The conference runs Monday, July 31 to Thursday, Aug. 3, in Seattle. The full conference agenda is available online.
NASA will provide live coverage of select panels from the conference on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Watch the select events live at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
The International Space Station serves as the world’s leading laboratory where researchers conduct cutting-edge research and technology that will enable human and robotic exploration of destinations beyond low Earth orbit, including Mars.
The International Space Station Benefits for Humanity publication highlights advances in scientific knowledge in Earth, space, physical, and biological sciences aboard the microgravity laboratory for the benefits of people living on our home planet.
Get updates about the science conducted aboard the space station on Twitter @ISS_Research.
To learn about conducting research in microgravity, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science
The Starliner spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, returning about a week later in White Sands, New Mexico.
The flight will carry two NASA astronaut test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, on the demonstration flight to prove the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner spacecraft.
Following a successful test flight with astronauts, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and systems for regular crew rotation flights to and from the space station.
Find out more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
The public is invited to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch of SpaceX’s 28th commercial resupply services mission for NASA to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is targeted for no earlier than Saturday, June 3 at 12:35 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SpaceX’s Dragon will deliver new science investigations, food, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including the next pair of IROSAs (International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays). Also launching is Genes in Space-10, a student-designed DNA experiment sponsored by the International Space Station National Laboratory, and the next generation of seeds for NASA's Plant Habitat-03, which studies plant adaptation to the space environment.
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. The virtual guest program includes curated launch resources, timely missi on updates, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
Countdown commentary will begin on NASA Television at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, June 3, and be carried on the agency’s website, as well as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and NASA’s App.
Members of the public can also share in the journey through activities including:
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo at: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov or 321-501-8425.
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX commercial resupply services missions at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
May 05, 2023
NASA, Rocket Lab Update Launch Coverage for Tropical Cyclones Mission
A wet dress rehearsal is underway for Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket at Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand on April 28, 2023.
Credits: NASA
|
A wet dress rehearsal is underway for Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket at Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand on April 28, 2023.
After the previous launch target date changed due to weather conditions in New Zealand, NASA and Rocket Lab are now targeting 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 7, (1 p.m. Monday, May 8, New Zealand Standard Time), to launch two storm tracking CubeSats into orbit.
The agency’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission has a two-hour launch window from Launch Complex 1 Pad B in Māhia, New Zealand.
Rocket Lab will provide live coverage beginning approximately 20 minutes before launch. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency’s website, and Rocket Lab’s website.
A second launch from Rocket Lab will carry two additional CubeSats, with exact launch times contingent on the date and time of the first launch. TROPICS is a constellation of four identical CubeSats designed to observe tropical cyclones from low Earth orbit, making observations more frequently than current weather tracking satellites. Gathering data more frequently can help scientists improve weather forecasting models.
TROPICS will study tropical cyclones as part of NASA’s Earth Venture Class missions, which select targeted science missions to fill gaps in our overarching understanding of the entire Earth system.
Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern):
Sunday, May 7
Approximately 8:40 p.m. – Live launch coverage begins
9 p.m. – Launch window opens
NASA website launch coverage
Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s launch blog for live updates beginning no earlier than 8 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff on Rocket Lab’s website and Flickr. Imagery also is available on the NASA website.
Watch, engage on social media
Stay connected and receive mission updates by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA
The TROPICS team is led by Dr. William Blackwell at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, and includes researchers from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and several universities and commercial partners. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch service.
For more information about NASA’s TROPICS, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/3h46pJp
April 24, 2023
NASA, Rocket Lab Set Coverage for Tropical Cyclones Mission
Hurricane Ian as captured by the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra on Sept. 27, 2022.
NASA’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) is a mission to study tropical cyclones, such as Hurricane Ian, pictured here as captured by the MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra on Sept. 27, 2022.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA and Rocket Lab are targeting 9 p.m. EDT, Sunday, April 30 (1 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time, Monday, May 1), to launch two storm tracking CubeSats into orbit.
The agency’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission has a two hour launch window from Launch Complex 1 Pad B in Māhia, New Zealand.
Rocket Lab will provide live coverage beginning approximately 20 minutes before launch. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, as well as the Rocket Lab website.
TROPICS is a constellation of four identical CubeSats designed to observe tropical cyclones from low Earth orbit, making observations more frequently than current weather tracking satellites. Both payloads, each carrying a pair of CubeSats, will launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket.
A second launch from Rocket Lab with two additional CubeSats is targeted for Monday, May 15 EDT (Tuesday, May 16 NZST), with exact launch times contingent on the date and time of the first launch.
TROPICS will study tropical cyclones as part of NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program and should increase understanding of the processes driving rapid changes in storm structure and integrity. NASA plans to have the CubeSats distributed evenly in two low Earth orbital planes about 340 miles (550 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface. TROPICS has the potential to provide roughly hourly observations of a storm’s precipitation, temperature, and humidity, compared to about every six hours with current satellites. Gathering data more frequently can help scientists improve weather forecasting models.
Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern):
Sunday, April 30
Approximately 8:40 p.m. – Live launch coverage begins
9 p.m. – Launch window opens
NASA website launch coverage
Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s launch blog for live updates beginning no earlier than 8 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff on Rocket Lab’s website and Flickr.
Watch, engage on social media
Stay connected and receive mission updates by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA
The TROPICS team is led by Blackwell at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, and includes researchers from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and several universities and commercial partners. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing launch services.
For more information about NASA’s TROPICS, visit: https://go.nasa.gov/3h46pJp
March 09, 2023
NASA Sets Coverage for Next SpaceX Resupply Launch to Space Station
A bright white trail is in view after the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon capsule lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, on the company’s 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:44 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, to the space station. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Credits: SpaceX
|
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 8:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, March 14, to launch the company’s 27th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch timing is dependent upon the undocking and return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5.
Live launch coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Monday, March 13. Follow all events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including NASA’s HUNCH Ball Clamp Monopod, a student manufactured project that can make filming in space easier, and the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Tanpopo-5 investigation which studies the origin, transportation, and survival of life in space and on extraterrestrial planets.
Dragon will also deliver the final two experiments from the National Institutes for Health and International Space Station National Laboratory’s Tissue Chips in Space initiative. Both studies, Cardinal Heart 2.0 and Engineered Heart Tissues-2, use small devices containing living cells that mimic functions of human tissues and organs to advance the development of treatments for cardiac dysfunction.
Arrival to the station is scheduled for 7:07 a.m. EDT on Thursday, March 16. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
Dragon is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Attend launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-spacex-27th-commercial-resupply-mission-launch-registration-511775122167
Watch, engage on social media
Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #CRS27. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research@ISS National Lab
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX commercial resupply missions at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
March 09, 2023
Coverage Set as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Prepares to Splashdown
The SpaceX Crew-5 members are seated inside the Dragon Endurance crew ship atop the Falcon 9 rocket before launching to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A in Florida. From left are, Mission Specialist Anna Kikina from Roscosmos; Pilot Josh Cassada and Commander Nicole Mann, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Credits: NASA
|
NASA will provide coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with undocking coverage live at 12 a.m. EST on Saturday, March 11. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the space station at 2:05 a.m., to begin the journey home.
The return and related activities will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 9:19 p.m. Saturday for a splashdown that will wrap up a nearly six-month science mission for NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.
Following conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA coverage of Crew-5’s return will continue with audio only, and full coverage will resume at the start of the splashdown broadcast. Real-time audio between Crew-5 and flight controllers at NASA’s Mission Audio stream will remain available and includes conversations with astronauts aboard the space station and a live video feed from the orbiting laboratory.
The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance by the agency’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts on its maiden voyage, will autonomously undock, depart the space station, and splash down Saturday at one of seven targeted landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. The spacecraft also will return time-sensitive research to Earth.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Saturday, March 11
12 a.m. – NASA TV hatch closure coverage begins for ingress and 12:15 a.m. hatch closing
1:45 a.m. – NASA TV coverage resumes for 2:05 a.m. undocking
8:15 p.m. – NASA TV splashdown coverage begins
8:25 p.m. – Deorbit burn
9:19 p.m. – Splashdown off the coast of Florida
See full mission coverage, NASA's commercial crew blog, and more information about the mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
March 03, 2023
NASA Awards Agencywide Contract for Communication Services
NASA has selected PCI Productions LLC of Huntsville, Alabama, to manage communication services for all agency centers including headquarters, as well as its mission directorates, to enable the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of NASA information.
“This is one major step in our overall procurement strategy for communications that will allow us to more efficiently and effectively use the amazing capability of NASA communications organizations to connect the world with the agency’s missions,” said Johnny Stephenson, deputy associate administrator for Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The NASA Communication Services contract is a firm-fixed-price contract with an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity ordering mechanism for obtaining additional services via task orders. The contract period of performance consists of a 16-month base period that begins on June 1, 2023, followed by one 20-month option period, and two one-year option periods. The potential value of the contract is approximately $217.6 million, which includes the base plus option periods and the maximum IDIQ ordering value of $183 million.
Work to be performed under the contract consists of communication services, including, but not limited to, strategic communications, planning, and integration services; stakeholder relations and public engagement support; media relations services; history and archives services; library services; and services in support of Freedom of Information Act requests.
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
March 01, 2023
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Safely Enroute to International Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launched into orbit 12:34 a.m. EST on March 2, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
|
Crew members assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission are in orbit following their successful launch to the International Space Station at 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The international crew are the agency’s sixth commercial crew rotation mission with SpaceX aboard the orbital laboratory.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, along with United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, for a science expedition aboard the space station.
“Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams for another history-making mission to the International Space Station! The Commercial Crew Program is proof American ingenuity and leadership in space benefits all of humanity – through groundbreaking science, innovative technology, and newfound partnership,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Crew-6 will be busy aboard the International Space Station, conducting over 200 experiments that will help us to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, as well as improve life here on Earth. We look forward to seeing all that they accomplish.”
During Dragon’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California, and NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Dragon will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module around 1:17 a.m., Friday, March 3. NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of docking and hatch opening. NASA TV also will cover the ceremony to welcome the crew aboard the orbital outpost about 3:40 a.m.
Once aboard station, Crew-6 will join the Expedition 68, consisting of NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, and Josh Cassada, as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and Anna Kikina. For a short time, the 11 crew members will live and work in space together until Crew-5 members Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina return to Earth a few days later.
Conducting new scientific research, Crew-6 will help prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit life on Earth. Experiments will include studies of how particular materials burn in microgravity, tissue chip research on heart, brain, and cartilage functions, and an investigation that will collect microbial samples from the outside of the space station. These are just some of the hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations that will take place during their mission.
“For more than two decades, humans have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station,” said Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington. “Commercial Crew Program missions like Crew-6 are essential so we can continue to maximize the important research possible only in the space station’s unique microgravity environment. Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams on a successful launch! I am looking forward to seeing the crew safely aboard the station.”
The Crew-6 mission enables NASA to maximize use of the space station, where astronauts have lived and worked continuously for more than 22 years testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted on the space station provides benefits for people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration trips to the Moon and beyond through NASA’s Artemis missions.
Meet Crew-6
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen
This will be Bowen’s fourth trip into space as a veteran of three space shuttle missions: STS-126 in 2008, STS-132 in 2010, and STS-133 in 2011. Bowen has logged more than 40 days in space, including 47 hours, 18 minutes during seven spacewalks. As mission commander, he will be responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. He will serve as an Expedition 68-69 flight engineer aboard the station.
Bowen was born in Cohasset, Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and a master’s degree in ocean engineering from the Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering offered by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts. In July 2000, Bowen became the first submarine officer selected as an astronaut by NASA.
NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg
The mission will be Hoburg’s first flight since his selection as an astronaut in 2017. As pilot, he will be responsible for spacecraft systems and performance. Aboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 68-69 flight engineer.
Hoburg is from Pittsburgh. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. At the time of his selection as an astronaut, Hoburg was an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. Hoburg's research focused on efficient methods for design of engineering systems. He also is a commercial pilot with instrument, single-engine, and multi-engine ratings.
UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi
Alneyadi will be making his first trip to space, representing the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of the UAE. Alneyadi is the first UAE astronaut to fly on a commercial spacecraft. Once aboard the station, he will become a flight engineer for Expedition 68-69.
Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev
Fedyaev will be making his first trip to space, and also will serve as a mission specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. He will be a flight engineer for Expedition 68-69.
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission and Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
March 01, 2023
NASA’s Chroniclers Recognition Returns, Seeking 2023 Nominations
Brass plaques engraved with the names of "The Chroniclers" create a roll of honor on the wall at the NASA News Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In this facility reporters from television, radio, print and online media outlets have monitored countless launches, landings and other space events in order to deliver the news to the world. The Chroniclers program recognizes retirees of the news and communications business who helped spread news of American space exploration from Kennedy Space Center for ten years or more.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett
|
“The Chroniclers” program honors broadcasters, journalists, authors, and NASA or contracted public affairs officers who excelled in sharing news from Kennedy about U.S. efforts in space exploration.
Past honorees, whose names are displayed on “The Chroniclers” wall in the NASA News Center at Kennedy, include Walter Cronkite of CBS News; two-time Pulitzer Prize winner John Noble Wilford of the New York Times; and Reuters’ Mary Bubb, the first female reporter of the space program.
Nominees must have covered the U.S. space program primarily from the Kennedy Space Center for 10 years or more and no longer be working full time in the field. Each nomination must include a brief paragraph with rationale for its submission. Please include a photograph of the nominee if available.
Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 10, 2023. Awardees will be selected on or about Thursday, March 16, 2023, by a committee of working journalists and present and former representatives of NASA Kennedy’s Office of Communication.
Selections will be announced on or about Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Engraved brass nameplates for each awardee will be added to “The Chroniclers” wall in the Kennedy Space Center Press Site in a ceremony at 10 a.m. on May 4, 2023.
Email nominations to Serena Whitfield, Kennedy’s Office of Communication, at Serena.g.whitfield@nasa.gov. Please include “Chroniclers Nomination(s)” in the subject line.
For a current list of KSC Chroniclers, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/chroniclers/chronos-index.html
February 16, 2023
NASA, Boeing to Host Media Call on First Crewed Starliner Flight Test
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft was moved into the Hazardous Processing Area at the company’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 8, 2023, in advance of power up and fueling operations. NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test will demonstrate the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system to carry astronaut to and from the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA
|
For CFT, the Starliner spacecraft will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, returning approximately eight days later in White Sands, New Mexico. The flight will carry two NASA astronaut test pilots, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams, on the demonstration flight to prove the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system.
Following a successful test flight with astronauts, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and systems for regular crew rotation flights to the space station.
Find out more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
February 13, 2023
NASA, Partners Clear Axiom’s Second Private Astronaut Mission Crew
Crew members for the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), left to right: Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi.
Credits: Axiom Space
|
Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the privately funded mission. John Shoffner of Knoxville, Tennessee, will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), are members of the inaugural Saudi national astronaut program. They are flying through an arrangement between KSA and Axiom Space.
“Enabling more people to go to space is an important component of NASA’s continuing efforts to grow the low-Earth orbit economy,” said Angela Hart, manager of NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program. “Private astronaut missions are a key component to enable a successful transition to a model of commercially owned and operated platforms in low-Earth orbit. I appreciate the commitment of our International Space Station and commercial partners to help us achieve this future.”
The Ax-2 crew will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and travel to the space station. Once docked, the private astronauts plan to spend 10 days aboard the orbiting laboratory implementing a full mission of science, outreach, and commercial activities. The mission, targeted for launch in spring 2023, will be the first private space mission to include both private astronauts and astronauts representing foreign governments, as well as the first private mission commanded by a woman.
“Axiom Space’s second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station cements our mission of expanding access to space worldwide and supporting the growth of the low-Earth orbit economy as we build Axiom Station,” said Michael Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom Space. “Ax-2 moves Axiom Space one step closer toward the realization of a commercial space station in low-Earth orbit and enables us to build on the legacy and achievements of the station, leveraging the benefits of microgravity to better life on Earth.”
Whitson will become the first female commander of a private space mission, adding to her prior accomplishments, including as NASA’s chief astronaut and the first female commander of the space station. In addition, she will add to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut.
“I’m honored to be heading back to the station for the fourth time, leading this talented Ax-2 crew on their first mission,” said Whitson. “This is a strong and cohesive team determined to conduct meaningful scientific research in space and inspire a new generation about the benefits of microgravity. It’s a testament to the power of science and discovery to unify and build international collaboration.”
Shoffner, a businessman, has always had an interest in space, the stars, and flying, becoming a pilot at the age of 17 and since amassing than 8,500 flight hours and earning ratings for multiple aircraft types. He also is an advocate for science, technology engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education.
The first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), launched April 8, 2022, with four private astronauts who spent 17 days in orbit working on 26 science payloads aboard the station and conducting more than 30 STEAM educational and public outreach engagements. The crew splashed down off the coast of Florida on April 25, 2022, to conclude the mission.
Private astronaut missions to the space station are a precursor to privately funded commercial space stations as part of NASA’s efforts to develop a thriving low-Earth orbit ecosystem and marketplace. NASA is currently reviewing proposals for the third and fourth private astronaut missions to the space station.
For more than 22 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence in low-Earth orbit aboard the space station. The agency's goal is to enable a strong, commercial marketplace in low-Earth orbit where NASA is one of many customers for private industry. This strategy will provide services the government needs at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on its Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while continuing to use low-Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
For more information about NASA’s commercial low-Earth orbit economy effort, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy
February 06, 2023
NASA : SpaceX’s 27th Resupply Launch to Space Station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule soars upward after lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett
|
SpaceX’s Dragon will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including the final two experiments comprising the National Institutes for Health and International Space Station National Laboratory’s Tissue Chips in Space initiative. Both studies, Cardinal Heart 2.0 and Engineered Heart Tissues-2, use small devices containing living cells that mimic functions of human tissues and organs to advance the development of treatments for cardiac dysfunction.
Other studies launching include, NASA’s HUNCH Ball Clamp Monopod, a student manufactured project that can make filming in space easier, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Tanpopo-5 investigation, which studies microbes to learn more about the possibility of the survival and growth of organisms in space and on extraterrestrial planets, such as Mars.
Cargo resupply by U.S. companies significantly increases NASA's ability to conduct more investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. Those investigations lead to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth. Other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions can also conduct microgravity research through NASA’s partnership with the International Space Station National Laboratory.
Humans have occupied the space station continuously since November 2000. In that time, 263 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbital outpost. It remains the springboard to NASA's next steps in exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis, and ultimately, human exploration of Mars.
For more information about commercial resupply missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialresupply
January 13, 2023
NASA Selects Shawn Quinn to Lead Exploration Ground Systems Program
Engineering Director Shawn Quinn speaks during a banner signing event April 22, 2019, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Engineering Director Shawn Quinn speaks during a banner signing event April 22, 2019, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to mark the accomplishments of the Kennedy engineering team that supported the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Subsystem Software development.
Credits: Kennedy Space Center
NASA has selected Shawn Quinn as manager of the Exploration Ground Systems program based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, effective Sunday, Jan. 15.
Engineering Director Shawn Quinn speaks during a banner signing event April 22, 2019, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to mark the accomplishments of the Kennedy engineering team that supported the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Subsystem Software development.
Credits: Kennedy Space Center
|
In this role, Quinn will lead the team responsible for developing and operating the systems necessary to process and launch NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on Artemis Moon missions.
Quinn succeeds Mike Bolger, who retired from the agency in December 2022 after 35 years of service following the successful Artemis I mission.
“The work done on the ground at Kennedy to prepare for missions to the Moon is essential to the success of Artemis,” said Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro. “Across several roles at Kennedy, Shawn has demonstrated outstanding leadership, mentoring, and technical skills, and will be a tremendous asset in his new role supporting Artemis and humanity’s return to the Moon.”
Quinn brings more than 35 years of NASA experience to the role. Since 2018, he served as the director of engineering at Kennedy’s spaceport, where he led a large organization of engineers from multiple disciplines in the design, development, and operations of spaceflight hardware and ground systems in support of programs and projects assigned to Kennedy, including commercial crew, launch services, ground systems, and the International Space Station.
He has previous experience with the Exploration Ground Systems Program, serving as the associate program manager. In that position, he was responsible for ground systems development activities, including design, development, integration, fabrication, construction, activation, and verification and validation of facilities, systems, ground support equipment, and operations planning and execution activities leading to NASA's exploration missions.
