

NASA is accelerating Artemis III prep for a 2027 launch, with the Space Launch System core stage being assembled at Kennedy Space Center, RS-25 engines and boosters arriving and being installed, and the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield and service module being prepared as monthly launch simulations proceed; Artemis III will send four astronauts to low Earth orbit to rendezvous with two commercial lunar landers, a crucial stepping stone toward Artemis IV’s 2028 lunar landing, while related hardware such as the LOX tank for Artemis IV advances.

via Space|

#artemis-iii #kennedy-space-center #nasa

space-exploration2 months ago•105 min saved

Artemis III advances toward 2027 launch as SLS stack begins assembly

NASA has begun stacking the Space Launch System for Artemis III at Kennedy Space Center, with a solid rocket booster segment delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The two SRBs, plus the core stage, will provide about 7.2 million pounds of liftoff thrust, delivering more than 75% of the rocket’s power. Artemis III, targeting a mid-to-late 2027 launch, will send four astronauts aboard Orion to rendezvous and dock with private lunar landers (Blue Moon and SpaceX’s Starship-based system) to test rendezvous and docking ahead of future lunar missions. The core stage arrived at the VAB in May without its engine section; the engine will be attached later. NASA aims to complete a wet dress rehearsal before year’s end as assembly continues.

via Space|

#artemis-iii #kennedy-space-center #nasa

space3 months ago•101 min saved

NASA warns Artemis could stall without $1B in upgrades to aging launch hubs

A NASA Office of Inspector General report warns that aging launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center and Wallops Flight Facility are near capacity as Artemis, SpaceX, Blue Origin and others boost launch activity. The infrastructure strain—roads, power, gas and helium pipelines—could hinder future missions, with estimates showing about $1 billion needed for upgrades (only $250 million funded in the latest bill). The report calls for prioritized infrastructure fixes and explores new funding mechanisms to support ongoing upgrades as demand rises through 2028–2030 and beyond.

via Space|

#artemis #infrastructure #kennedy-space-center

space-and-spaceflight3 months ago•16 min saved

Kennedy Space Center Faces Capacity Crunch as Moon Mission Cadence Rises

A NASA inspector general report warns Kennedy Space Center cannot support the elevated cadence of Starship launches needed for Artemis missions, with SpaceX planning up to 44 Starship launches per year and a minimum of 15 Starships to deliver propellant before the Starship HLS can carry astronauts to the Moon; upgrading aging pads and infrastructure at LC-39A and related facilities is essential to avoid bottlenecks and meet the 2028 lunar timeline.

via Gizmodo|

#artemis #kennedy-space-center #moon

space3 months ago•11 min saved

Eight Months Early: NASA's Roman Space Telescope Heads to Orbit Ahead of Schedule

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived at Kennedy Space Center and is targeting an Aug. 30 no-earlier-than liftoff on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy from Launch Complex 39A, eight months ahead of schedule. After transport from Goddard by road and sea aboard the Pegasus barge, the observatory will enter a roughly 70-day prelaunch campaign with tests, propellant loading, and encapsulation before launch to the Sun-Earth L2 point, where it will map billions of galaxies and exoplanets and demonstrate a coronagraph to directly image faint worlds, with a mission life expected to last at least five years.

via Space Daily|

#falcon-heavy #kennedy-space-center #launch-schedule

space-exploration3 months ago•96 min saved

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrives at Kennedy Space Center ahead of Falcon Heavy launch

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has arrived at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, for final tests before an Aug. 30 liftoff aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy—eight weeks earlier than originally planned. From Goddard, the telescope was shipped on a Pegasus barge to KSC, where it will be unpacked, decontaminated, and moved into the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for final checkouts, fueling, and integration in preparation for launch to Sun-Earth L2. The mission, powered by a historical 2.4-meter mirror and a 300-megapixel camera, aims to study dark energy, exoplanets, and other cosmic phenomena, with a nominal five-year primary duration and potential extensions if conditions allow.

via Space|

#kennedy-space-center #l2-orbit #nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope

space3 months ago•2 min saved

Roman Space Telescope set for late-summer launch from Kennedy Space Center

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived at Kennedy Space Center for a late-summer launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, boasting a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble and aimed at studying dark energy, exoplanets, and up to a billion galaxies.

via Florida Today|

#exoplanets #falcon-heavy #kennedy-space-center

space3 months ago•5 min saved

Kennedy Space Center under pressure as private rockets surge

A NASA Inspector General report finds Kennedy Space Center’s launch infrastructure aging and already strained by rising private-rocket demand from SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s New Glenn. SpaceX aims to launch Starship from LC-39A roughly every eight days (potentially about 120 Starship flights annually), with Blue Origin targeting similar annual totals by 2035. The report highlights limited launch pads, aging gas and power systems, and an unfunded $25 million plan to expand gaseous nitrogen capacity, plus the prospect of future pad additions blocked by wetlands. NASA budgets for maintenance have fallen since 2021, raising concerns that aging facilities could bottleneck a growing U.S. spaceflight program and complicate timelines in the space race with China.

via Ars Technica|

#kennedy-space-center #launch-infrastructure #nasa

space5 months ago•3 min saved

Wallops Under New Boss: KSC Takes Charge of Wallops Flight Facility

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.

via NASA Watch|

#goddard-space-flight-center #kennedy-space-center #nasa

space5 months ago•5 min saved

Artemis III SLS Core Rises at Kennedy Ahead of 2027 Moon Mission

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.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#artemis-iii #kennedy-space-center #orion-spacecraft

technology5 months ago•3 min saved

NASA reshuffle aims to speed launches by syncing Kennedy Space Center and Wallops operations

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.

via Shore Daily News|

#commercial-space #kennedy-space-center #launch-operations