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Kennedy Space Center

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NASA warns Artemis could stall without $1B in upgrades to aging launch hubs
space17 days ago

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
Kennedy Space Center Faces Capacity Crunch as Moon Mission Cadence Rises
space-and-spaceflight17 days ago

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
Eight Months Early: NASA's Roman Space Telescope Heads to Orbit Ahead of Schedule
space18 days ago

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
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrives at Kennedy Space Center ahead of Falcon Heavy launch
space-exploration19 days ago

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
Kennedy Space Center under pressure as private rockets surge
space20 days ago

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
Artemis III SLS Core Rises at Kennedy Ahead of 2027 Moon Mission
space2 months ago

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
NASA reshuffle aims to speed launches by syncing Kennedy Space Center and Wallops operations
technology2 months ago

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
NASA's Contractor-to-Civil Servant Shuffle Sparks KSC Debate
space2 months ago

NASA's Contractor-to-Civil Servant Shuffle Sparks KSC Debate

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.

via NASA Watch|
#civil-servant#contractors#kennedy-space-center
Artemis II ends lunar voyage with Cape Canaveral homecoming
space2 months ago

Artemis II ends lunar voyage with Cape Canaveral homecoming

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.

via Yahoo|
#artemis-ii#kennedy-space-center#lunar-mission
Artemis 3 SLS core stage arrives at Kennedy Space Center ahead of 2027 launch
space-exploration2 months ago

Artemis 3 SLS core stage arrives at Kennedy Space Center ahead of 2027 launch

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.

via Space|
#artemis-3#core-stage#kennedy-space-center
Falcon Heavy Returns to Flight with ViaSat-3 F3 Payload from Kennedy Space Center
space2 months ago

Falcon Heavy Returns to Flight with ViaSat-3 F3 Payload from Kennedy Space Center

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.

via Yahoo|
#falcon-heavy#geostationary-orbit#kennedy-space-center
Artemis 3's giant SLS core stage moves toward Florida for 2027 lunar mission
space2 months ago

Artemis 3's giant SLS core stage moves toward Florida for 2027 lunar mission

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.

via Space|
#artemis-3#kennedy-space-center#moon