Prior to that role, Quinn was the Vehicle Integration and Launch Integration Product team manager. He was responsible for the operations and development of systems at Kennedy's Launch Complex 39, including the launch pads, the mobile launcher, crawler transporter and the Vehicle Assembly Building. In the role, Quinn oversaw the overall planning and implementation of modifications of Launch Complex 39 systems to support the processing and launch of SLS and Orion. He first joined NASA in 1985 in the Engineering Cooperative Education Program at Kennedy supporting the Space Shuttle Program as a design engineer while studying for his bachelor’s degree.
Quinn earned a bachelor's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1990, and a master's degree from the University of Central Florida in 1994. In 2008, Quinn completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology System Design and Management program and received a master’s degree in engineering and management.
Among Quinn’s awards are the Presidential Rank Award, Kennedy's Strategic Leadership Award, and NASA’s Silver Snoopy Award.
For more information about the Exploration Ground Systems Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/groundsystems
December 21, 2022
Next SpaceX Commercial Crew Space Station Launch
(Aug. 11, 2022) --- The four crew members that comprise the SpaceX Crew-6 mission pose for a photo in their spacesuits during a training session at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. From left are, Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev, Pilot Warren "Woody" Hoburg, Commander Stephen Bowen, and Mission Specialist Sultan Al Neyadi.
Credits: SpaceX
|
The earliest targeted launch date for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission is mid-February 2023, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, mated atop a Falcon 9 rocket will carry two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, and Pilot Woody Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who will join as mission specialists. This is the first spaceflight for Hoburg, Al Neyadi, and Fedyaev. It is the fourth mission to space for Bowen.
Following a handover period on the space station, crew members from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission will return to Earth aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, Endurance.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
December 20, 2022
NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Sentinel-6B Mission
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the Sentinel-6B mission. Sentinel-6B will continue the long-term global sea level data record begun in 1992 by Topex/Poseidon followed by Jason 1, 2, 3, and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich. The mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ESA (European Space Agency), and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.
This is a firm fixed price contract with a value of approximately $94 million, which includes launch services and other mission related costs. The Sentinel-6B mission currently is targeted to launch November 2025, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Sentinel-6B will use a radar altimeter to bounce signals off the ocean surface and deliver continuity of ocean topography measurements. The mission also will collect high-resolution vertical profiles of temperature, using the Global Navigation Satellite System Radio-Occultation sounding technique, to assess temperature changes in Earth’s atmosphere and improve weather prediction models.
NASA’s Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for program management of the SpaceX launch services. The Sentinel-6B project office is located at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
December 16, 2022
NASA Launches International Mission to Survey Earth’s Water
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft onboard, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency, SWOT is the first satellite mission that will observe nearly all water on Earth’s surface, measuring the height of water in the planet’s lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean.
Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber
|
A satellite built for NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) to observe nearly all the water on our planet’s surface lifted off on its way to low-Earth orbit at 3:46 a.m. PST on Friday. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft also has contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency.
The SWOT spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with a prime mission of three years. The satellite will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth’s surface. This information will provide insights into how the ocean influences climate change; how a warming world affects lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; and how communities can better prepare for disasters, such as floods.
After SWOT separated from the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, ground controllers successfully acquired the satellite’s signal. Initial telemetry reports showed the spacecraft in good health. SWOT will now undergo a series of checks and calibrations before it starts collecting science data in about six months.
“Warming seas, extreme weather, more severe wildfires – these are only some of the consequences humanity is facing due to climate change,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The climate crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and SWOT is the realization of a long-standing international partnership that will ultimately better equip communities so that they can face these challenges.”
SWOT will cover the entire Earth’s surface between 78 degrees south and 78 degrees north latitude at least once every 21 days, sending back about one terabyte of unprocessed data per day. The scientific heart of the spacecraft is an innovative instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn), which marks a major technological advance. KaRIn bounces radar pulses off the water’s surface and receives the return signal using two antennas on either side of the spacecraft. This arrangement – one signal, two antennas – will enable engineers to precisely determine the height of the water’s surface across two swaths at a time, each of them 30 miles (50 kilometers) wide.
“We’re eager to see SWOT in action,” said Karen St. Germain, NASA Earth Science Division director. “This satellite embodies how we are improving life on Earth through science and technological innovations. The data that innovation will provide is essential to better understanding how Earth’s air, water, and ecosystems interact – and how people can thrive on our changing planet.”
Among the many benefits the SWOT mission will provide is a significantly clearer picture of Earth’s freshwater bodies. It will provide data on more than 95% of the world’s lakes larger than 15 acres (62,500 square meters) and rivers wider than 330 feet (100 meters) across. Currently, freshwater researchers have reliable measurements for only a few thousand lakes around the world. SWOT will push that number into the millions.
Along the coast, SWOT will provide information on sea level, filling in observational gaps in areas that don’t have tide gauges or other instruments that measure sea surface height. Over time, that data can help researchers better track sea level rise, which will directly impact communities and coastal ecosystems.
Such an ambitious mission is possible because of NASA’s long-standing commitment to working with agencies around the world to study Earth and its climate. NASA and CNES have built upon a decades-long relationship that started in the 1980s to monitor Earth’s oceans. This collaboration pioneered the use of a space-based instrument called an altimeter to study sea level with the launch of the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite in 1992.
“This mission marks the continuity of 30 years of collaboration between NASA and CNES in altimetry,” said Caroline Laurent, CNES Orbital Systems and Applications director. “It shows how international collaboration can be achieved through a breakthrough mission that will help us better understand climate change and its effects around the world.”
SWOT measurements will also help researchers, policymakers, and resource managers better assess and plan for things, including floods and droughts. By providing information on where the water is – where it’s coming from and where it’s going – researchers can improve flood projections for rivers and monitor drought effects on lakes and reservoirs.
“SWOT will provide vital information, given the urgent challenges posed by climate change and sea level rise,” said Laurie Leshin, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) director. JPL developed the KaRIn instrument and manages the U.S. portion of the mission. “That SWOT will fill gaps in our knowledge and inform future action is the direct result of commitment, innovation, and collaboration going back many years. We’re excited to get SWOT science underway.”
More Mission Information
JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, leads the U.S. component of the project. For the flight system payload, NASA is providing the KaRIn instrument, a GPS science receiver, a laser retroreflector, a two-beam microwave radiometer, and NASA instrument operations. CNES is providing the Doppler Orbitography and Radioposition Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) system, the dual frequency Poseidon altimeter (developed by Thales Alenia Space), the KaRIn radio-frequency subsystem (together with Thales Alenia Space and with support from the UK Space Agency), the satellite platform, and ground control segment. CSA is providing the KaRIn high-power transmitter assembly. NASA is providing the launch vehicle and the agency’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, is managing the associated launch services.
To learn more about SWOT, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/swot
December 13, 2022
NASA’s Big 2022: Historic Moon Mission, Webb Telescope Images, More
CLICK for a primitive PDF of this article.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, second from left, Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, second from right, and Michelle Jones of Communications, right, on stage at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, during an end-of-the year all hands with senior leadership at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Nelson, Melroy, and Cabana highlighted the agency’s 2022 accomplishments and looked forward to what is coming in 2023 and beyond.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
|
2022 is one for the history books as NASA caps off another astronomical year.
NASA launched its mega Moon rocket for the first time, sending its uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon; kicked off a new era in astronomy with the Webb Space Telescope’s record-breaking new imagery from the cosmos; moved an asteroid in humanity’s first ever planetary defense demonstration; working with its partners, sent astronauts on regular missions to the International Space Station, tested new technologies, including an inflatable heat shield for Mars; continued development of quieter supersonic aircraft, and much more.
“There is no doubt that 2022 was out of this world! From the history-making splashdown of the Artemis I mission, to the groundbreaking images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to the innovative LOFTID technology demonstration, the smashing success of the DART mission, incredible progress in our aeronautics programs, and the growth of partnerships with commercial and international partners.
2022 will go down in the history books as one of the most accomplished years across all of NASA’s missions,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “There’s so much to look forward to in 2023 too: More stunning discoveries from Webb telescope, climate missions that will tell us more about how our Earth is changing, continued science on the International Space Station, groundbreaking aeronautics developments with the X-59 and X-57 experimental aircraft, the selection of the first astronauts to go to the Moon in more than 50 years, and more. Space is the place and NASA proves humanity’s reach is limitless!”
In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities, the agency remained a global leader in providing data related to climate change including unveiling a concept for a new Earth Information Center, and published NASA’s first Equity Action Plan. Congress also passed, for the first time in five years, a NASA Authorization Act. And in 2022, NASA reached a decade of excellence by being named as the Best Place to Work in the federal government among large agencies by the Partnership for Public Service for an unprecedented 10th consecutive time.
Below is a summary of accomplishments, demonstrating how in 2022, NASA explored the unknown in air and space, innovated for the benefit of humanity, and inspired the world through discovery.
Preparing for human lunar exploration
Among the accomplishments for NASA’s human spaceflight programs, the agency successfully launched, for the first time, its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which put NASA’s Orion spacecraft on a path that traveled farther than any spacecraft built for astronauts has been before. Through Artemis, the agency advanced plans to send the first woman and first of color to the Moon. Leading up to the historic
Nov. 16 launch of Artemis I, as well as a successful Orion splashdown on Dec. 11, NASA completed multiple key milestones for SLS, Orion, and ground systems:
- Worked to assemble the rocket’s core stage at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the crew module at Kennedy, selected the vehicle that will transport astronauts to the launch pad, and qualified the final launch abort system engine for the Artemis II mission, the first flight with crew.
- Completed manufacturing the booster segments and delivered the engine section to Kennedy for the Artemis III mission, which will be humanity’s first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years and land the first woman on the Moon.
- Fired a ground-based version of a booster in Promontory, Utah, for future missions, completed the critical design review for the more powerful evolved configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and began moving toward a services contract model for long-term SLS hardware production and operations to reduce costs.
The agency also completed numerous key Artemis milestones that will ensure not only a human return to the lunar surface, but long-term exploration on and around the Moon in preparation for sending the first astronauts to Mars:
- Identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole where the next American astronauts on the Moon could land during Artemis III, selected Axiom Space to provide the moonwalking system, including spacesuits, that astronauts will use during Artemis III, as well as awarded a task order to Collins Aerospace to develop new spacesuits for the International Space Station.
- Awarded a contract modification to SpaceX to further develop its Starship human landing system to meet agency requirements for long-term human exploration of the Moon, including a second crewed landing demonstration mission during Artemis IV, and announced a call to companies to provide proposals for sustainable lunar lander development as the agency works toward a regular cadence of Moon landings beyond Artemis IV.
- Issued a draft request for proposals for Lunar Terrain Vehicle services to solicit companies’ feedback and completed desert analog mission with crew in a simulated lunar environment to test pressurized rover operations and moonwalks for future Artemis missions.
- Built on past international partnerships for long-term exploration at the Moon with Japan and South Africa, as well as added new signatories through the Artemis Accords with Bahrain, Colombia, Israel, Nigeria, Romania, Rwanda, and Singapore.
- Released a revised set of Moon to Mars Objectives, forming a blueprint for shaping human exploration throughout the solar system.
- Researchers from the University of Florida grew Arabidopsis thaliana plants in lunar soil gathered during Apollo missions, showing that plants have the potential to grow on the Moon.
Maintaining human presence in low-Earth orbit
The NASA Authorization Act passed by Congress extended America’s participation in the International Space Station through at least Sept. 30, 2030, enabling the U.S. to continue to reap the benefits for the next decade while the agency works with American industry to develop commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy.
This was the 22nd continuous year of human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory. Here are some accomplishments in 2022:
- NASA and SpaceX successfully launched and returned crew members to and from the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Regular crew rotation flights to and from station continue to help maximize science in space, including:
- NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kjell Lindgren, Mark Vande Hei, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, and Josh Cassada lived and worked aboard the station.
- This year saw Vande Hei completing the longest single human spaceflight mission by an American with a record-breaking 355 days in space.
- Crew-3 returned to Earth in May with Barron, Chari and Marshburn, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer. During their science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Crew-3 astronauts conducted experiments, including a study on concrete hardening in microgravity, research on cotton varieties that could help develop drought-resistant plants, and executed a space archaeology study that could provide information that contributes to the design of future space habitats.
- Crew-4 launched in April and returned in October with Hines, Lindgren, and Watkins, as well as ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti after completing 170 days in orbit. Crew-4 continued work on investigations documenting how improvements to the space diet affect immune function and the gut microbiome, determining the effect of fuel temperature on the flammability of a material, exploring possible adverse effects on astronaut hearing from equipment noise and microgravity, and studying whether additives increase or decrease the stability of emulsions.
- Crew-5 arrived at station in October carrying Mann and Cassada, as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. Crew-5 is spending several months aboard the space station conducting new scientific research in areas such as cardiovascular health, bioprinting, and fluid behavior in microgravity to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and to benefit life on Earth.
- NASA and Boeing successfully launched and returned the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and landed in the desert of the western United States, completing the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) to the space station to help prove the system is ready to fly astronauts. Starliner and its crew of NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams are preparing for the first flight with astronauts in 2023, the final demonstration prior to regular flights to the microgravity complex.
- Crew members welcomed the first NASA-enabled private astronaut mission, Axiom Mission 1, to the orbital complex advancing the agency’s goal of commercializing low-Earth orbit.
- Space station crew members are planned to complete 14 spacewalks to upgrade and conduct maintenance at the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronauts continued work to install the International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays (iROSA), which will increase power generation capability by up to 30% when fully complete, and its partners continued outfitting the Nauka module and new European robotic arm.
- Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft completed its first limited reboost of the International Space Station – the first mission to feature this enhanced capability as a standard service for NASA.
- The International Space Station performed a critical demonstration focused on in-orbit housekeeping by deploying about 172 pounds of trash from the NanoRacks Bishop Airlock for a safe disposal in Earth’s atmosphere.
- Four commercial cargo missions delivered more than 30,000 pounds of science investigations, tools, and critical supplies to the space station, and two returned about 8,900 pounds of investigations and equipment to researchers on Earth.
- Selected seven new additions to the team of flight directors to oversee operations of the space station, commercial crew, and Artemis missions to the Moon.
Advancing our understanding of Earth, climate change
In 2022, NASA continued its commitment to understanding impacts of climate change on planet Earth, maintaining its role as a leader in understanding climate and Earth science. Among the accomplishments in this area, the agency:
- Launched NASA’s newest Earth science instrument to the International Space Station -- the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, or EMIT, which is providing information about how mineral dust affects the heating and cooling of the planet and which has a capability to detect methane.
- Plans to launch the Surface Water Ocean Topography mission in partnership with the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales, which will provide a global survey of nearly all water on Earth's surface, providing insight into the ocean’s role in how climate change unfolds.
- Announced and released the first concept for NASA’s Earth Information Center, which will allow people to see how our planet is changing. It will also provide easy-to-use information and resources to support decision makers in developing the tools they need to mitigate, adapt, and respond to climate change.
- Celebrated 50 years of the Landsat program in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, continuing to help scientists track both natural and human-caused changes on Earth’s land surface.
- Continued field campaigns that provide information about Earth’s changing climate, including impacts on the Arctic region, the effects of intense summer thunderstorms, and ocean and atmosphere dynamics and their impacts on Earth’s climate
- Along with partners, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA continued to put Earth science data into the hands of America’s farmers to help them increase food security, improve crop resilience, and reduce the volatility of food prices.
- NASA participated in the Commodity Classic conference for the first time, America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused educational and agricultural experience.
- NASA’s Cynthia Rosenzweig received the 2022 World Food Prize from the World Food Prize Foundation for her research to understand the relationship between climate and food systems and forecast how both will change in the future.
- Announced NASA’s new domestic agriculture consortium at the University of Maryland, which will lead management of $15 million, supporting efforts to increase and enable sustained uses of Earth observations for the advancement of U.S. agricultural practices.
- Worked with national and international partners to collaborate on a global response to climate change, with actions including participating in the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, issuing a comprehensive climate action plan with FEMA, finalizing an agreement with ESA to advance global understanding of Earth science and ensure continuity of Earth observation, and continuing a 60-year successful partnership with the Australian Space Agency to study Earth's changing climate.
- Conducted, or participated in, a series of climate change studies related to rising sea level, global surface temperatures and melting Arctic ice,
- Continued planning for the next generation of Earth-observing satellites designed to propel us forward in understanding our changing planet -- NASA's Earth System Observatory.
- Launched two weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, building on a partnership of over 50 years, successfully launching more than 60 satellites to improve weather forecasting, severe storm and hurricane prediction, and climate observations.
Solar system, beyond
While preparing for a robotic return to the lunar surface, NASA advanced its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative closer to home. Meanwhile, farther in the solar system, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope deployed and captured new images, Hubble continued to make new discoveries, the agency conducted two Venus flybys, and more:
|
- NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope successfully unfolded into its final configuration in space, including the unprecedented deployment of its tennis court-sized sunshield. In July, NASA and its partners unveiled Webb’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data. Since then, Webb has drawn back the curtain on some of the earliest galaxies ever observed; studied the atmospheres of exoplanets in more detail than ever before; and offered new views of planets in our own solar system, capturing the clearest look at Neptune’s rings in decades. The U.S. Postal Service celebrated Webb’s successes by issuing a new stamp featuring an illustration of the telescope.
- NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully impacted its target asteroid in the world’s first-ever test for planetary defense. Since then, the mission’s Investigation Team confirmed DART’s kinetic impact successfully moved its target asteroid into a new orbit, marking the first-time humanity has ever altered a celestial body’s motion in space.
|
Through CLPS, NASA selected two new science instrument suites – including one that will study the mysterious Gruithuisen Domes for the first time – for priority Artemis science on the Moon through the agency’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) call for proposals. NASA also awarded Draper a contract to deliver Artemis science investigations to the Moon in 2025. The experiments riding on Draper’s SERIES-2 lander are headed to Schrödinger Basin, a large lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, close to the lunar South Pole.
- NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope spotted the farthest individual star ever seen, whose light took 12.9 billion years to reach Earth – a huge leap further back in time from the previous record holder. For the first time, Hubble also provided direct evidence for a lone black hole drifting through interstellar space by a precise mass measurement of the phantom object.
- In a cosmic milestone, the total number of confirmed exoplanets in NASA’s Exoplanet Archive reached 5,000, representing a 30-year journey of discovery led by NASA space telescopes.
- NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) began its science mission in space. Since then, IXPE has revealed the shape and orientation of matter around black holes, surprised astronomers with unexpected findings on the magnetic field orientations of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, and helped solve the mystery surrounding a black hole jet.
- Solar Cycle 25 is nearing solar maximum in 2025 and the Sun’s activity is already exceeding expectations.
- Smothered in thick clouds, Venus’ surface is usually shrouded from sight. But in two flybys of the planet, Parker used its Wide-Field Imager, or WISPR, to capture its first images of Venus in visible light.
- When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai volcano erupted in January, it sent atmospheric shock waves, sonic booms, and tsunami waves around the world. Scientists analyzed data from NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, mission and ESA’s Swarm satellites to find that the volcano’s effects also reached space.
- As Voyager, NASA’s longest-lived mission, logs 45 years in space and studies the very nature of space far beyond the planets, NASA selected Geospace Dynamics Constellation to help improve our understanding of the dynamics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth connection, and the constantly changing space environment. Multi-slit Solar Explorer and HelioSwarm missions to help improve our understanding of the dynamics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth connection, and the constantly changing space environment.
- Researchers continued to pioneer scientific discovery using NASA’s Cold Atom Lab, the first quantum physics facility aboard the International Space Station.
- Supporting future Artemis missions and lunar science with Biological Experiment-01. Four investigations aboard Artemis I helped pave the way for future missions to the Moon and beyond.
- Celebrated 25 years of continuous robotic exploration of Mars, with at least one spacecraft operating at all times, either on the surface or in orbit around the planet.
- The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter now is scouting for a possible landing spot for a future Mars Sample Return campaign.
- NASA and ESA entered into a formal agreement on the next step in their campaign to return scientifically selected samples from Mars and are proceeding with the creation of a sample tube depot on the Red Planet.
- After eight successful years of science operations, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) completed its final science flight. This now-retired mission leaves behind a legacy of scientific accomplishments and engineering ingenuity.
Developing New Technologies for Benefit of All
NASA advances capabilities for space exploration, tapping entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators across the country for solutions that will enable missions for decades to come. From launching space missions to demonstrating advanced technologies to supporting the development of early-stage concepts, 2022 highlights include:
|
- CAPSTONE – short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – launched and entered a unique orbit at the Moon, beginning its mission to test the orbit planned for Artemis’ Gateway outpost and demonstrate new technologies.
- LOFTID, or the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, successfully demonstrated an inflatable heat shield technology that could be used for human missions to Mars.
- The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) began its in-orbit experiments to test a new way to send data from space.
- Launched Lunar Flashlight to the Moon, where the small satellite will use lasers to hunt for ice in permanently shadowed regions at the Moon’s South Pole.
- An instrument on the Perseverance rover, MOXIE – short for the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment – completed more runs on the Red Planet, producing a total of 140 minutes to date of breathable oxygen from Mars’ carbon dioxide rich atmosphere.
- NASA and the Department of Energy announced fission surface power concept awards to three companies.
- Awarded a contract for the development of a next-generation spaceflight computing processor to enable future exploration missions.
- Selected three companies to further advance work on deployable vertical solar array systems that will help power the agency's human and robotic exploration of the Moon under Artemis.
- More than 700 organizations from all 50 U.S. states and 46 countries joined NASA in fostering lunar technology development through the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium.
- Winners of the inaugural NASA TechLeap Prize – Autonomous Observation Challenge No. 1 tested their technologies on high-altitude balloon flights less than a year after the competition was launched.
- NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fostered early-stage, futuristic ideas, such as custom, 3D-printed spacesuits, swimming micro-robots to explore ocean worlds, and a new kind of solar sail.
- NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs supported the investment of approximately $230 million to hundreds of U.S. small businesses to foster technology development supporting the agency’s goals.
- NASA transferred technologies and software to industry and entrepreneurs, executing 164 licensing agreements and 4,772 software usage agreements.
- Agency investments in the development of novel roll-out solar arrays (ROSAs) were used to power the DART mission and enable a sufficient future power supply for the International Space Station.
- Early career researchers advanced agency capabilities in areas including nanosensor technologies, dynamic visual displays for spacesuit helmets, and modular, reconfigurable robotic arms for in-space assembly through new and continuing projects under the Early Career Initiative.
- In partnership with multiple agencies, NASA issued a joint solicitation to extend the lifespan of 3D tissue chips.
Progressing toward new era of air travel
NASA worked with its partners and the private sector to advance sustainable aviation by developing and testing new green technologies that will revolutionize air transportation. The knowledge and technology generated by the agency will provide regulators and industry with new ways to integrate sustainable solutions. Over the past year, the agency:
- Supported research to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through its Sustainable Flight National Partnership, including composite material testing under Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing and the development of a smaller engine core through Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core.
- Reached new milestones in its Quesst mission with its centerpiece, the X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator aircraft, starting with critical ground tests and ending the year with the installation of the aircraft’s engine. Other progress included wind tunnel tests at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and in Japan.
- Tested the high-voltage systems and batteries for the all-electric X-57 Maxwell aircraft before installing its 400-pound battery packs, paving the way for future ground and flight tests. The project will share its knowledge to advance U.S. development of smaller sustainable all-electric vehicles.
- Issued a call for private sector proposals under its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project for an aircraft and technologies that can help inform the design of low-emission, single-aisle commercial airliners in the near future. NASA will issue an award in early 2023.
- Completed ground tests with the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program to compare the levels of soot particles in sustainable aviation fuel versus traditional jet fuel burning in a 777-200ER aircraft’s engines.
- Formalized an international research agreement and added new partners to its Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) mission. AAM projects explored how to integrate autonomous drones and other future aircraft into emergency response, healthcare, and perimeter surveillance. Research also addressed the noise new aircraft may generate and vertiports they’ll need to take off and land.
- Unveiled upgrades to the AAM National Campaign’s Mobile Operations Facility, which be used to support AAM flight testing.
- Tested Transonic Truss-Braced Wing aircraft technology designed to burn 8-10% less fuel than traditional winged aircraft.
- Conducted research for the agency and private sector using its Electric Aircraft Testbed including tests of a hybrid electric propulsion system powerful enough for a single-aisle commercial airliner.
- Advanced development of an innovative, solid-state battery pack that would be lighter, safer, and more suited to aviation than today’s batteries.
- Used a 3D printing process to develop a new metal alloy, known as GRX-810, that can be used for applications including the insides of aircraft and rocket engines. The alloy can endure temperatures over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and survive 2,000 times longer than existing alloys.
- Partnered with Boeing to create shape-shifting devices that can raise or lower an airplane’s vortex generators, wing components that cut down on drag a save on fuel consumption.
- Provided researchers from the Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations with training from the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to understand controlled burns and aerial firefighting strategies.
- Broke ground for the Flight Dynamics Research Facility at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This new wind tunnel will have new capabilities and lower maintenance costs.
- Conducted crash tests at Langley of a model of a midsize jet and a full-scale urban air mobility-style passenger vehicle, generating data about the resilience of composite materials and the likelihood of injuries in crashes.
- Selected new participants for the University Leadership Initiative, with students and researchers taking on some of the toughest challenges in aeronautics.
- Launched its newest competition for university students, Runway Functions: Predict Reconfigurations at U.S. Airports.
Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)
This year, NASA developed and launched an agencywide DEIA Strategic Plan to recruit, hire, support, engage, and retain the most talented and promising individuals, from all backgrounds and life experiences, to be part of the NASA family. NASA also:
- Launched its first Equity Action Plan to expand opportunities for traditionally underserved, underrepresented, and untapped communities to work with and learn from NASA.
- Through its Spanish-language outreach, NASA continued to translate many of its products, particularly those related to the agency’s science missions. As part of the Equity Action Plan, NASA is committed to growing its Spanish-language communications team and translation capabilities.
- Ensured accessibility of NASA collected Earth science information, by making 54 of the most requested environmental data sets available on the cloud, with full transfer of NASA Earth science data to the cloud by 2025.
- Supported ongoing efforts to advance racial equity and expand research opportunities for historically underserved and underrepresented communities in the federal government through Earth science research grants for Minority Serving Institutions.
- Hosted an Equity Stakeholder Town Hall to openly share ideas on how the agency will continue to support underserved and underrepresented communities, and to gain insights from attendees on how to best implement the next phase of the plan.
- NASA awarded 39 proposals ($6.9 million for up to three years) focused on advancing progress on equity and environmental justice in the U.S. through the application of Earth science, geospatial, and socioeconomic information.
- Developed a 360-degree, interactive Artemis exhibit for nationwide events that includes excerpts from NASA’s First Woman graphic novel and underscores the agency’s plans to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.
- NASA astronaut Nicole Mann was the first Indigenous woman for NASA to go to space as part of Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station, and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins became the first Black woman to serve a long duration mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.
- Produced and released a documentary, The Color of Space, featuring a conversation between seven current and former Black astronauts, each of whom were selected to become part of NASA’s astronaut corps and train for missions to space.
- Collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to showcase the contributions of NASA’s LGBTQ+ employees and how their work advances the agency’s priorities.
- Launched the SMD Bridge Program to foster collaboration and partnerships between NASA centers and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority-Serving Institutions, Primarily Undergraduate Institutions, and high research universities. The program focuses on paid research and engineering internships, apprenticeships, and research experiences for faculty.
- Hosted a series of dialogues with agency leaders and other subject matter experts during the 51st Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference in Washington.
- Hosted a Twitter Spaces with science experts who discussed how space imagery is an experience people can read, touch, and hear via alternative text, rich image descriptions, tactile panels, 3D printed models, tactile plates, and sonifications.
- Connected more than 220 industry stakeholders and businesses with federal procurement experts and other leaders during its first virtual LGBTQ+ Vendor Equity Forum.
Inspiring Artemis Generation through Science, Technology, Education, and Math
Through a variety of STEM outreach activities, NASA sought to inspire a new generation of students and encourage them to become the next scientists, engineers, and astronauts. NASA conducts its STEM work through partnering with key organizations, awarding a variety of grants, and more. STEM highlights in 2022 include:
- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson helped kick-off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on STEM kits, called Artemis Learning Lunchboxes, this summer. The joint initiative with the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), has since expanded across the country, landing most recently at public school in Washington Dec. 8.
- Collaborated with the Department of Education to enhance the federal Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholar Recognition Program using NASA entrepreneurial expertise. A NASA pitch competition for students at higher education institutions it became part of the HBCU Scholar Recognition Program, part of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity. The competition will be a small-scale version of NASA’s Minority University Education and Research Program (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC).
- The agency’s Minority University Education and Research Program (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC), a Shark Tank-style competition for students at minority-serving institutions, was officially included in the 2022 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) Scholar Recognition Program.
- Awarded a total of nearly $600,000 to 10 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) across the U.S. to amplify the voices of diverse innovators and help their ideas find a way into NASA’s programs through MUREP and STMD through M-STTR.
- Chose two students as winners of the Lunabotics Junior Contest, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the agency’s Artemis missions. Contestants were charged with designing a robot that can dig and move lunar soil, or regolith, from one area of the lunar South Pole to a holding container near a future Artemis Moon base. design.
- Selected 57 winning teams in its inaugural nationwide TechRise Student Challenge, designed to attract, engage, and prepare future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professionals.
- Produced several educational resources for schools and educators to bring the excitement of NASA’s missions to classrooms including Artemis Learning Pathways, Artemis Camp Guide, James Webb Space Telescope Toolkit, and Earth Science Toolkit.
- Vice President Kamala Harris hosted an evening of NASA STEM activities at the Naval Observatory for military families and local students and their families in June, which included a special screening of Disney Pixar’s Lightyear.
- NASA and Rice University in Houston hosted multiple events in September to celebrate the 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s historic speech at Rice Stadium, rallying the nation to land astronauts on the Moon before the end of the decade and bring the crew safely back to Earth.
- Awarded more than $4 million to institutions across the U.S. to help bring the excitement of authentic NASA experiences to groups of middle and high school students who are traditionally underserved and underrepresented in STEM.
Public engagement
Inspiration remains the foundation of NASA’s public engagement programs. While safely returning to regularly conducting in-person activities as well as hosting virtual events and digital communications, NASA provided opportunities to connect people around the world with agency content. Highlights in 2022 included:
- Grew the agency’s social media following to 330 million so far in 2022 – up 18 percent from 280 million in 2021.
- Shares on social media posts across the agency reached 8.7 million in 2022, surpassing the pace of 2021 (8.3 million shares), but lower than 2020’s record of 12.7 million shares, stimulated by NASA’s SpaceX demonstration flight with crew and the Mars Perseverance rover launch.
- Four flagship NASA accounts reached follower milestones this year, passing 65 million (Twitter), 25 million (Facebook) and 85 million (Instagram). NASA’s flagship YouTube channel passed 10 million subscribers. The NASA Headquarters photo team surpassed three million followers on Twitter and over 36,000 followers on Flickr.
- On Sept. 26, the audience for our DART mission’s intentional crash into target asteroid Dimorphos peaked at one million live viewers; the audience for the liftoff of Artemis I peaked at 960,000 viewers on Nov. 16. Many more viewers watched recordings of agency broadcasts, with the Artemis I launch, our first-ever live launch broadcast in HD, surpassing 10 million YouTube plays. The replay of DART’s impact has gotten more than 5.4 million views.
- “The Astronaut's Perspective" was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary category. This video includes beautiful Earth views and reflections from NASA and international partner astronauts.
- NASA hosted 14 Twitter Spaces in 2022, including the agency’s first-ever Spaces events in Spanish. Over 465,000 unique listeners joined a live Spaces.
- Returned to hosting in-person NASA Social events in 2022, beginning with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 launch to the International Space Station. Social media guests also attended NASA Socials for the reveal of the Webb telescope’s first images, the DART mission impact, the launch of SpaceX Crew-5, and the Artemis I test flight.
- Won three Webby Awards and five People’s Voice Webbys in 2022 and had two additional nominees and four honorees.
- On NASA.gov, the “Where Is Webb” feature tracking the telescope’s journey to L2 and deployment had 36 million pageviews in 2022, the fourth-most-visited page on all NASA websites. Six of the top 10 most-viewed agency news releases in 2022 were about the telescope; two of these releases were in Spanish.
- There were almost 4.5 million pageviews of the Send Your Name on Artemis special feature, with nearly 3.4 million members of the public signing up for a boarding pass around the Moon on Artemis I. Web specials highlighting Artemis, the Artemis I test flight, and tracking Artemis I each topped 2 million pageviews.
- During the first half of the Artemis I 25-day flight test, the app for tracking the mission received more than 2.1 million visits.
- NASA launched a virtual educational platform for STEM+Arts Day and a digital launch packet, focused on the agency’s Webb telescope.
- The agency incorporated images from the Webb Telescope in its exhibits and media events at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the International Astronautical Congress in Paris.
Among the many collaborations that allowed NASA to educate and inspire new audiences:
- Astronaut Snoopy took a ride around the Moon on Orion as the zero gravity indicator for the Artemis I mission as part of a partnership with Peanuts Worldwide that extends back to the Apollo era.
- LEGO Education held a four-day build event at NASA Kennedy featuring STEM challenges connected to the “Build to Launch” STEM series that LEGO Education created in partnership with NASA. The agency also worked with LEGO to help identify NASA content that fed into several Artemis-inspired LEGO City Moon sets.
- Krispy Kreme released a one-day Artemis doughnut to celebrate Artemis I.
- NASA and Google Arts & Culture partnered to create a digital gallery called, “Our Solar System: A 3D adventure through our cosmic neighborhood with NASA,” which includes more than 60 3D models of planets, Moons and NASA spacecraft. These models, along with a newly released SLS 3D model, are also featured via Google Search results.
- NASA worked with Google on a Webb telescope Doodle celebrating the first images, as well as a DART easter egg where, after the successful DART asteroid redirect, results on Google’s search page were skewed when a user searched for DART on Google’s home page.
- Multiple screens in Times Square and in Piccadilly Circus featured the Webb First Light Images shortly after their release in July, sharing the excitement these images created with even more people around the world.
- NASA unveiled a new partnership with Crayola Education in 2021 and worked with Crayola and Harper Publishing to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the iconic children’s story, Goodnight Moon.
- NASA worked with Mattel and the ISS National Lab, which sponsored the project, to film NASA astronauts Kayla Baron and Raja Chari on the space station for an episode of a Barbie series, “You Can Be Anything.” The purpose of the free video was to inspire young students to be interested in STEM careers.
NASA maintains high visibility, engaging new audiences in innovative ways, whether it’s through partnerships, arts or entertainment projects that reach millions of people. In 2022, NASA collaborated on over 150 documentary projects, 29 notable television programs and 19 feature films which reached audiences globally.
- NASA developed an exhibition of 15 pieces from the agency’s art collection at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, which had not been on display in over a decade. New items included the Kehinde Wiley Moon Person award, on loan from MTV, and Andy Warhol paintings in the collection.
- NASA collaborated with studios on feature films, including Roland Emmerich’s Moonfall starring Halle Berry (Lionsgate), Lightyear (Disney), Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10/1-2 (Netflix), A Million Miles Away (Amazon: post-production) starring Michael Pena, and Project Artemis (Apple TV: preproduction) produced by Scarlett Johansson. The agency also collaborated on more than a dozen Artemis documentaries with outlets ranging from Smithsonian/Paramount+ to National Geographic/Disney. TV programs of note include Snoopy Season 2 (Apple TV), Top Chef, Jeopardy, and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, which included an interview with Webb Space Telescope Program Director Greg Robinson
The agency attracted major talent for various mission related projects and outreach initiatives. These included:
- Video content for Artemis I with Eddie Vedder, Yo-Yo Ma and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Josh Groban and Herbie Hancock, Jack Black, Keke Palmer, Patrick Wilson and Chris Evans.
- Halle Berry conducted an Instagram live with NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche and NASA astronaut Victor Glover. She also walked the red carpet for Moonfall with NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps.
- NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn visited the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with Chris Evans for a tour and downlink with the space station. Marshburn also attended the premiere of Buzz Lightyear. A special screening of the film was held at the VP’s residence with NASA astronauts, Keke Palmer and Uzo Aduba.
- Coldplay did a special Webb image global release during their concert tour in Berlin.
- Additional talent that visited NASA’s Johnson including Carrie Underwood, Taraji P. Henson, Nick Jonas, and Marshawn Lynch. Actor Channing Tatum visited NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- Space station downlinks were arranged between astronauts and Eddie Vedder, Jack Black, Richard Linklater and Yo-Yo Ma.
- Special movie screenings aboard the space station included Apollo 10-1/2 and Buzz Lightyear.
- NASA also participated in a National Symphony Orchestra concert at Wolf Trap for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back with a special segment on the Webb telescope.
For more about NASA’s missions, research, and discoveries, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
November 14, 2022
NASA Sets Coverage for Next SpaceX Resupply Launch to Space Station
|
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon cargo capsule lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the company’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA Kennedy
|
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 4:19 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 21, to launch the company’s 26th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew.
Live launch coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Friday, Nov. 18. Follow all events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
The Dragon spacecraft will deliver a variety of NASA investigations, including the next pair of International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs), which will augment power to the orbiting laboratory. The spacecraft also will carry a study to grow dwarf tomatoes to help create a continuous fresh-food production system in space, as well as an experiment that tests an on-demand method to create specific quantities of key nutrients.
Arrival to the station is scheduled for 9:43 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
NASA TV launch coverage
Live coverage of the launch on NASA TV will begin at 3:45 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the mission broadcast begins.
On launch day, a “tech feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv .
NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 3:45 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog for updates.
Attend launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
Watch, Engage on social media
Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon, #CRS26, and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
- Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab
- Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
- Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX commercial resupply missions at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
November 07, 2022
NASA Updates: JPSS-2 Weather Satellite, LOFTID Tech Demo
|
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairing containing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) is readied for its move to the vertical integration facility at Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Credits: USSF 30th Space Wing/Carlos Vela
|
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission and NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) technology demonstration.
Liftoff is scheduled at 1:25 a.m. PST (4:25 a.m. EST) Thursday, Nov. 10, on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The Joint Polar Satellite System is the latest generation of NOAA’s polar-orbiting environmental satellites. JPSS will capture data to inform weather forecasts, helping scientists predict and prepare for extreme weather events.
After JPSS-2 safely reaches orbit, LOFTID will follow a re-entry trajectory from low-Earth orbit to demonstrate the inflatable heat shield’s ability to slow down and survive re-entry. The technology could be further developed to support crewed and large robotic missions to destinations such as Mars, Venus, and Titan, as well as returning heavier payloads to Earth.
Live launch coverage will begin at 3:45 a.m. EST (12:45 a.m. PST) on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with additional events beginning Tuesday, Nov. 8. Watch coverage on the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
Full mission coverage is as follows:
Tuesday, Nov. 8
5:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. PST) – NASA will hold a science briefing to discuss the JPSS-2 and LOFTID missions. The agency will livestream audio of the media teleconference on its website (https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive).
Participants include:
- Jordan Gerth, meteorologist and satellite scientist, NOAA’s National Weather Service
- Jim Gleason, senior project scientist, NASA JPSS, NASA
- Satya Kalluri, program scientist, NOAA JPSS Program
- Heather Kilcoyne, ground project manager, NOAA JPSS
- Joe Del Corso, LOFTID project manager, NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia
Media and the public also may ask questions during the event using #JPSS2 and #LOFTID.
Wednesday, Nov. 9
11 p.m. EST (8 p.m. PST) – NASA Edge will host the JPSS-2 and LOFTID Tower Rollback Show that will air live on NASA TV and YouTube.
NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 3:45 a.m. EST (12:45 a.m. PST) Thursday, Nov. 10. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or 7135. On launch day, "mission audio," countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. A “tech feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.
Public Participation
Members of the public still have time to register to attend the JPSS-2 and LOFTID launch virtually. The virtual guest program for this mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
JPSS-2 and LOFTID Virtual Social
The virtual social for JPSS-2 and LOFTID continues, and we invite the public to join into the excitement of virtual social media event hosted on Facebook.com/NASA. Continue to follow and interact with NASA, NOAA, and other team members in real-time, and watch the launch of the ULA Atlas V rocket that will boost JPSS-2 for its journey into orbit. Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #JPSS2 and #LOFTID. Continue following the mission online at:
- Twitter: @NASA, @NOAA, @NOAASatellites, @NASASocial, @NASA_LSP, @NASAKennedy, @NASAEarth, @NASAGoddard, @NASALangley, @NASA_Technology, @ULALaunch, @SLDelta30
- Facebook: NASA, NOAA Satellites, NASA LSP, NASA Kennedy, NASA Earth, NASA_Langley, NASA Technology
- Instagram: NASA, NASA Kennedy, NOAA Satellites, NASAEarth, NASA_Langley
For more information about the launch of JPSS-2, including countdown coverage, visit: https://blogs.nasa.gov/jpss-2/
November 04, 2022
NASA Sets Coverage for Artemis I Moon Mission Launch
|
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I arrived to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida Nov. 4. Launch of the uncrewed Artemis I flight test is targeted for Nov. 14.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
|
NASA is targeting Monday, Nov. 14, for the launch of the Artemis I Moon mission during a 69-minute launch window that opens at 12:07 a.m. EST. The launch countdown will begin Saturday, Nov. 12, at 12:27
Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft, and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida that will pave the way for a crewed test flight and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived Friday, Nov. 4 at about 8:30 a.m.
Live coverage of briefings and events will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
Engineers previously rolled the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) Sept. 26 ahead of Hurricane Ian and after waving off two previous launch attempts Aug. 29 due to a faulty temperature sensor, and Sept. 4 due to a liquid hydrogen leak at an interface between the rocket and mobile launcher. Prior to rolling back to the VAB, teams successfully repaired the leak and demonstrated updated tanking procedures. While in the VAB, teams performed standard maintenance to repair minor damage to the foam and cork on the thermal protection system and recharge or replace batteries throughout the system.
Full launch coverage is as follows. All times are Eastern, all events will air live on NASA TV, and the information is subject to change. Follow NASA’s Artemis blog for updates.
NASA Launch Coverage in English
Briefings and launch coverage will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates. On-demand video recordings and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s Artemis blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis
Live NASA TV coverage leading to launch will begin with commentary of tanking operations at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, followed by launch coverage beginning at 9:30 p.m. Launch coverage will stream on the NASA website, as well as Facebook, Twitch, NASA YouTube, and in 4k on NASA’s UHD channel. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
On launch day, a “tech feed” will be carried on the NASA TV media channel featuring views of the rocket and audio from a commentator in the Launch Control Center throughout and a single channel of mission audio beginning 15 minutes before launch.
Countdown activities with audio of the launch control commentator will be available starting at 2:30 p.m. by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240 or –7135; listeners will hear a single channel of mission audio beginning 15 minutes before launch. Full audio from the launch broadcast will begin at 9:30 p.m. and will be available by dialing 256-715-9946 with passcode 913 471 506#.
Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
NASA Launch Coverage in Spanish
NASA’s broadcast of the launch in Spanish will include interviews with Hispanic members of the mission and live commentary.
The show, which will begin at 11 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, will be available on NASA en español’s YouTube account, and will continue approximately 15 minutes after liftoff. Mission coverage will then follow on the NASA en español social media channels.
Media and educational institutions interested in sharing the stream of the show can contact María José Viñas at: maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov.
Attend Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for the mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission and let people know you are following the launch on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with #Artemis. Follow and tag these accounts:
- Twitter: @NASA, @NASAArtemis
- Facebook: NASA, NASAArtemis
- Instagram: NASA, NASAArtemis
The public can track the Artemis I mission as it happens using to Artemis Real-time Orbit Website, which will provide information about where Orion is in relation to the Earth and the Moon. Individuals also can also download a virtual boarding pass to commemorate the historic flight.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar exploration and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.
For more information about the Artemis I mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i
October 28, 2022
NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission
|
A view of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 15, 2022.
A view of the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 15, 2022. Also in view are two of the three lightning towers that surround the pad and protect the SLS and Orion from lightning strikes. Artemis I is the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In future Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA is planning to roll the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Friday, Nov. 4, at 12:01 a.m. ahead of launch.
The agency continues to target launch for Monday, Nov. 14, with liftoff planned during a 69-minute launch window that opens at 12:07 a.m. EST. A launch on Nov. 14 would result in a mission duration of about 25-and-a-half days with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean Friday, Dec. 9.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence, and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.
For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog.
October 25, 2022
SpaceX’s 26th Resupply Launch to Space Station
|
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon capsule lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, on the company’s 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:44 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, to the space station. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Credits: NASA
|
SpaceX’s 26th commercial resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket is targeted no earlier than Friday, Nov. 18, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SpaceX’s Dragon will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including the next pair of ISS Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). It also will carry a study to grow dwarf tomatoes to help create a continuous fresh-food production system in space, as well as an experiment that tests an on-demand method to create specific quantities of key nutrients.
Other studies launching include a test of a microscope with potential deep space applications and Engineered Heart Tisues-2 (EHT-2), a study of cardiac health. This experiment builds on an investigation of 3D cultures aboard the space station in 2020. The previous experiment detected changes at the cellular and tissue level that could provide early indication of the development of cardiac disease. This study tests whether new therapies could prevent these negative effects from occurring.
Cargo resupply by U.S. companies significantly increases NASA's ability to conduct more investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. Those investigations lead to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth. Other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions can also conduct microgravity research through our partnership with the ISS National Laboratory.
Humans have occupied the space station continuously since November 2000. In that time, 263 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbital outpost. It remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis, and ultimately, human exploration of Mars.
For more information about commercial resupply missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialresupply
October 05, 2022
NASA's Inflatable Heat Shield Demo
|
The inflated LOFTID engineering development unit aeroshell is lifted to a test stand. The engineering unit allowed engineers to refine tests and procedures before building and integrating flight hardware.
Credits: NASA
|
The inflated LOFTID engineering development unit aeroshell is lifted to a test stand. The engineering unit allowed engineers to refine tests and procedures before building and integrating flight hardware.
LOFTID is scheduled to launch Tuesday, Nov. 1, as a secondary payload with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s JPSS-2 polar-orbiting satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
After hitching a ride to space aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket, LOFTID will inflate and then descend back to Earth from low-Earth orbit to demonstrate how the inflatable heat shield design can slow down a spacecraft to survive atmospheric entry. This technology could support landing crew and large robotic missions on Mars, as well as returning heavier payloads to Earth.
The LOFTID project is managed and funded through NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions program, part of the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate. The project is led by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, in partnership with United Launch Alliance and with contributions from NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for managing the launch service.
For more information about LOFTID, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/loftid
September 30, 2022
Coverage Set for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 Events, Broadcast, Launch
|
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission is targeting launch Wednesday, Oct. 5, to the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, to the orbital complex for a science expedition mission.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett
|
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.
The launch is targeted for noon EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 5, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, named Endurance, is scheduled to dock to the space station at 4:57 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 6. Crew arrival, launch, the postlaunch news conference, and mission coverage through docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA also will host an audio only prelaunch news teleconference. Follow all live events at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
The Crew-5 launch will carry two NASA astronauts Mission Commander Nicole Mann and Pilot Josh Cassada, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station for a science expedition mission.
This is the fifth crew rotation mission with astronauts using the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
Wednesday, Oct. 5
8:30 a.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins. NASA Television will have continuous mission coverage to docking and coverage of hatch open and the welcome ceremony.
Thursday, Oct. 6
4:57 p.m. – Docking to the International Space Station
6:42 p.m. – Hatch Opening
8:15 p.m. – Welcome Ceremony
NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/live
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
Attend the launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
Watch and engage on social media
Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Crew5 and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX, @Commercial_Crew
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol?
Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for more coverage on Crew-5.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo 321-501-8425 antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov.
NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A approximately 48 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-5 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA TV, approximately four hours prior to launch.
Once the feed is live, you will find it here: http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
September 30, 2022
NASA Updates Crew Assignments for First Starliner Crew Rotation Flight
|
Portraits of NASA astronauts Scott Tingle and Edward Michael (Mike) Fincke
Credits: NASA
|
Astronauts Scott Tingle and Mike Fincke of NASA will serve as the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. Both astronauts have previously flown as crew members aboard the space station.
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps remains assigned as a mission specialist on Starliner-1. Epps also continues cross-training on the Dragon spacecraft to protect for other flight opportunities.
The agency’s Starliner crew rotation missions to the space station will carry four crew members at a time. Future crew assignments for Starliner-1 will be made following review and approval by the agency and its international partners.
Starliner-1 will launch following the successful completion of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), which aims to demonstrate Starliner’s ability to achieve NASA certification and safely fly regular crewed missions to space station.
Boeing is targeting launch of its first test flight with astronauts in early February 2023, pending space station program approval, rocket manifest, and confirmation by the Eastern Range. Starliner will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
After a successful CFT mission, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and systems for future crewed missions to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
For more than 21 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Regular commercial crew rotation missions enable NASA to continue the important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the station and prepare for future commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit. As part of Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
September 16, 2022
NASA'sArtemis I Demonstration Test
|
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 28, 2022.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
|
The demonstration test will allow teams to confirm the repair to a hydrogen leak seen during an early September Artemis I launch attempt, evaluate updated propellant loading procedures, and conduct additional evaluations. The demonstration will conclude when the objectives for the test have been met.
Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test. It is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to provide a foundation for human exploration in deep space and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.
For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis
September 4, 2022
NASA to Stand Down on Artemis I Launch Attempts in Early September, Reviewing Options
After standing down on today’s Artemis I launch attempt when engineers could not overcome a hydrogen leak in a quick disconnect, an interface between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, mission managers met and decided they will forego additional launch attempts in early September.
Over the next several days, teams will establish access to the area of the leak at Launch Pad 39B, and in parallel conduct a schedule assessment to provide additional data that will inform a decision on whether to perform work to replace a seal either at the pad, where it can be tested under cryogenic conditions, or inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.
To meet the requirement by the Eastern Range for the certification on the flight termination system, currently set at 25 days, NASA will need to roll the rocket and spacecraft back to the VAB before the next launch attempt to reset the system’s batteries. The flight termination system is required on all rockets to protect public safety.
During today’s launch attempt, engineers saw a leak in a cavity between the ground side and rocket side plates surrounding an 8-inch line used to fill and drain liquid hydrogen from the SLS rocket. Three attempts at reseating the seal were unsuccessful. While in an early phase of hydrogen loading operations called chilldown, when launch controllers cool down the lines and propulsion system prior to flowing super cold liquid hydrogen into the rocket’s tank at minus 423 degrees F, an inadvertent command was sent that temporarily raised the pressure in the system. While the rocket remained safe and it is too early to tell whether the bump in pressurization contributed to the cause of the leaky seal, engineers are examining the issue.
Because of the complex orbital mechanics involved in launching to the Moon, NASA would have had to launch Artemis I by Tuesday, Sept. 6 as part of the current launch period. View a list of launch windows here.
September 03, 2022
NASA to Provide Press with Artemis I Launch Update Saturday
|
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B on September 3, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA
|
Following the Artemis I launch scrub Saturday from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency will hold a media briefing no earlier than 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday Sept. 3, to discuss mission status.
Artemis I is a flight test to launch NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon before the Artemis II mission with astronauts aboard.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.
For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog.
August 3 launch postponed (TO ??).
August 31, 2022
NASA Sets Coverage for Artemis I Moon Mission Next Launch Attempt
|
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
|
NASA is targeting 2:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 3, for the launch of Artemis I, the first integrated test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There is a two-hour launch window for the next attempt.
The Artemis I flight test is an uncrewed mission around the Moon that will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.
Live coverage of events will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
The launch countdown will resume Saturday, Sept. 3, at the opening of a planned 2.5 hour built in hold, which will begin at 4:37 a.m.
Managers waved off the first launch attempt Aug. 29 when launch controllers were unable to chill down the four RS-25 engines, with one engine showing higher temperatures than the other engines. Teams currently are analyzing data, updating procedures, and checking out hardware to address the issues.
Media and members of the public may also ask questions on social media using #Artemis. Audio only of the news conferences will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135.
NASA Television coverage of additional events throughout the mission is available online.
NASA Launch Coverage in English
Briefings and launch coverage will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.
Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s Artemis blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis
Live NASA TV coverage leading to launch will begin with commentary of tanking operations at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, followed by launch coverage beginning at 12:15 p.m. Launch coverage will stream on the NASA website, as well as Facebook, Twitch, NASA YouTube, and in 4k on NASA’s UHD channel.
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
On launch day, a “clean feed” will be carried on the NASA TV media channel featuring views of the rocket and audio from a commentator in the Launch Control Center throughout and a single channel of mission audio beginning 15 minutes before launch.
On launch day, countdown activities with audio of the launch control commentator will be available starting at 5:45 a.m. by dialing 1-844-467-4685; Passcode: 557460; listeners will hear a single channel of mission audio beginning 15 minutes before launch. Full audio from the launch broadcast will begin at 12:15 p.m. and will be carried on 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or –7135.
Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
Attend Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for the mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
Watch, Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission and let people know you are following the launch on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with #Artemis. Follow and tag these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, NASAArtemis
Facebook: NASA, NASAArtemis
Instagram: NASA, NASAArtemis
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar exploration and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.
For more information about the Artemis I mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i
August 19, 2022
NASA Sets Launch Coverage for Artemis Mega Moon Rocket, Spacecraft
|
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA will provide coverage of prelaunch, launch, and postlaunch activities for Artemis I, the first integrated test of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This uncrewed flight test around the Moon will pave the way for a crewed flight test and future human lunar exploration as part of Artemis.
The SLS rocket is targeted to launch during a two-hour window that opens at 8:33 a.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 29, from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy.
The rocket and spacecraft arrived at its launch pad Wednesday after the nearly 10-hour, four-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building. A livestream of the rocket and spacecraft at the launch pad currently is available on the NASA Kennedy YouTube channel.
Live coverage of events will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Monday, Aug. 22. The launch countdown will begin Saturday, Aug. 27, at 10:23 a.m.
A live broadcast of the launch also will include celebrity appearances by Jack Black, Chris Evans, and Keke Palmer, as well as a special performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Josh Grobin and Herbie Hancock. It also will feature a performance of “America the Beautiful” by The Philadelphia Orchestra and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The mission will demonstrate the performance of the SLS rocket and test Orion’s capabilities over the course of about six weeks as it travels about 40,000 miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth.
NASA Television coverage of additional events throughout the mission is available online.
NASA Launch Coverage in English
Briefings and launch coverage will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. Follow countdown coverage on NASA’s Artemis blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis
Live NASA TV coverage leading to launch will begin with commentary of tanking operations at 12 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29, followed by launch coverage beginning at 6:30 a.m. Launch coverage will stream on the NASA website, as well as Facebook, Twitch, NASA YouTube, and in 4k on NASA’s UHD channel. For NASA TV downlink information, schedule, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/live
On launch day, a “clean feed” will be carried on the NASA TV media channel featuring views of the rocket and audio from a commentator in the Launch Control Center throughout and a single channel of mission audio beginning 15 minutes before launch.
On launch day, countdown activities with audio of the launch control commentator will be available starting at 12 a.m. by dialing 1-844-467-4685; Passcode: 687630; listeners will hear a single channel of mission audio beginning 15 minutes before launch. Full audio from the launch broadcast will begin at 6:30 a.m. and will be carried on 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or –7135.
Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
Attend Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for the mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
Virtual NASA Social
NASA invites the public to join the Artemis I social event on Facebook. Stay up to date on the latest mission activities, interact with Artemis experts in real-time, and watch the live launch broadcast with an interactive chat.
Watch, Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission and let people know you are following the launch on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with #Artemis. Follow and tag these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, NASAArtemis
Facebook: NASA, NASAArtemis
Instagram: NASA, NASAArtemis
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar exploration and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.
For more information about the Artemis I mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i
August 11, 2022
NASA, Boeing Update on Starliner Progress
|
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station on the company's Orbital Flight Test-2 mission before automatically docking to the Harmony module's forward port.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station on the company's Orbital Flight Test-2 mission before automatically docking to the Harmony module's forward port. The orbiting lab was flying 268 miles above the south Pacific at the time of this photograph was taken on May 20, 2022.
Credits: NASA
|
An update on the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) to the International Space Station – the first flight with astronauts on the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.
CFT will demonstrate the ability of Starliner and the United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket to safely carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. NASA will fly two astronaut test pilots, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams, on the flight test to the space station, where they will live and work off the Earth for about two weeks.
Following a successful test flight with astronauts, NASA will begin the final process of certifying the Starliner spacecraft and systems for regular crew rotation flights to the space station.
Find out more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
August 02, 2022
NASA Interviews for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 Mission
|
A collage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 from left to right, top to bottom :NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.
A collage of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 from left to right, top to bottom :NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina.
Credits: NASA
|
The mission is NASA’s fifth crew rotation flight involving a U.S. commercial spacecraft carrying crew for a science expedition aboard the microgravity laboratory.
The Crew-5 mission will carry NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon Endurance spacecraft is scheduled to launch no earlier than Sept. 29 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Nicole Mann, NASA astronaut, spacecraft commander
This will be Mann’s first spaceflight since becoming an astronaut in 2013. As mission commander, she will be responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. She will serve as an Expedition 68 flight engineer aboard the station. She uses the name @AstroDuke on Twitter.
Mann was born in Petaluma, California, and is Native American. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering with a specialty in fluid mechanics from Stanford University. She is a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a test pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet.
Josh Cassada, NASA astronaut, pilot
The mission will be Cassada’s first flight since his selection as an astronaut in 2013 as well. As pilot, he will be responsible for spacecraft systems and performance. Aboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 68 flight engineer.
Cassada grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and is a physicist and U.S. Navy test pilot. Prior to becoming a naval aviator, Cassada earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, and a doctorate at the University of Rochester, New York, conducting experimental high energy physics research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois. Follow @astro_josh on Twitter.
Koichi Wakata, JAXA astronaut, mission specialist
Wakata will be making his fifth trip to space on his third different spacecraft, and as a mission specialist he will work closely with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. Once aboard the station, he will become a flight engineer for Expedition 68. Follow @Astro_Wakata on Twitter.
Anna Kikina, Roscosmos cosmonaut, mission specialist
Kikina will be making her first trip to space, and will also serve as a mission specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She will be a flight engineer for Expedition 68.
Learn more about how NASA innovates for the benefit of humanity through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
August 01, 2022
NASA's Next SpaceX Commercial Crew Space Station Launch
|
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission will carry two NASA astronauts Mission Commander Nicole Mann and Pilot Josh Cassada, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. Pictured from left is Anna Kikina, Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and Koichi Wakata.
Credits: NASA
|
Preparations for the launch of the fifth SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The earliest targeted launch date for the mission is Friday, Sept. 29, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Crew-5 launch will carry two NASA astronauts Mission Commander Nicole Mann and Pilot Josh Cassada, along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, who will serve as mission specialists. This is the first spaceflight for Mann, Cassada and Kikina. It is the fifth trip for Wakata.
Following a crew handover period, astronauts from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission are scheduled for return to Earth in October aboard their SpaceX Dragon Freedom.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
July 27, 2022
NASA Preview of Artemis I Moon Mission
|
A brilliant blue sky serves as a backdrop for the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 30, 2022.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA preview the upcoming Artemis I lunar mission. The agency is currently targeting no earlier than Monday, Aug. 29, for the launch of the Space Launch System rocket to send the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back to Earth. The mission will take place over the course of about six weeks to check out systems before crew fly aboard on Artemis II.
Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis I mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/
July 26, 2022
NASA Prepares for Space Launch System Rocket Services Contract
As NASA prepares for the first integrated flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft to the Moon this summer as part of Artemis, the agency is moving toward a services contract model for long-term SLS hardware production and operations to reduce costs.
“SLS is not just a NASA investment, it has been a national investment. Through this contract approach, we are working to enable the use of this one-of-a-kind heavy lift capability to other customers,” said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This approach will also allow NASA to streamline SLS production and operations under one contract, creating a more affordable and sustainable exploration framework for decades to come.”
In a pre-solicitation notice for the Exploration Production and Operations Contract published Tuesday, NASA is proposing to transfer SLS production and associated testing, manufacturing, and transportation facilities from multiple existing hardware procurement contracts to a single launch service contract with Deep Space Transport LLC. Due to the proprietary nature of the processes for manufacturing of the SLS rocket, NASA does not expect to recover costs through competition associated with an alternate source’s design, development, and testing. The notice conveys NASA’s intended acquisition plan for a long-term SLS production and operations contract, to which industry may respond with feedback in accordance with the instructions in the pre-solicitation notice. An award is anticipated by Dec. 31, 2023.
The contractor would be responsible for producing hardware and services for up to 10 Artemis launches beginning with the Artemis V mission, and up to 10 launches for other NASA missions. NASA expects to procure at least one flight per year to the Moon or other deep-space destinations.
Spanning multiple centers and facilities, the NASA SLS workforce will continue to provide expertise for the first four Artemis missions and for future Artemis missions.
“We have a big job ahead of us to fly the first four Artemis missions and develop the new exploration upper stage,” said Jody Singer, center director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “While NASA transitions the contracting approach for long-term SLS operations, the talented team that brought the rocket to the launchpad will also be needed for other projects necessary for the agency’s exploration missions.”
NASA previously issued a request for information in October 2021 and conducted discussions with industry this year to gather inform the approach to maximize the long-term efficiency of the SLS rocket.
With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration at the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
For more on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sls
July 19, 2022
NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Roman Space Telescope
|
A high-resolution illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope against a starry background.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
|
NASA has awarded a NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract to Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, California, to provide launch service for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission. The Roman Space Telescope is the top-priority large space mission recommended by the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey.
NLS II is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The total cost for NASA to launch the Roman telescope is approximately $255 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs. The telescope’s mission currently is targeted to launch in October 2026, as specified in the contract, on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The telescope’s science program will include dedicated investigations to tackle outstanding questions in cosmology, including the effects of dark energy and dark matter, and exoplanet exploration. Roman also includes a substantial general investigator program to enable further studies of astrophysical phenomena to advance other science goals.
The telescope was previously known as the Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST), but it was later renamed in honor of Dr. Nancy Grace Roman for her extraordinary work at NASA, which paved the way for large space telescopes.
NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SpaceX launch service. The Roman Space Telescope project is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
July 14, 2022
NASA, SpaceX Launch Climate Science Research, More to Space Station
|
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, with a Cargo Dragon spacecraft aboard for SpaceX's 25th resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA TV
|
A SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft carrying more than 5,800 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo is on its way to the International Space Station after launching at 8:44 p.m. EDT Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy for the company’s 25th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. It is scheduled to autonomously dock at the space station about 11:20 a.m. Saturday, July 16, and remain there for about a month. Coverage of arrival will begin at 10 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.
Among the science experiments Dragon is delivering to the space station are:
Mapping Earth’s Dust
The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, employs NASA imaging spectroscopy technology to measure the mineral composition of dust in Earth's arid regions. Mineral dust blown into the air can travel significant distances and affect Earth’s climate, weather, vegetation, and more. For example, dust containing dark minerals that absorb sunlight can warm an area, while light-colored mineral dust can cool it. Blowing dust also affects air quality, surface conditions such as rate of snow melt, and phytoplankton health in the ocean. The investigation collects images for one year to generate maps of the mineral composition in the regions on Earth that produce dust. Such mapping could advance our understanding of the effects of mineral dust on human populations now and in the future.
Speedier Immune System Aging
Aging is associated with changes in the immune response known as immunosenescence. Microgravity causes changes in human immune cells that resemble this condition, but happen faster than the actual process of aging on Earth. The Immunosenescence investigation, sponsored the by International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, uses tissue chips to study how microgravity affects immune function during flight and whether immune cells recover post-flight. Tissue chips are small devices that contain human cells in a 3D structure, allowing scientists to test how those cells respond to stresses, drugs, and genetic changes.
Soil in Space
On Earth, complex communities of microorganisms carry out key functions in soil, including cycling of carbon and other nutrients and supporting plant growth. Dynamics of Microbiomes in Space sponsored by NASA’s Division of Biological and Physical Sciences, examines how microgravity affects metabolic interactions in communities of soil microbes. This research focuses on microbe communities that decompose chitin, a natural carbon polymer on Earth.
High School Student Weather Study
BeaverCube is an education mission that will teach high school students aerospace science by having them design a CubeSat. BeaverCube will host one visible and two infrared imagers to measure cloud properties, ocean surface temperatures, and ocean color to study Earth’s climate and weather systems. It also will demonstrate an application for the use of shape memory alloy technology via an in-orbit calibration technique.
Genes, No Cells
Cell-free technology is a platform for producing protein without specialized equipment of living cells that need to be cultured. Genes in Space-9, sponsored by the National Lab, demonstrates cell-free production of protein in microgravity and evaluates two cell-free biosensors that can detect specific target molecules. This technology could provide a simple, portable, and low-cost tool for medical diagnostics, on-demand production of medicine and vaccines, and environmental monitoring on future space missions.
Better Concrete
Biopolymer Research for In-Situ Capabilities looks at how microgravity affects the process of creating a concrete alternative made with an organic material and on-site materials, such as lunar or Martian dust, known as a biopolymer soil composite. Using resources available where construction takes place makes it possible to increase the amount of shielding.
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars through NASA’s Artemis program.
Learn more about SpaceX’s mission for NASA at:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
Get breaking news, images and features about research on station and space station activities on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
July 08, 2022
NASA Highlights Climate Research on Cargo Launch
|
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:14 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2021, carrying the Dragon spacecraft on its journey to the International Space Station for NASA and SpaceX’s 23rd commercial resupply services mission. Dragon delivered new science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Credits: NASA/Kevin O'Connell and Kenny Allen
|
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 8:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 14, to launch the agency’s next investigation to monitor climate change to the International Space Station. The mission, NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), will fly aboard SpaceX’s 25th commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including a new climate research investigation.
Live coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
Dragon will carry more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations like EMIT, which will identify the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions and analyze dust carried through the atmosphere from deserts to see what effects it has on the planet, further advancing NASA’s data contributions to monitoring climate change.
Other investigations include studying the aging of immune cells and the potential to reverse those effects during postflight recovery, a CubeSat that will monitor cloud top and ocean surface temperatures which could help scientists understand Earth’s climate and weather systems, and a student experiment testing a concrete alternative for potential use in future lunar and Martian habitats.
Arrival to the station is scheduled for approximately 11:20 a.m. EDT on Saturday, July 16. Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, with NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines monitoring operations from the station.
The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern). Coverage is subject to change based on real-time operational activities. Follow the International Space Station blog for updates.
Thursday, July 14
8:15 p.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins 8:44 p.m.
Dina Contella, operations integration manager, International Space Station Program, NASA
SpaceX representative
The teleconference will livestream on the agency’s website at:
https://www.nasa.gov/live
Saturday, July 16
10 a.m. – NASA TV coverage begins for Dragon docking to space station
11:20 a.m. (approximately) – Docking
NASA TV launch coverage
Live coverage of the launch on NASA TV will begin at 8:15 p.m. Thursday, July 14. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -1260 and -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the mission broadcast begins.
On launch day, a “clean feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.
NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 8 p.m. Thursday, July 14, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom: at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs25/
Attend the launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
Watch and engage on social media
Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab,
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX resupply missions at:<br>https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
June 03, 2022
NASA to Highlight Climate Research on Cargo Launch, Sets TV Coverage
|
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:07 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, carrying the Dragon spacecraft on its journey to the International Space Station for SpaceX’s 24th commercial resupply services mission.
Credits: NASA/Kevin Davis and Chris Colem
|
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 10:22 a.m. EDT Friday, June 10, to launch the agency’s next investigation to monitor climate change to the International Space Station. Flying aboard SpaceX’s 25th commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory is NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT).
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will lift off from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including a new climate research investigation.
Live coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Thursday, June 9.
Dragon will carry more than 4,500 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations like EMIT, which will identify the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions and analyze dust carried through the atmosphere from deserts to see what effects it has on the planet, further advancing NASA’s data contributions to monitoring climate change.
Other investigations include studying the aging of immune cells and the potential to reverse those effects during postflight recovery, an investigation of how sutured wounds heal in microgravity, and a student experiment testing a concrete alternative for potential use in future lunar and Martian habitats.
Arrival to the station is scheduled for 6:20 a.m. Sunday, June 12. Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines monitoring operations from the station.
The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
NASA TV launch coverage
Live coverage of the launch on NASA TV will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, June 10. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -1260 and -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the mission broadcast begins.
On launch day, a “clean feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.
NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 10 a.m. Friday, June 10, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom: at 321-867-2468. Follow https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs25/ on our launch blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs25/
Attend the launch virtually
Mmbers of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
Watch and engage on social media
Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
• Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab,
• Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
• Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX resupply missions at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
June 01, 2022
NASA Administrator to Launch Artemis Learning Lunchbox Initiative
|
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, talks with Washington area school children about Earth Day during his visit of NASA hands-on exhibits inside Union Station in Washington, Friday, April 22, 2022.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, talks with Washington area school children about Earth Day during his visit of NASA hands-on exhibits inside Union Station in Washington, Friday, April 22, 2022. On Friday, June 3, Nelson will be in Orland to help kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes.
Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls
|
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is helping kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, in Orlando at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, June 3.
The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars.
Dr. Frederic Bertley, president and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), Derrick Chubbs, president and CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank, JoAnn Newman, president and CEO of the Orlando Science Center, and Pastor Howard C. Harrison Jr. also are helping kick-off the initiative.
The event will take place at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place at 8287 Curry Ford Road in Orlando and is open to media. Nelson and COSI leadership will be available to answer questions.
The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.
NASA, COSI, and the U.S. Department of State recently showcased the NASA Learning Lunchboxes at the World Fair in Dubai to as an example of American innovation and efforts to educate the next generation.
For more information about NASA’s STEM Engagement, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/stem
May 25, 2022
NASA: Space Station Science, Climate Research
|
An image of the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), which will help researchers determine climate effects by measuring the composition of minerals that become airborne dust.
Credits: NASA
|
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, June 9 at 10:45 a.m. to launch its cargo Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
One of the primary payloads aboard the cargo flight is the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation or EMIT. This tool will identify the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions and analyze dust carried through the atmosphere from deserts to see what effects it has on the planet, further advancing NASA’s data contributions to monitoring climate change.
Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA's ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. NASA recently celebrated 21 years of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, which has hosted 258 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leaps in exploration, including future human missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
Members of the public can attend the launch virtually and receive mission updates. To participate, members of the public can register for email updates to stay up to date on mission information, mission highlights, and interaction opportunities.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
May 19, 2022
Starliner Launches to Space Station on Uncrewed Flight Test for NASA
|
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft launches from Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 launched at 6:54 p.m. ET, and will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
|
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is in orbit, heading for the International Space Station following launch Thursday of the next-generation spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on a mission designed to test the end-to-end capabilities of the crew-capable system as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Starliner lifted off on NASA’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) at 6:54 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Following an orbital insertion burn 31 minutes later, Starliner was on its way for a rendezvous and docking with the space station.
“I am so proud of the NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance teams who have worked so hard to see Starliner on its way to the International Space Station,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Through adversity, our teams have continued to innovate for the benefit of our nation and all of humanity. I look forward to a successful end-to-end test of the Starliner spacecraft, which will help enable missions with astronauts aboard.”
Launch and orbital insertion are major milestones for the company’s second uncrewed flight, bringing the U.S. closer to having two independent crew systems flying missions to and from the space station.
Starliner is scheduled to dock to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module about 7:10 p.m. Friday, May 20. After a successful docking, the crew of Expedition 67 will open Starliner’s hatch about 11:45 a.m. Saturday, May 21. Coverage of docking and hatch opening will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
“I am incredibly grateful to our NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance teams that have demonstrated persistence, resolve, and dedication to ensuring we were ready for launch today and for this flight test,” said Kathryn Lueders, NASA associate administrator for space operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We have learned so much as we’ve worked together to prepare for this mission, and we look forward to watching the spacecraft arrive at the space station for the first time and continuing to learn and improve as we prepare to fly our astronauts on Starliner.”
For the flight test, Starliner is carrying about 500 pounds of NASA cargo and crew supplies and more than 300 pounds of Boeing cargo to the International Space Station. Following certification, NASA missions aboard Starliner will carry up to four crew members to the station, enabling the continued expansion of the crew and increasing the amount of science and research that can be performed aboard the orbiting laboratory.
OFT-2 will provide valuable data toward NASA certifying Boeing’s crew transportation system for regular flights with astronauts to and from the space station.
“We’ve learned a lot about the capability of our spacecraft and the resilience of our team since the first Starliner launch,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program. “We still have a lot of operational testing ahead as we prepare to rendezvous with the space station, but we’re ready to demonstrate the system we’ve worked so hard on is capable of carrying astronauts to space.”
ULA controlled the launch of the Atlas V rocket from its Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center in Cape Canaveral. As Starliner ascended into space, Boeing commanded the spacecraft from its mission control center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Boeing and ULA teams also provided support to controllers from Kennedy Space Center and Colorado, respectively, throughout the countdown to launch. NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“We are proud of our partnership role with Boeing in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and want to thank our mission partners as this is truly a collective accomplishment,” said Tory Bruno, president and CEO, United Launch Alliance. “The successful launch today marks the first critical step toward the future of humans spaceflight onboard an Atlas V and we look forward to the remainder of the mission and to safely flying astronauts in the future.”
Starliner is scheduled to depart the space station Wednesday, May 25, when it will undock and return to Earth, with a desert landing in the western U.S. The spacecraft will return with more than 600 pounds of cargo, including Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System reusable tanks that provide breathable air to station crew members. The tanks will be refurbished on Earth and sent back to station on a future flight.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
April 14, 2022
NASA: Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 Mission
|
A new service module was mated to a Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew module to form a complete spacecraft on March 12, 2022, in Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A new service module was mated to a Boeing CST-100 Starliner crew module to form a complete spacecraft on March 12, 2022, in Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for Boeing’s second uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Credits: Boeing
|
Prelaunch and launch activities for NASA’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station, the second uncrewed flight test of the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
Liftoff on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Starliner is targeted for Thursday, May 19, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The uncrewed mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner spacecraft and Atlas V rocket from launch to docking and return to Earth at one of five designated landing zones in the western United States. Following a successful completion of the OFT-2 mission, NASA and Boeing will determine a launch window for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), Starliner’s first flight with astronauts aboard.
OFT-2 and CFT will provide valuable data toward NASA certifying Boeing’s crew transportation system for regular flights with astronauts to and from the space station.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil. The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station, which will allow for additional research time and will increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s testbed for exploration. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
April 08, 2022
Axiom Private Astronauts Headed to International Space Station
|
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) to the International Space Station with Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada aboard, Friday, April 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
|
Four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Axiom Space astronauts lifted off at 11:17 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 8, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft carrying Ax-1 crew members Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe into orbit. The crew will spend more than a week conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities on the space station.
“What a historic launch! Thank you to the dedicated teams at NASA who have worked tirelessly to make this mission a reality,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “NASA’s partnership with industry through the commercial cargo and crew programs has led our nation to this new era in human spaceflight — one with limitless potential. Congratulations to Axiom, SpaceX, and the Axiom-1 crew for making this first private mission to the International Space Station a reality.”
Beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, NASA will provide live coverage of the Endeavour docking, hatch opening, and a ceremony to welcome the crew. The events will run on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
Endeavor will autonomously dock to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module around 7:45 a.m. The welcome ceremony is expected to start shortly after the Dragon hatch opens at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Live mission coverage will end with the conclusion of the ceremony. The mission also will be covered by Axiom on its website.
“I first want to congratulate Michael, Larry, Eytan, and Mark,” said Michael Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom Space. “We will usher in a new era in private human spaceflight when they cross the threshold to enter the International Space Station. This journey is the culmination of long hours of training, planning, and dedication from the crew and the entire Axiom Space team, our partners at SpaceX, and of course, a credit to NASA’s vision to develop a sustainable presence in low-Earth orbit.”
Once aboard the station, the Axiom crew will be welcomed by Expedition 67 crew members, including NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Korsokov, and Denis Matveev.
Axiom Space astronauts are expected to spend about 10 days in orbit before a return to Earth and splashdown at one of seven landing sites off the coast of Florida. NASA and Axiom will release separate advisories to preview the Ax-1 farewell event and return coverage.
Learn more about how NASA is supporting a space economy in low-Earth orbit: https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy
March 28, 2022
Statement from NASA’s Janet Petro on Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request
|
President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal supports NASA’s upcoming return to the Moon as well as many other endeavors dedicated to exploring the unknown, innovating for the benefit of humanity, and inspiring the world through discovery.
Credits: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
|
“Sixty years ago, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center was established to meet the challenge of landing a human on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023) budget proposal supports NASA’s upcoming return to the Moon as well as many other endeavors dedicated to exploring the unknown, innovating for the benefit of humanity, and inspiring the world through discovery.
“As the world’s premier multi-user spaceport, Kennedy boasts more than 90 private-sector partners and nearly 250 partnership agreements. The presence of commercial companies at Kennedy is larger than ever before, creating economic benefit for the Space Coast and state of Florida while enabling NASA to embark on a new era of space exploration.
|
Janet E. Petro: the 11th director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center.
|
“I’m proud of Kennedy Space Center’s role in helping strengthen America’s leadership in aerospace and expanding an industry that creates good-paying jobs while furthering exploration and discovery. Investment in NASA missions benefits our community, our country, and people around the world.
“The FY2023 budget provides much needed resources for Kennedy Space Center programs. It will be another historic launch year for Kennedy Space Center as we prepare to launch Artemis I, sending the Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back in preparation for sending the first woman and first person of color to the lunar surface.
“We will continue partnering with industry through the Commercial Crew Program to send crews, supplies, and science investigations to the International Space Station. Likewise, the Launch Services Program will partner with commercial launchers to support Earth-facing science, seek to validate technologies for future lunar missions, and further the exploration of our solar system and beyond.
“Kennedy Space Center is postured to be the spaceport of choice for corporate tenants, offering companies the opportunity to build efficiency through consolidated operations – allowing manufacturing, integration, testing, and launch services in one location.
“The budget also provides for maintenance, operations, and modification of Kennedy spaceport infrastructure, including launch pads, operations facilities, and the unique Vehicle Assembly Building.
“As Kennedy Space Center marks its 60th anniversary this year, we reflect on six decades of our many contributions to science, technology, and exploration. Today, we at Kennedy Space Center are more committed than ever to building on the legacy of the work that has gone before in order to meet the demands of the future.”
Read NASA Administrator Bill Nelson’s statement on the FY2023 budget request here:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-administrator-statement-on-presidents-fy-2023-budget-request
For more information about Kennedy Space Center, visit: www.nasa.gov/kennedy
March 28, 2022
NASA: Final Test Ahead of Moon Mission
|
The sunrise casts a warm glow around the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 21, 2022. The SLS and Orion atop the mobile launcher were transported to the pad on crawler-transporter 2 for a prelaunch test called a wet dress rehearsal. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In later missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
Credits: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
|
NASA presents: the upcoming final major test with the agency’s Mega Moon rocket and spacecraft at the launch pad ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission.
The test, known as the wet dress rehearsal, is planned for Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 3, on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the test, engineers will demonstrate the ability to conduct a full launch countdown at the pad, including loading and draining cryogenic, or supercold, propellants into the Artemis I rocket.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/
First Rollout of NASA’s Mega Moon Rocket
The upcoming debut of the agency’s Mega Moon rocket and integrated spacecraft for the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission.
Roll out of the integrated Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is slated for Thursday, March 17.
Live coverage for rollout begins at 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 17 and will include live remarks from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other guests. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
At the pad, NASA will conduct a final prelaunch test known as wet dress rehearsal, which includes loading the SLS propellant tanks and conducting a launch countdown.
The rollout involves a 4-mile journey between the Vehicle Assembly Building and the launch pad, expected to take between six and 12 hours.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
For updates, follow along on NASA’s Artemis blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/
February 22, 2022
NASA Kennedy’s Control Center Named for Apollo-Era Launch Director
|
Launch Control Center Renaming Ceremony
Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro speaks during a ceremony renaming the Florida spaceport’s launch control center to the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center on Feb. 22, 2022. Petrone was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program. He died in 2006 at the age of 80.
Credits: NASA/Glenn Benson
|
By Jim Cawley
NASA's Kennedy Space Center
The launch control center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center – the same launch control that sent the first men to the Moon, launched the Space Shuttle Program, and will one day send the first woman and person of color to the lunar surface – was renamed after one of NASA’s pioneers in America’s quest for space exploration: Rocco Petrone.
Following a ceremony Feb. 22, 2022, the Launch Control Center at the Florida spaceport was officially renamed the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center. Petrone, who was instrumental in America’s first voyages to the Moon and headed the Apollo program, died in 2006 at the age of 80.
Several Kennedy senior leaders attended the special event, including Center Director Janet Petro, Deputy Director Kelvin Manning, and Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, as well as many of Petrone’s former co-workers.
“It’s fitting to name this facility for Rocco Petrone,” Petro said. “Rocco was probably the most influential architect of the Apollo Saturn program in the 1960s, and he was one of the driving forces that helped ensure Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon before the decade was out.”
The launch control center serves as a nerve center where engineers and the launch director will monitor their flight consoles and give the “go” for the upcoming launch of Artemis I and later missions that will establish a sustainable presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars. It was from this same building that Petrone oversaw the launches of the early Apollo lunar missions, and later launch directors launched NASA’s shuttles into space.
“Today, we recognize the history of this building, at this great facility, by renaming it after one of NASA’s pioneers, Rocco Petrone, a man who played a pivotal role in sending the first man to the Moon and inspired generations of future engineers to challenge the status quo and to make what once seemed impossible possible,” Blackwell-Thompson said.
When Manning started exploring the possibility of the renaming project and learning more about Petrone’s influence at Kennedy, he was drawn to a baseball analogy. Specifically, Manning thought of the former Yankee Stadium, known as “The House that Ruth Built,” after the legendary Babe Ruth.
“I asked the question to a number of Kennedy retirees, ‘Was KSC the house that Rocco built?’ And the response was overwhelmingly, ‘Absolutely, yes. Without him, we would not have made it to the Moon in 1969.’”
Petrone transferred to Kennedy as an active-duty Army lieutenant colonel in 1960 to serve as Saturn Project Officer. When the United States established its goal of landing a human on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, the Apollo Lunar Landing Program was established.
He managed the planning, development and activation of all launch facilities required for the Apollo Program, including Launch Complex 39, where the Apollo and Saturn V space vehicles were launched. The complex included the Vehicle Assembly Building, the launch towers, the crawler-transporter, and the Mobile Service Structure. He was directly involved in successful launches of the Saturn I and IB – as well as the Saturn V – rockets.
Following his retirement from the Army in 1966, Petrone became director of Launch Operations at Kennedy. He was responsible for the management and technical direction of pre-flight operations and integration, test, checkout, and launch of all space vehicles, both crewed and uncrewed.
“I can’t imagine another leader who could have managed that huge, Kennedy workforce so effectively,” said John Tribe, who worked under Petrone during the Apollo and shuttle programs. “He really was the right man in the right place at the right time. He was instrumental in us successfully achieving President Kennedy’s Apollo goals.”
JoAnn Morgan, the first female engineer and first woman to serve as a senior executive at Kennedy, described Petrone as “respectful and professional, with a serious and commanding presence that permeated the environment.”
“He welcomed me,” Morgan said. “Accurate data and efficient communication of status were what mattered to him. I am very grateful to have worked for Rocco and observed the excellence in his guidance and decision making.”
Petrone directed the first five human-tended Apollo launches, culminating in the Apollo 11 lunar flight. In 1969, he was named director of the Apollo Program for NASA with overall responsibility for the direction and management of the Apollo Space Flight Program.
In 1972, he was assigned additional responsibilities as program director of the NASA portion of the U.S. and the former Soviet Union joint Apollo-Soyuz Test Program. Petrone then served as director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and as NASA associate administrator until his retirement from NASA in 1975. He worked in private industry during the 1980s and died at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California in 2006.
“In a word, he was brilliant. Demanding, yes, but driven – and he drove us to be exactly right,” said John “Tip” Talone, a former flow director in the shuttle program. “Never was a stone left unturned or a question unanswered or sloughed off. It was obvious he was not going to let the mission, or his team, fail.”
The Florida Chapter of the NASA Alumni League endorsed the naming of the Launch Control Center in Petrone’s honor because of his strong and positive management style, his ability to problem-solve, and his personal dedication to quality work and positive outcomes, said Chapter President Richard Quinn.
“Without his strong leadership, we think the work here at Kennedy for Apollo would have been very different,” Quinn said. “There were many ‘heroes’ within NASA and our contractors during those times, but few rose to the prominence and success that Rocco did. His personal drive and commitment to excellence are legendary, and naming the Launch Control Center for him we think is a fitting tribute.”
Click here for video from the event.
https://images.nasa.gov/details-KSC-20220222-MH-ILW01-0001-LCC_Renaming_Ceremony-3294433
February 03, 2022
NASA, SpaceX Update on Crew-4 Space Station Mission
|
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts participate in a training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. From left: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 mission specialist Jessica Watkins, NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 pilot Robert Hines, NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Crew-4 mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA and SpaceX on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. Targeted to launch April 15, Crew-4 will carry an international crew of four astronauts to the microgravity laboratory for a six-month stay.
Crew-4 will be the fourth crew rotation mission of SpaceX’s human space transportation system and its fifth flight with astronauts, including the Demo-2 test flight, to the space station through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The mission will launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
January 18, 2022
Preview: Launch of New Mega-Moon Rocket and Spacecraft
|
An aerial view of Launch Complex 39B with Exploration Ground Systems’ mobile launcher for the Artemis 1 mission on the pad. The mobile launcher, atop crawler-transporter 2, made its final solo trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building on June 27, 2019, and arrived on the surface of pad B on June 28, 2019, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher will remain at the pad over the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1.
Credits: NASA
|
Launch and prelaunch activities are related to NASA’s Artemis I mission, the first mission in exploration systems built for crew that will travel around the Moon since Apollo. Approximately a week’s worth of events will lead up to the launch of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, targeted for no earlier than March 2022 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The uncrewed Artemis I mission will launch from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B and is the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Artemis deep space exploration systems. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, the mission will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate NASA’s commitment and capability to establish a long-term presence at the Moon and beyond.
NASA will set an official target launch date after a successful wet dress rehearsal test – one of the final tests before launch involving fuel loaded into the rocket – currently planned for late February.
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis I mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1
January 12, 2022
Kennedy Space Center Will Continue Making History in 2022
|
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro discusses the center’s 60 years of contributions to enabling science, exploration, and human spaceflight, as well as highlighting Kennedy’s coming growth in launch capacity and commercial space development. She addressed the industry, government, and academia attendees during the morning keynote address on Jan. 12, 2022, at SpaceCom, a conference and exhibition developed in partnership with the 48th Spaceport Summit, held in Orlando, Florida.
Credits: NASA
|
Janet Petro, Kennedy Space Center director, released the following statement after her keynote address on Jan. 12, 2022, at the SpaceCom 2022, developed in partnership with the 48th Spaceport Summit, held in Orlando, Florida.
“I was honored to address colleagues and partners at the SpaceCom / 48th Spaceport Summit this morning to discuss the historical significance of the coming year for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the space industry.
“2022 marks 60 years of Kennedy enabling science, exploration, and human space flight in support of our nation’s space program. I recently received a box of memorabilia from my father’s career supporting the Apollo, Gemini, and Shuttle programs. Looking at all of the newspaper clippings, awards, and photographs led me to reflect on the future of NASA and Kennedy’s role in the history we are making today to advance space technology for the benefit of our Earth and all of humanity.
“In the next few weeks, we are planning to conduct the wet dress rehearsal of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System, the world’s most powerful rocket. When Artemis I launches later this year, Orion will make its way around the Moon and back – a critical step as NASA prepares to send the first woman and person of color to the lunar surface.
“Even as we await this historic milestone, Kennedy is poised to support more crewed missions, commercial resupply, and test flight missions to the International Space Station through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. That’s on top of the many launches managed by our Launch Services Program – missions that will advance Earth-facing science, validate technologies for future lunar missions, and further the exploration of our solar system and beyond.
“As early as the 1970s, Kennedy Space Center was known as America’s Spaceport, and we didn’t get there by accident. Decades of transformation from a government-only launching facility to a multiuser spaceport have far exceeded the vision of times past. Today, Kennedy has more than 90 private sector partners and nearly 250 partnership agreements, which are critical to the future of space exploration and commercialization of low-Earth orbit.
“Moving into the future, Kennedy expects continued growth of launch capacity and, very likely, an associated increase in jobs. The single-unit tenancies of the past are making way for campus-like arrangements, such as those seen in Exploration Park, which allow companies to consolidate manufacturing, integration, testing, and launch services in a single area to enable more efficient operations. And we remain committed to ensuring this growth occurs in an environmentally responsible way.
“As we celebrate our diamond anniversary in 2022, Kennedy Space Center is more committed than ever to building on the legacy of the work that has gone before, helping meet the demands of the future, both on this planet and off.”
For more information about Kennedy Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy
2021
December 27, 2021
NASA's NOAA’s Weather Observing Satellite Launch
|
An artist’s rendering of GOES-R.
Credits: NASA
|
GOES-T is scheduled to launch March 1, 2022, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
About GOES-T
NOAA manages the GOES-R Series Program through an integrated NOAA-NASA office, administering its ground system contract, operating the satellites, and distributing their data to users worldwide.
GOES-T will be renamed GOES-18 once it reaches geostationary orbit. Following a successful orbital checkout of its instruments and systems, GOES-18 will go into operational service as GOES West. In this position, the satellite will provide critical data for the U.S. West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean.
The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy, America’s multi-user spaceport. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, oversees the acquisition of the GOES-R satellite and instruments. Lockheed Martin designs, creates, and tests the GOES-R Series satellites. L3Harris Technologies provides the main instrument payload, the Advanced Baseline Imager, and the ground system, which includes the antenna system for data reception.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo 321-501-8425.
November 16, 2021
NASA TV to Air DART Prelaunch Activities, Launch
|
Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) LICIACube prior to impact at the Didymos binary system.
Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins, APL/Steve Gribben
|
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s first planetary defense test mission, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). The mission will help determine if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course. DART’s target asteroid is not a threat to Earth.
DART is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1:20 a.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 24 (10:20 p.m. PST Tuesday, Nov. 23) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Live launch coverage will begin at 12:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021 (9:30 p.m. PST Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021), on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch and science briefings beginning Sunday, Nov. 21.
The spacecraft is designed to direct itself to impact an asteroid while traveling at a speed of roughly 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kilometers per hour). Its target is the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos (Greek for “two forms”), which orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos (Greek for “twin”). In fall 2022, DART will impact Dimorphos to change its orbit within the Didymos binary asteroid system. The Didymos system is the ideal candidate for DART because it poses no actual impact threat to Earth, and scientists can measure the change in Dimorphos’ orbit with ground-based telescopes.
Planetary Defender Campaign
To allow the public to share in the excitement of DART, NASA has launched the Planetary Defenders campaign. Participants can answer a short series of questions about planetary defense to earn their planetary defender certificate, which they can download or print, as well as a digital badge to share on social media using the hashtag #PlanetaryDefender.
Public Participation
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for DART includes curated launch resources, a behind-the-scenes look at the mission, and the opportunity for a virtual guest launch passport stamp.
Virtual NASA Social
As we finalize launch preparations, we are excited to invite the public to join our virtual NASA Social for the #DARTMission on Facebook. Stay up to date on the latest mission activities, interact with NASA and DART team members in real-time, and watch the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will boost DART toward its destination.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you're following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #DARTMission and tag these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @AsteroidWatch, @NASASocial and @NASA_LSP
Facebook: NASA and NASA LSP
Instagram: NASA
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo 321-501-8425.
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory has been directed to manage the DART mission for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office as a project of the agency’s Planetary Missions Program Office. The agency provides support for the mission from several centers, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX is the rocket provider for the DART launch.
For more information about DART, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/dartmission
November 10, 2021
NASA to Provide Coverage of U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction
|
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy in 2007, when she was serving as an astronaut and mission commander, floating into the Unity node of the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA will provide live coverage of the 2021 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 11 a.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 13. The agency's Deputy Administrator, Pam Melroy, is among the inductees, and the event also features remarks by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The ceremony will take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction in Florida, and will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
Also joining the hall of fame this year are former NASA astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and Scott Kelly. Their induction brings the total number of astronauts enshrined to 102.
Melroy was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1994. A veteran of three space shuttle missions, she served as pilot for two flights and commander for her third, making her one of only two women to command a space shuttle. Melroy logged more than 924 hours in space. She retired from NASA in 2007 and was sworn in as the agency’s deputy administrator on June 21.
NASA selected Kelly as an astronaut in 1996. He served as pilot on his first space shuttle mission and commander on his second. In October 2010, Kelly launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-A spacecraft to serve a tour of duty aboard the International Space Station and commander of Expedition 26. In March 2015, Kelly returned to the space station for a one-year mission, serving as a flight engineer and then commander. During the mission, almost 400 experiments were conducted on the station.
The agency selected Lopez-Alegria as an astronaut in 1992. He was a mission specialist for three flights aboard the space shuttle and served as commander of Expedition 14 aboard the space station from September 2006 to April 2007. Lopez-Alegria logged more than 257 days in space and performed 10 spacewalks, totaling 67 hours and 40 minutes.
The 2021 inductees were selected by a committee of Hall of Fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians, and journalists. The process is administered by the ASF, which was founded by the original seven Mercury astronauts in 1984. To be eligible, an astronaut must have made his or her first flight at least 17 years before the induction and have been retired from NASA for at least five years. Each candidate must be a U.S. citizen and a NASA-trained commander, pilot, or mission specialist who has orbited Earth at least once.
Reporters interested in covering the event can contact Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Rebecca Shireman at: Rshireman@delawarenorth.com and 321-213-5926.
For NASA TV schedule and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
November 04, 2021
NASA Practices Artemis I Orion Test Capsule and Recovery Hardware
|
U.S. Navy divers prepare to attach the "front porch" to a test version of the Orion capsule on Nov. 1, 2018, as part of Underway Recovery Test-7 (URT-7) in the open water of the Pacific Ocean. Nearby is the USS John P. Murtha. Orion was towed into the ship's well deck. There are two large, orange mockup uprighting bags in this view, but when Orion actually splashes down there will be five. URT-7 is one in a series of tests that the Exploration Ground Systems Recovery Team, along with the U.S. Navy, are conducting to verify and validate procedures and hardware that will be used to recover the Orion spacecraft after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean following deep space exploration missions. Orion will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.
Credits: NASA/Tony Gray
|
Nasa will conduct a test version of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, as well as the hardware that will be used to recover the spacecraft on its return from space at Naval Base San Diego.
In preparation for Artemis I, NASA’s upcoming mission that will send an Orion spacecraft beyond the Moon, the agency and the U.S. Navy will conduct their final certification run for recovery of the spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean following its first uncrewed flight. This test is part of a series to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery operations.
Orion is America’s exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to deep space destinations, including the Moon and then on to Mars.
For more information about Exploration Ground Systems, visit: www.nasa.gov/groundsystems
For more information about Orion, visit: www.nasa.gov/orion
October 22, 2021
Launch of IXPE Mission to Study X-rays in Space
|
Cassiopeia A (Cas A), a supernova remnant, is one object that NASA’s IXPE mission will study.
Credits: NASA/CXC/SAO
|
The upcoming launch of NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission, which will measure polarized X-rays from exotic cosmic objects, such as black holes and neutron stars, to better understand these types of phenomena and extreme environments.
IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than Dec. 9 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This astrophysics mission will allow astronomers to discover, for the first time, the hidden details of some of the most exotic astronomical objects in our universe. IXPE is the first satellite mission dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays from a variety of cosmic sources. Polarization is an intrinsic characteristic of light that can vary as it travels through different environments. The mission will fly three space telescopes with sensitive detectors capable of measuring the polarization of cosmic X-rays, allowing scientists to answer fundamental questions about these extremely complex environments where gravitational, electric, and magnetic fields are at their limits.
IXPE is a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency, led by principal investigator Martin Weisskopf at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program.
For more information about the IXPE mission, visit: https://ixpe.msfc.nasa.gov/
October 21, 2021
Coverage Set for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 Briefings, Events, Broadcasts
|
The astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission pose for a portrait in their spacesuits during a training session. From left are: NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Thomas Marshburn, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer.
Credits: SpaceX
|
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the third crew rotation mission with astronauts on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and the fourth flight with astronauts, including the Demo-2 test flight, as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch is targeted for 2:21 a.m. EDT Sunday, Oct. 31, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon Endurance is scheduled to dock to the space station at 12:10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 1. Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
The Crew-3 flight will carry NASA astronauts Raja Chari, mission commander; Tom Marshburn, pilot; and Kayla Barron, mission specialist; as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, who will serve as a mission specialist, to the space station for a six-month science mission.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
October 22, 2021
NASA Completes Mega-Moon Rocket Stacking:Learn More
NASA has completed stacking of the agency’s mega-Moon rocket and spacecraft that will launch the next generation of deep space operations, including Artemis missions on and around the Moon. Engineers and technicians successfully secured the Orion spacecraft atop the fully assembled Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before midnight Oct. 21.
|
NASA completed stacking Oct. 21, 2021, of the agency's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I uncrewed mission around the Moon. The stacking operations were conducted inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA
|
“With stacking and integration of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft complete, we’re getting closer and closer to embarking on a new era of human deep space exploration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Thanks to the team’s hard work designing, manufacturing, testing, and now completing assembly of NASA’s new rocket and spacecraft, we’re in the home stretch of preparations for the first launch on the Artemis I mission, paving the way to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond for many years to come.”
The stack now stands 322 feet tall inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA Kennedy as it enters the final phase of testing before launch.
Next up, NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems teams will conduct integrated tests of Orion and SLS along with the ground equipment, prior to rolling the rocket and spacecraft to the launch pad for a final test, known as the wet dress rehearsal. This final test will run the rocket and launch team through operations to load propellant into the fuel tanks and conduct a full launch countdown. Following a successful rehearsal, NASA will roll the stack back into the VAB for final checks and set a target date for launch.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis I mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1
October 06, 2021
NASA Sets Coverage, Invites Public to Virtually Join Lucy Launch
Artist’s illustration of the Lucy concept.
Credits: Southwest Research Institute
|
NASA will provide coverage of upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for Lucy, the agency’s first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.
Lucy is scheduled to launch no earlier than 5:34 a.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 16, on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Live launch coverage will begin at 5 a.m. EDT on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. NASA will hold a prelaunch briefing Wednesday, Oct. 13, and science and engineering briefings Oct. 14.
Over its 12-year primary mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids. The spacecraft will fly by one asteroid in the solar system’s main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. Lucy’s path will circle back to Earth three times for gravity assists, which will make it the first spacecraft ever to return to our planet’s vicinity from the outer solar system.
Full mission coverage is as follows. Information is subject to change:
Wednesday, Oct. 13
1 p.m.: Lucy prelaunch news conference with the following participants:
- Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington.
- Hal Levison, Lucy principal investigator, Southwest Research Institute.
- Donya Douglas-Bradshaw, Lucy Project Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
- John Elbon, Chief Operating Officer, United Launch Alliance.
- Launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Space Launch Delta 45, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Omar Baez, Lucy Launch Director, NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov no later than noon, Wednesday, Oct. 13. Members of the public may also ask questions online by using #LucyMission on social media.
Thursday, Oct. 14
10 a.m.: NASA EDGE: Live Lucy Rollout Show.
- 1 p.m.: Lucy science briefing with the following participants:
- Adriana Ocampo, Lucy program executive, NASA Headquarters.
- Cathy Olkin, Lucy deputy principal investigator, Southwest Research Institute.
- Keith Noll, Lucy project scientist, Goddard.
- Hal Weaver, principal investigator for Lucy’s L'LORRI instrument, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
- Phil Christensen, principal investigator for Lucy’s L'TES instrument, Arizona State University.
- Dennis Reuter, principal investigator for Lucy’s L’Ralph instrument, Goddard.
3 p.m.: Lucy engineering briefing with the following participants:
- Joan Salute, associate director for flight programs, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters.
- Jessica Lounsbury, Lucy project systems engineer, Goddard.
- Katie Oakman, Lucy structures and mechanisms lead, Lockheed Martin Space.
- Coralie Adam, deputy navigation team chief, KinetX Aerospace.
For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov by Thursday, Oct. 14 no later than noon for the Science Briefing and 2 p.m. for the Engineering Briefing. Members of the public may also ask questions, which may be answered in real-time during the segment, by using #LucyMission on social media.
Friday, Oct. 15
3:30 p.m.: NASA Science Live with the following participants:
- Carly Howett, assistant director of the Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute.
- Wil Santiago, deep space exploration engineer, Lockheed Martin Space.
- Donya Douglas-Bradshaw, Lucy project manager, Goddard.
- Brittine Young, mentor for the NASA Lucy L’SPACE academy.
- Wilbert Ruperto, ambassador for the NASA Lucy L’SPACE academy.
This episode will air live on NASA Television and stream live on the agency’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels. Members of the public can participate live by sending questions using #askNASA or posting a comment in the live video chat stream.
NASA TV Launch Coverage
NASA TV live coverage will begin at 5 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 16. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/live
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.
On launch day, a “clean feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include livestreaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 5 a.m. Oct. 16, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at: 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: https://www.blogs.nasa.gov/lucy
Public Participation
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for Lucy includes curated launch resources, a behind-the-scenes look at the mission, and the opportunity for a virtual guest launch passport stamp.
Virtual NASA Social
As NASA finalizes launch preparations, the agency invites the public to join its virtual NASA Social for the #LucyMission on Facebook. Stay up to date on the latest mission activities, interact with NASA team members in real-time, and watch the launch.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you're following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #LucyMission – and tag the following accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASASolarSystem, @NASASocial, @NASA_LSP, @SLDelta45
Facebook: NASA, NASASolarSystem, NASA LSP, SLDelta45
Instagram: NASA
The launch of this mission is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, America’s premier multi-user spaceport. Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. Lucy’s principal investigator is based out of the Boulder, Colorado, branch of Southwest Research Institute. Lucy is the 13th mission in NASA’s Discovery Program. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Discovery Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
United Launch Alliance is the rocket provider for Lucy’s launch. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft.
October 04, 2021
NASA's Launch of Double Asteroid Redirection Test
Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) LICIACube prior to impact at the Didymos binary system.
Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins, APL/Steve Gribben
|
DART is targeted to launch at 10:20 p.m. PST, Nov. 23, 2021, (1:20 a.m. EST, Nov. 24), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Live coverage of the launch will air on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
DART will be the first demonstration of the kinetic impactor technique, which involves sending one or more large, high-speed spacecraft into the path of an asteroid in space to change its motion. Its target is the binary near-Earth asteroid Didymos and its moonlet.
DART is directed by NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office to the Applied Physics Laboratory with support from several NASA centers: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
To learn more about the DART mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/dart
September 21, 2021
NASA Awards Orion Main Engine Contract for Future Artemis Missions
NASA has awarded a contract to Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc. of Redmond, Washington, for the development of the Orion Main Engine (OME), which will be used on the Orion spacecraft as part of the agency’s Artemis program.
The contract includes certification of the OME design, production, and special studies and tasks. It is a single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price orders. The period of performance is from Sept. 21, 2021, through April 23, 2032, with a maximum value of $600 million.
The OME will be integrated into Orion’s primary power and propulsion component, the European Service Module, and will replace the Orbital Maneuvering System Engine repurposed from the Space Shuttle Program for the service module on Artemis missions VII through XIV. The contract also will allow for the procurement of additional engines for other NASA exploration programs.
Learn more about NASA and agency programs at: http://www.nasa.gov
September 14, 2021
NASA: Lucy Spacecraft - October Launch
Lucy is scheduled to launch no earlier than Saturday, Oct. 16, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
About Lucy
Over its 12-year primary mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one asteroid in the solar system’s main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. Additionally, Lucy’s path will circle back to Earth three times for gravity assists, making it the first spacecraft ever to return to the vicinity of Earth from the outer solar system.
The Lucy mission is named after the fossilized skeleton of an early hominin (pre-human ancestor) discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 and named “Lucy” by the team of paleoanthropologists who discovered it. Just as the Lucy fossil provided unique insights into humanity’s evolution, the Lucy mission promises to revolutionize our knowledge of planetary origins and the formation of the solar system, including Earth.
For more information about Lucy, visit: www.nasa.gov/lucy
September 10, 2021
NASA: Next SpaceX Commercial Crew Space Station Launch
SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts (from left) Matthias Maurer, Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron are pictured during preflight training at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
Credits: SpaceX
|
The earliest targeted launch date for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission is Sunday, Oct. 31, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch will carry three NASA astronauts – mission commander Raja Chari, pilot Tom Marshburn, and mission specialist Kayla Barron to the space station – as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, who will serve as a mission specialist. This is the first spaceflight for Chari, Barron, and Maurer. It is the third for Marshburn. The crew will complete a six-month science mission aboard the microgravity laboratory in low-Earth orbit.
Astronauts from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission are scheduled for return in mid-November aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour on which they launched following a short crew handover period aboard the space station.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
September 10, 2021
NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for GOES-U Mission
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) mission. GOES-U will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s weather, oceans, and environment, as well as real-time mapping of total lightning activity and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather.
The total cost for NASA to launch GOES-U is approximately $152.5 million, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.
The GOES-U mission is targeted to launch in April 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. GOES-U is the fourth and final spacecraft in the GOES-R Series of geostationary weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-R Series is a joint effort between NASA and NOAA and includes GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T, and GOES-U.
NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SpaceX launch service. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the GOES-R Flight Projects office, which oversees the acquisition of the GOES-R series instruments and spacecraft. A collaborative NOAA and NASA team manages the GOES-R Program.
For more information about the GOES satellite network, visit: www.nasa.gov/goes
August 24, 2021
NASA: On the Launch of Lucy Mission to Study Trojan Asteroids
This illustration shows the Lucy spacecraft passing one of the Trojan Asteroids near Jupiter.
Credits: Southwest Research Institute
|
The upcoming launch of NASA’s Lucy mission, which will send the first spacecraft to study the Trojan asteroids. These small bodies are remnants of our early solar system trapped in stable orbits, clustered in two “swarms” leading and following Jupiter in its path around the Sun.
Lucy is scheduled to launch no earlier than Saturday, Oct. 16, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
More about Lucy
Over its 12-year primary mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one asteroid in the solar system’s main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. Additionally, Lucy’s path will circle back to Earth three times for gravity assists, making it the first spacecraft ever to return to the vicinity of Earth from the outer solar system.
The Lucy mission is named after the fossilized skeleton of an early hominin (pre-human ancestor) discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 and named “Lucy” by the team of paleoanthropologists who discovered it. Just as the Lucy fossil provided unique insights into humanity’s evolution, the Lucy mission promises to revolutionize our knowledge of planetary origins and the formation of the solar system, including Earth.
For more information about Lucy, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lucy
August 20, 2021
NASA Invites Public to Virtually Join Next Cargo Launch
Note: This advisory was updated Aug. 28 with the following information: The launch originally planned for Aug. 28 was postponed due to inclement weather. Launch now is targeted for 3:14 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 29, with NASA TV coverage scheduled to begin at 2:45 a.m.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo capsule soars upward after lifting off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 3, 2021, during the company's 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA to the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting Saturday, Aug. 28, at 3:37 a.m. EDT to launch its 23rd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew.
Live coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Friday, Aug. 27.
Dragon will deliver a variety of NASA investigations, including one that will determine if metabolites from grape skins and seeds used in wine making could help prevent and treat osteoporosis. A new robotic arm scheduled for demonstration could reveal potential uses on Earth, including in disaster relief. Another experiment will test an implantable, remote-controlled drug delivery system that will utilize a new research facility aboard the orbiting laboratory. Several Girl Scouts’ experiments also will use this new facility to study plants, ants, and brine shrimp in microgravity.
About 12 minutes after launch, Dragon will separate from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. Arrival to the station is planned for Sunday, Aug. 29. Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, with Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA monitoring operations.
The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Attend the launch virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch.
Watch and engage on social media
Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX
Learn more about the SpaceX resupply mission at:
https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
July 23, 2021
NASA: Next SpaceX Cargo Launch to Space Station
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft resting in the hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft rests in the hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on May 27, 2021.The Dragon spacecraft was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket during the company’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station on June 3.
Credits: SpaceX
|
The spacecraft will deliver a variety of NASA science investigations to the station, including a study on preventing and treating bone density loss, an investigation that will test diagnostic devices that could detect and mitigate vision disorders, and a new robotic arm for demonstration that could reveal potential uses on Earth, including in disaster relief. The capsule also will deliver materials including concrete, fiberglass composites, and substances that can offer protection against radiation, to investigate how they respond to the harsh environment of space. Additionally, nanofluidic and educational experiments will utilize the function of a new research facility aboard the orbiting laboratory.
This is the third SpaceX mission to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment for NASA under the agency’s second Commercial Resupply Services contract. Cargo resupply by U.S. companies significantly increases NASA's ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space. Space station research through the ISS National Laboratory also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
Humans have occupied the space station continuously since November 2000. In that time, 243 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.
The mission’s launch date will be confirmed in the near future. For launch countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
July 09, 2021
Manning Assumes Deputy Reins at Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Kelvin Manning participates in a virtual town hall meeting at the Florida spaceport on July 9, 2021.
Credits: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
|
Kelvin Manning has been selected as deputy director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In that role, Manning will share responsibility with Kennedy Director Janet Petro in managing the Kennedy team of civil service and contractor employees, determining and implementing center policy, and managing and executing Kennedy missions and agency program responsibilities.
Manning previously served as the center’s technical associate director. In that capacity, he was responsible for ensuring safe and effective execution of the center’s technical capabilities, including establishing strategies and policies to ensure alignment of the Kennedy workforce, facilities, and operations to facilitate agency program and project goals. In doing so, he helped propel the world’s premiere multi-user spaceport to advance America’s leadership in space.
Manning began his career at Kennedy in 1992 and has served in a number of positions within the former Shuttle Processing Directorate, including flow director for space shuttle Atlantis, acting chief engineer for shuttle upgrades, vehicle manager for space shuttle Columbia, and NASA test director. Later in the Kennedy Constellation Project Office, Manning became the first division chief for NASA’s Orion spacecraft. More recently, he served on the last two NASA Astronaut Candidate Selection Boards.
Born in Fort Meade, Maryland, as an "Army brat," Manning traveled throughout the United States and has resided in Texas, New Jersey, Indiana, Hawaii, Illinois, and Maryland. After graduating from Aberdeen High School in Aberdeen, Maryland, Manning went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition, Manning has a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida in Orlando and has completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
As an Air Force officer, Manning served six years as a space operations analyst, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and NORAD Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs. Following his military service and prior to joining NASA, Manning was an engineer with General Electric Aerospace, Military and Data Systems Operations, in Springfield, Virginia, and McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company in Washington.
Petro, who was named Kennedy’s director in June 2021, previously held the center’s deputy director position. Petro assumed the role of center director after former Kennedy director Bob Cabana was named NASA’s associate administrator in May.
For information about Kennedy, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy
May 26, 2021
NASA Sets Coverage, Invites Public to Virtually Join Next Cargo Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:17 a.m. EST on Dec. 6, 2020, carrying the uncrewed cargo Dragon spacecraft on its journey to the International Space Station for NASA and SpaceX’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-21) mission.
Credits: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O'Conne
|
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 1:29 p.m. EDT, Thursday, June 3, to launch its 22nd commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will deliver new solar arrays to power future work aboard the orbiting laboratory, along with new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew. Live coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Wednesday, June 2.
Dragon’s pressurized capsule will carry a variety of research, including an experiment that could help develop better pharmaceuticals and therapies for treating kidney disease on Earth, a study of cotton root systems that could identify varieties of plants that require less water and pesticides. The research also will include two model organism investigations: One will study bobtail squid to examine the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts. The other will examine tardigrades’ adaptation to conditions in low-Earth orbit, which could advance understanding of the stress factors affecting humans in space.
The mission will include technology demonstrations, including a portable ultrasound device. Additionally, astronauts will test the effectiveness of remotely operating robotic arms and space vehicles using virtual reality and haptics interfaces.
Dragon’s unpressurized trunk section will deliver the first two of six new roll-out solar arrays based on a design tested on the space station in 2017. A robotic arm will extract them and astronauts will install them during a series of spacewalks this summer.
About 12 minutes after launch, Dragon will separate from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. Arrival to the space station is planned for Saturday, June 5. Dragon will autonomously dock to the space-facing port on the station’s Harmony module, with Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA monitoring operations.
The spacecraft is expected to spend more than a month attached to the space station before it splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean, returning with research and return cargo.
Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern):
Wednesday, June 2
11 a.m. – Want an in-depth look at the science aboard Dragon? Watch on NASA TV or join us on Kennedy Space Center’s Facebook and YouTube pages as we chat with some of the principal investigators. If you have questions for them, use #AskNASA on Twitter. They may answer in real-time during the segment.
1:30 p.m. – NASA TV will broadcast a prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with representatives from NASA’s International Space Station Program, SpaceX, and the U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 45. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov no later than 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 2. The public can also ask questions by using #AskNASA on Twitter. They may be answered in real-time during the segment.
Thursday, June 3
1 p.m. – NASA TV coverage begins for the targeted 1:29 p.m. launch.
Saturday, June 5
3:30 a.m. – NASA TV coverage begins for Dragon docking to space station.
5 a.m. – Docking
NASA TV Launch Coverage
Live coverage of the launch on NASA TV will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 3. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
Audio of the news conference and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio" countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on NASA’s website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 1 p.m. Thursday, June 3, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the agency’s launch blog at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacexcrs22/
Attend This Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-22nd-spacex-commercial-resupply-mission-launch-registration-148009056071?aff=pr) to attend this launch virtually. Attendees will receive mission updates and activities via email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, as well as a stamp for their NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
- Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX
- Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
- Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX
- Learn more about the SpaceX resupply mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
February 26, 2021
NASA Awards Launch Service Contract for TROPICS Mission to Study Storm Processes
NASA has selected Astra Space Inc. to provide a launch service for the agency’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats (TROPICS) mission. The TROPICS mission consists of a constellation of six CubeSats and will increase the scientific community’s understanding of storm processes.
The launch service contract for the TROPICS mission is a firm fixed-price contract valued at $7.95 million. NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the launch service.
The CubeSats, each the size of a shoebox, will provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements that can be used to determine temperature, pressure, and humidity inside hurricanes as they form and evolve. The TROPICS mission’s high-revisit imaging and sounding observations are enabled by microwave technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory. These observations will profoundly improve scientists' understanding of processes driving high-impact storms.
Astra Space will launch the CubeSats on the company’s Rocket 3 from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands with three separate launches over a 120-day period. The TROPICS mission is targeted for launch between Jan. 8 and July 31, 2022, under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launch license.
For more information about NASA and other agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
February 22, 2021
NASA: Next Crew Rotation Mission with SpaceX
The crew for the second operational SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, SpaceX Crew-2, trains inside a mockup of the vehicle at the SpaceX training facility in Hawthorne, California. From left are, Mission Specialist Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency (ESA); Pilot Megan McArthur of NASA; Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA; and Mission Specialist Akihiko Hoshide of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
Credits: SpaceX
|
NASA will highlight the second crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station with a pair of news conferences beginning 12:30 p.m. EST Monday, March 1. The briefings, which will take place at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The full astronaut crew flying on the mission also will be available for interviews.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission will carry astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA, Akihiko Hoshide of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket to the space station. The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 20 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Crew-2 astronauts
Shane Kimbrough is commander of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Crew-2 mission. Kimbrough is responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. He also will serve as an Expedition 65 flight engineer aboard the station. Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004, Kimbrough first launched aboard space shuttle Endeavour for a visit to the station on the STS-126 mission in 2008, then aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for Expedition 49/50 in 2016. He has spent a total of 189 days in space, and performed six spacewalks. Kimbrough also is a retired U.S. Army colonel and earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and a master’s degree in operations research from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
Megan McArthur is the pilot of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and second-in-command for the mission. McArthur is responsible for spacecraft systems and performance. She also will be a long-duration space station crew member, making her first trip to the space station. Selected as an astronaut in 2000, McArthur launched on space shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on STS-125, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, in 2009. McArthur operated the shuttle’s robotic arm over the course of the 12 days, 21 hours she spent in space, capturing the telescope and moving crew members during the five spacewalks needed to repair and upgrade it. She holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate in oceanography from the University of California, San Diego.
Akihiko Hoshide is a mission specialist for Crew-2. As a mission specialist, he will work closely with the commander and pilot to monitor the vehicle during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. Once aboard the station, Hoshide will become a flight engineer for Expedition 65. Hoshide joined the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA, currently JAXA) in 1992 and was selected as an astronaut candidate in February 1999. Hoshide is a veteran of two spaceflights. In June 2008, he flew to the International Space Station on the STS-124 mission to deliver the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" to the International Space Station. From July to November 2012, he stayed on the space station for 124 days as a flight engineer for the Expedition 32/33 mission. The Crew Dragon will be the third spacecraft that Noguchi has flown to the orbiting laboratory.
Thomas Pesquet will also be a mission specialist for Crew-2, working with the commander and pilot to monitor the vehicle during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. Pesquet also will become a long-duration crew member aboard the space station. He was selected as an astronaut candidate by ESA in May 2009 and worked as a Eurocom, communicating with astronauts during spaceflights from the mission control center. He previously flew as part of Expeditions 50 and 51, launching aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and spending 196 days in space. His mission also included two spacewalks to maintain the station: one to replace batteries on an electrical channel, and one to fix a cooling leak and service the robotic arm.
Follow Kimbrough on social media at: https://twitter.com/astro_kimbrough
Follow McArthur on social media at: https://twitter.com/Astro_Megan
Follow Hoshide on social media at: https://twitter.com/Aki_Hoshide
Follow Pesquet on social media at: https://twitter.com/Thom_astro
Learn more about the Commercial Crew Program at:https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
February 12, 2021
NASA Assigns Astronauts to Agency's SpaceX Crew-4 Mission to Space Station
NASA crew members of the SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. Pictured from left are NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA has assigned two crew members to launch on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission – the fourth crew rotation flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the Crew-4 mission. Additional crew members will be assigned as mission specialists in the future by the agency’s international partners.
The mission is expected to launch in 2022 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Lindgren, Hines, and the international crew members will join an expedition crew aboard the space station for a long-duration stay.
This will be Lindgren’s second trip into space, following a 141-day stay at the space station in 2015 for Expeditions 44 and 45. Part of an Air Force family, he was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and spent a good part of his childhood living in England before finishing high school at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in cardiovascular physiology from Colorado State University, and a medical degree from the University of Colorado. Before being selected as an astronaut in 2009, he was a flight surgeon supporting space shuttle and space station missions. In December 2020, NASA named him as one of the Artemis Team of astronauts helping to pave the way for NASA’s upcoming lunar missions.
Hines, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, was selected as an astronaut in 2017 and will be making his first trip into space. He was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but considers Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to be his hometown. He graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and went on to earn a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He is also a graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot school. Before becoming an astronaut, he supported multiple military deployments in the Middle East, Africa and Europe; served as a flight test pilot for the Federal Aviation Administration; and flew as a research pilot at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station is providing expanded utility, additional research time, and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.
For more than 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, 242 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries.
The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and developing a robust low-Earth orbit economy, NASA is free to focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.
Follow Lindgren on Twitter and Instagram.
Follow Hines on Twitter and Instagram.
Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
February 04, 2021
NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for SPHEREx Astrophysics Mission
NASA's Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission is targeted to launch in 2023. SPHEREx will help astronomers understand both how our universe evolved and how common are the ingredients for life in our galaxy’s planetary systems.
Credits: Caltech
|
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission. SPHEREx is a planned two-year astrophysics mission to survey the sky in the near-infrared light, which, though not visible to the human eye, serves as a powerful tool for answering cosmic questions involving the birth of the universe, and the subsequent development of galaxies.
It also will search for water and organic molecules – essentials for life as we know it – in regions where stars are born from gas and dust, known as stellar nurseries, as well as disks around stars where new planets could be forming. Astronomers will use the mission to gather data on more than 300 million galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.
The total cost for NASA to launch SPHEREx is approximately $98.8 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs.
The SPHEREx mission currently is targeted to launch as early as June 2024 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the SpaceX launch service. The mission, which is funded by the Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, is led by the Explorer’s Program at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is responsible for the mission’s overall project management, systems engineering, integration, and testing and mission operations.
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
February 03, 2021
NASA's Prelaunch, Launch Activities for Boeing's Orbital Flight Test-2
Boeing's Orbital Flight Test-2 Starliner is pictured in the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 3, 2021.
Credits: NASA/John Proferes
|
Upcoming: Prelaunch and launch activities for NASA’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station, the second uncrewed flight test of the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is targeted for no earlier than March 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The uncrewed mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of Starliner and the Atlas V rocket from launch to docking to a return to Earth in the desert of the western United States. Following a successful completion of the OFT-2 mission, NASA and Boeing are targeting no earlier than September 2021 for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), Starliner’s first flight with astronauts aboard.
OFT-2 and CFT will provide valuable data toward NASA certifying Boeing’s crew transportation system for regular flights with astronauts to and from the space station.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil. The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station, which will allow for additional research time and will increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s testbed for exploration. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
December 17, 2020
NASA Awards HVAC, Roofing Contract for Kennedy BFF Manufacturing and E&A Facilities
NASA has selected SES Construction and Fuel Services LLC of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to replace the roof and rooftop heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment at the Booster Fabrication Facility Complex Manufacturing Building and the Engineering and Administration Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The Construction Task Order contract is a firm fixed price task order award under the Stennis Multiple Award Construction Contract II (MACCII) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a total value of approximately $11.5 million. The estimated performance period is Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 through April 29, 2022.
Under this contract, the vendor will replace existing roof materials and HVAC equipment and make structural repairs as needed to meet required wind loads.
For more information about Kennedy Space Center, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy
December 11, 2020
NASA Awards Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 Contract
NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) has awarded multiple Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contracts to launch small satellites (SmallSats) to space, including CubeSats, microsats or nanosatellites. The three companies selected to provide these commercial launch capabilities, and the value of their firm fixed-price contracts, are:
- Astra Space Inc. of Alameda, California: $3.9 million
- Relativity Space Inc. of Long Beach, California: $3.0 million
- Firefly Black LLC of Cedar Park, Texas: $9.8 million
SmallSats, including CubeSats, are playing an increasingly larger role in exploration, technology demonstration, scientific research, and educational investigations at NASA. These miniature satellites provide a low-cost platform for NASA missions.
LSP supports the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) by providing launch opportunities to CubeSats that are awaiting launch. The VCLS Demo 2 contracts will launch CubeSats selected through the CSLI to demonstrate a launch capability for smaller payloads that NASA anticipates it will require on a recurring basis for future science missions.
The Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has partnered with LSP to fund the VCLS Demo 2 contracts. These VCLS Demo 2 launches of small satellites can tolerate a higher level of risk than larger missions and will demonstrate – and help mitigate – risks associated with the use of new launch vehicles providing access to space for future small spacecraft and missions.
For more information about NASA’s Launch Services Program, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html
For more information about NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html
December 06, 2020
NASA Science, New Airlock Heads to Space Station on SpaceX Cargo Spacecraft
SpaceX launched its 21st commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station at 11:17 a.m. EST Dec. 6, 2020, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA Television
|
The latest SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with more than 6,400 pounds of science investigations, a new airlock, and other cargo after launching at 11:17 a.m. EST Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy and is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 1:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, performing the first autonomous docking for SpaceX and remaining at the station for about a month. Coverage of arrival will begin at 11:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
This 21st contracted resupply mission for SpaceX is the first flight of an upgraded Dragon design, similar to that of the Crew Dragon used to transport astronauts to and from the station. The upgraded spacecraft has double the capacity for powered lockers, with 12, which preserve science and research samples during transport to and from Earth. Science payloads now also can remain in the upgraded Dragon through the duration of the mission as an extension to the station’s lab space. Four powered payloads will reside in Dragon during this docked mission.
Among the scientific investigations Dragon is delivering to the space station are:
Microbial meteorite miners
A mixture of meteorite samples and microbes are headed to the space station. Certain microbes form layers on the surface of rock that can release metals and minerals, a process known as biomining. A previous investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), BioRock, examined how microgravity affects the processes involved in biomining. ESA follows up on that work with BioAsteroid, which examines biofilm formation and biomining of asteroid or meteorite material in microgravity. Researchers are seeking a better understanding of the basic physical processes that control these mixtures, such as gravity, convection, and mixing. Microbe-rock interactions have many potential uses in space exploration and off-Earth construction. Microbes could break down rocks into soils for plant growth, for example, or extract elements useful for life support systems and production of medicines.
Examining changes in hearts using tissue chips
Microgravity causes changes in the workload and shape of the human heart, and it’s still unknown whether these changes could become permanent if a person lives in space more than a year. Cardinal Heart studies how changes in gravity affect the heart at the cellular and tissue level. The investigation uses 3D-engineered heart tissues, a type of tissue chip. Results could provide a new understanding of heart problems in patients on Earth, help identify new treatments, and support the development of screening measures to predict cardiovascular risk before spaceflight.
Counting white blood cells in space
HemoCue tests the ability of a commercially available device to provide quick and accurate counts of total and differentiated white blood cells in microgravity. Doctors commonly use the total number of white blood cells and five different types of white blood cells to diagnose illnesses and monitor a variety of heath conditions. Verification of an autonomous blood analysis capability on the space station could enhance health care on Earth and is an important step toward meeting the health care needs of crew members on future missions.
Building with brazing
SUBSA-BRAINS examines differences in capillary flow, interface reactions, and bubble formation during the solidification of brazing alloys in microgravity. Brazing is a type of soldering used to bond materials, such as an aluminum alloy to aluminum or aluminum alloy to ceramics, at high temperatures. The technology could serve as a tool for in-space construction of human habitats and vehicles on future space missions, as well as for repairing damage caused by micrometeoroids or space debris.
A new and improved door to space
Launching in the trunk of the Dragon capsule, the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock is a commercial platform that can support a range of scientific work on the space station. Its capabilities include deployment of free-flying payloads such as CubeSats and externally mounted payloads, housing small external payloads, jettisoning trash, and recovering external Orbital Replacement Units. ORUs are modular components of the station that can be replaced when needed, such as pumps and other hardware. Roughly five times larger than the airlock on the Japanese Experiment Module already in use on the station, the Bishop Airlock allows robotic movement of more and larger packages to the exterior of the space station, including hardware to support spacewalks. It also provides capabilities such as power and ethernet required for internal and external payloads.
Your brain on microgravity
The Effect of Microgravity on Human Brain Organoids study observes the response of brain organoids to microgravity. Small living masses of cells that interact and grow, organoids can survive for months, providing a model for understanding how cells and tissues adapt to environmental changes. Organoids grown from neurons or nerve cells exhibit normal processes such as responding to stimuli and stress. Therefore, organoids can be used to look at how microgravity affects survival, metabolism, and features of brain cells, including rudimentary cognitive function.
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars through NASA’s Artemis program.
Learn more about SpaceX’s mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
November 23, 2020
NASA's SLS Rocket Boosters Moved Ahead of Artemis I Launch
Inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians lift the right aft motor segment – one of five segments that make up one of two solid rocket boosters for the agency’s Space Launch System – onto an inspection stand on June 23, 2020.
Credits: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
|
The Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket boosters are viewed as motor segments are transported, processed and stacked in preparation for the Artemis I launch in 2021.
Engineers will transfer booster segments from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) beginning in late November. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher inside the VAB over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.
For more information about the Artemis program, visit: www.nasa.gov/artemis
November 21, 2020
NASA, US and European Partners Launch Mission to Monitor Global Ocean
The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean observation satellite lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST) Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020.
Credits: NASA TV
|
The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean observation satellite at lift off
Sentinel-6_Michael_Freilich_liftoff_screenshot.png
The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean observation satellite lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST) Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020.
Credits: NASA TV
A joint U.S.-European satellite built to monitor global sea levels lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Saturday at 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST).
About the size of a small pickup truck, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will extend a nearly 30-year continuous dataset on sea level collected by an ongoing collaboration of U.S. and European satellites while enhancing weather forecasts and providing detailed information on large-scale ocean currents to support ship navigation near coastlines.
"The Earth is changing, and this satellite will help deepen our understanding of how," said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science Division. "The changing Earth processes are affecting sea level globally, but the impact on local communities varies widely. International collaboration is critical to both understanding these changes and informing coastal communities around the world."
After arriving in orbit, the spacecraft separated from the rocket's second stage and unfolded its twin sets of solar arrays. Ground controllers successfully acquired the satellite's signal, and initial telemetry reports showed the spacecraft in good health. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will now undergo a series of exhaustive checks and calibrations before it starts collecting science data in a few months' time.
Continuing the Legacy
The spacecraft is named in honor of Michael Freilich, the former director of NASA's Earth Science Division, who was a leading figure in advancing ocean observations from space. Freilich passed away Aug. 5, 2020. His close family and friends attended the launch of the satellite that now carries his name.
"Michael was a tireless force in Earth sciences. Climate change and sea level rise know no national borders, and he championed international collaboration to confront the challenge," said ESA (European Space Agency) Director of Earth Observation Programmes Josef Aschbacher. "It's fitting that a satellite in his name will continue the 'gold standard' of sea level measurements for the next half-decade. This European-U.S. cooperation is exemplary and will pave the way for more cooperation opportunities in Earth observation."
"Mike helped ensure NASA was a steadfast partner with scientists and space agencies worldwide, and his love of oceanography and Earth science helped us improve understanding of our beautiful planet," added Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science at the agency's headquarters. "This satellite so graciously named for him by our European partners will carry out the critical work Mike so believed in – adding to a legacy of crucial data about our oceans and paying it forward for the benefit of future generations."
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will continue the sea level record that began in 1992 with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and continued with Jason-1 (2001), OSTM/Jason-2 (2008), and eventually Jason-3, which has been observing the oceans since 2016. Together, these satellites have provided a nearly 30-year record of precise measurements of sea level height while tracking the rate at which our oceans are rising in response to our warming climate. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will pass the baton to its twin, Sentinel-6B, in 2025, extending the current climate record at least another 10 years between the two satellites.
Global Science Impact
This latest mission marks the first international involvement in Copernicus, the European Union's Earth Observation Programme. Along with measuring sea levels for almost the entire globe, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich's suite of scientific instruments will also make atmospheric measurements that can be used to complement climate models and help meteorologists make better weather forecasts.
"NASA is but one of several partners involved in Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, but this satellite speaks to the very core of our mission," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Whether 800 miles above Earth with this remarkable spacecraft or traveling to Mars to look for signs of life, whether providing farmers with agricultural data or aiding first responders with our Disasters program, we are tirelessly committed not just to learning and exploring, but to having an impact where it's needed."
The initial orbit of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is about 12.5 miles (20.1 kilometers) lower than its ultimate operational orbit of 830 miles (1,336 kilometers). In less than a month, the satellite will receive commands to raise its orbit, trailing Jason-3 by about 30 seconds. Mission scientists and engineers will then spend about a year cross-calibrating data collected by the two satellites to ensure the continuity of sea level measurements from one satellite to the next. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will then take over as the primary sea level satellite and Jason-3 will provide a supporting role until the end of its mission.
"This mission is the very essence of partnership, precision, and incredible long-term focus," said Michael Watkins, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission. "Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich not only provides a critical measurement, it is essential for continuing this historic multi-decadal sea level record."
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and Sentinel-6B compose the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission developed in partnership with ESA. ESA is developing the new Sentinel family of missions to support the operational needs of the Copernicus program, managed by the European Commission. Other partners include the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with funding support from the European Commission and technical support from France's National Centre for Space Studies.
"The data from this satellite, which is so critical for climate monitoring and weather forecasting, will be of unprecedented accuracy," said EUMETSAT Director-General Alain Ratier. "These data, which can only be obtained by measurements from space, will bring a wide range of benefits to people around the globe, from safer ocean travel to more precise prediction of hurricane paths, from greater understanding of sea level rise to more accurate seasonal weather forecasts, and so much more."
JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, is contributing three science instruments to each Sentinel-6 satellite: the Advanced Microwave Radiometer for Climate, the Global Navigation Satellite System – Radio Occultation, and the Laser Retroreflector Array. NASA is also contributing launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the U.S. component of the international Ocean Surface Topography Science Team. The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Read the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich press kit:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/sentinel-6/
To learn more about Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sentinel-6
https://www.esa.int/Sentinel-6
https://edefis.eu/CopernicusFactsheets
https://www.eumetsat.int/website/home/Copernicus/copernicus-sentinel-6/index.html
November 17, 2020
NASA Awards Kennedy Facilities Engineering Support Services III Contract
NASA has selected Tesla Laboratories Inc. of Arlington, Virginia, to provide project management, project planning and validation, real property management, launch support, and systems maintenance engineering for assigned facilities, systems, equipment, and utilities.
The NASA Kennedy Facilities Engineering Support Services III (KFESS III) blanket purchase agreement with firm fixed price task orders has a total potential value of approximately $13 million. The task order includes a 9.5-month base period with a four one-year options.
Under KFESS III, the contractor will also augment Kennedy’s Spaceport Integration and Services Directorate with facility systems engineering, field investigation, reliability centered maintenance (RCM), operations and maintenance (O&M) cost modeling, cost estimating, construction support services and project management including: validation, planning, integration, work control and programming of projects.
For more information about NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy
November 03, 2020
NASA TV Coverage Set for First Crew Rotation Flight on US Commercial Spacecraft
SpaceX Crew-1 Team
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts participate in crew equipment interface testing at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, on Sept. 24, 2020. From left are mission specialist Shannon Walker, pilot Victor Glover, and Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, all NASA astronauts, and mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission is the first crew rotational flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station. The Crew-1 mission will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crew-1 is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which has returned human spaceflight capabilities to the U.S.
Credits: SpaceX
|
NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket following certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
The launch is targeted for 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station at 4:20 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. Launch, prelaunch activities, and docking will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
The Crew-1 flight will carry Crew Dragon Commander Michael Hopkins, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Shannon Walker, all of NASA, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi to the space station for a six-month science mission.
NASA TV Launch Coverage
On launch day, a “clean feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of the SpaceX Crew-1 mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at: http://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
Public Participation
NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch. Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, receiving mission updates and opportunities normally reserved for on-site guests.
NASA’s virtual launch experience for Crew-1 includes curated launch resources, a digital boarding pass, notifications about NASA social interactions, and the opportunity for a virtual launch passport stamp following a successful launch.
Register for email updates or RSVP to the Facebook event for social media updates to stay up-to-date on mission information, mission highlights, and interaction opportunities.
Print, fold, and get ready to fill your virtual launch passport. Stamps will be emailed following launches to all virtual attendees registered by email through Eventbrite.
Engage kids and students in virtual and hands-on activities that are both family-friendly and educational through Next Gen STEM Commercial Crew.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission on social media and let people know you're following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #LaunchAmerica. Follow and tag these accounts:
- Twitter: @NASA, @Commercial_Crew, @Space_Station
- Facebook: NASA, NASACommercialCrew, ISS Facebook
- Instagram: NASA, ISS Instagram
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
October 26, 2020
NASA & SpaceX: Crew-1 Mission Update, Target New Launch Date
SpaceX Crew-1 Team
NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency - who constitute the crew of NASA's Crew-1 mission - inside SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Credits: SpaceX
|
NASA and SpaceX now are targeting 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14, for the launch of the first crew rotation mission to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission will launch the agency’s astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy.
Crew-1 astronauts will join the Expedition 64 crew of Commander Sergey Ryzhikov, and Flight Engineers Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins. The arrival of Crew-1 will increase the regular crew size of the space station’s expedition missions from six to seven astronauts, adding to the amount of crew time available for research.
The Crew-1 mission will launch a few days after the Nov. 10 scheduled launch of NASA’s Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, following a thorough review of launch vehicle performance.
For more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
October 23, 2020
NASA’s Next SpaceX Space Station Cargo Launch
 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 11:50 p.m. EST on March 6, 2020, carrying the uncrewed cargo Dragon spacecraft on its journey to the International Space Station for NASA and SpaceX’s 20th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-20) mission.<>
Credits: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Terry
|
Upcoming: the launch of the next SpaceX delivery of NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.
This mission will be the first cargo resupply mission on the company’s upgraded version of its Dragon spacecraft and is targeted to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than December.
The Nanoracks Bishop Airlock is packed in the Dragon spacecraft’s trunk for its ride to the orbiting laboratory. The first commercially funded space station airlock – an airtight segment used for transfer of payloads between the inside and outside of the station – will provide payload hosting, robotics testing, and satellite deployment while also serving as an outside toolbox for astronauts conducting spacewalks.
Among the investigations riding inside the Dragon’s pressurized capsule will be a variety of research, including studies on the effects of microgravity on cardiovascular cells and how space conditions affect the interaction between microbes and minerals, as well as a technology demonstration of a blood analysis tool in space.
Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Space station research through the ISS National Lab also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
This is the 21st SpaceX mission to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment for NASA and the first under the agency’s second Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract. Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA's ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space. With this first flight under the CRS-2 contract, SpaceX and NASA will build upon the success of the missions flown under the first commercial resupply contract. SpaceX has completed 20 Dragon missions to and from the space station, providing more than 95,000 pounds of supplies and 75,000 pounds of return mass.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, 241 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
October 09, 2020
Mobile Launcher Moves to Launch Pad 39B
NASA's mobile launcher, carried atop the crawler-transporter 2, returns to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Dec. 20, 2019, after spending months at Launch Pad 39B undergoing final validation and verification testing at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
|
The mobile launcher shown approaching Launch Pad 39B for additional operations in preparation for Artemis I at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) is taking advantage of the available time before stacking operations begin and will roll the mobile launcher out to pad 39B to practice tasks ahead of wet dress rehearsal and launch next year.
EGS and contractor Jacobs teams will take the mobile launcher atop crawler-transporter 2 to the pad to conduct a timing demonstration of activities that occur late in the launch countdown. Practicing laser alignment with targets on the mobile launcher, rehearsing a timely completion of removing platforms used to access SLS core stage engines, and positioning both side flame deflectors and extensible columns is critical to support an on-time launch. These tasks have been rehearsed individually; the additional time allows the team to simulate the sequence altogether.
While at the pad, the team also will complete a thorough top to bottom washdown, removing any FOD, or foreign object debris, as an added safety measure in addition to the walk downs performed prior to launch.
For more information about Exploration Ground Systems, visit:
www.nasa.gov/groundsystems
For more information about the Artemis, visit: www.nasa.gov/artemis
September 28, 2020
NASA's Artemis Program Seeks Student Ideas for Innovative Technologies
"
 NASA MINDS is a hands-on, design-and-build collegiate learning experience. Participating teams will independently select a technology that is relevant to NASA's Artemis missions, allowing students to focus on technologies that interest and inspire them most.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) is seeking teams from minority serving institutions (MSIs) to participate in the Minority Innovative New Designs for Space (MINDS) challenge.
Through MINDS, students’ skills, creativity, and innovation are challenged as they are asked to design and build technologies needed for Artemis missions, such as propulsion, dust mitigation, solar arrays, and swarming robotics.
Applications and proposals are being accepted until 3 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7.
NASA MINDS is not a competition but rather a hands-on design-and-build collegiate learning experience. Participating teams will independently select a technology that is relevant to NASA's Artemis missions, allowing students to focus on technologies that interest and inspire them most. The only constraint is the technology and the goals of each project must support a need required for NASA’s lunar missions.
With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.
“The Artemis program’s success will hinge on the creation of new technologies, and students are often the most outside-the-box thinkers of our time,” said Theresa Martinez, activity manager for NASA MINDS. “We are looking to students to be inspired, to uncover new ideas, and to ultimately bring those ideas to life.”
Artemis presents the potential to inspire the next generation of technicians, researchers, engineers, and scientists. Most importantly, involving college and university students in the specific technologies that are both relevant to and needed by Artemis provides pathways for these students to enter the NASA and aerospace workforce. In addition, NASA MINDS believes that the work undertaken by students has the potential to uncover unique ideas, accelerate innovation, and aid in technological breakthroughs.
About MUREP
The NASA MUREP, administered through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, provides financial assistance via competitive awards to MSIs. These opportunities are available to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian-American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions, and Predominately Black Institutions. In turn, these schools actively recruit and retain underrepresented and underserved students, including women and persons with disabilities, into STEM fields.
For more information, visit: .nasa.gov/murep/nasaminds
September 18, 2020
NASA Preparing to Launch the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite from West Coast
The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, is an international collaboration between NASA and several partners. This is the first of two identical satellites to be launched sequentially to continue observations of sea level change for at least the next decade. The spacecraft is targeted for liftoff Nov. 10 at 2:31 p.m. EST (11:31 a.m. PST) from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California.
Sentinel-6 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 at VAFB. The launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Live coverage of the launch will air on NASA TV and the agency’s website.
NASA is proactively monitoring the coronavirus situation as it evolves. The agency will continue to follow guidance from local officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the agency’s chief health and medical officer and communicate any updates that may impact mission planning or media access, as they become available.
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is named in honor of the former director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, who was instrumental in advancing ocean altimetry. It follows the most recent U.S.-European sea level observation satellite, Jason-3, which launched in 2016 and currently is providing high-precision and timely observations of the topography of the global ocean.
Sentinel-6 is part of Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of Jason series missions, Sentinel-6 will extend the records of sea level into its fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height down to the centimeter for 90% of the world’s oceans, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography and climate studies. The satellite's twin, Sentinel-6B, is scheduled to launch in 2025.
The Copernicus Sentinel-6 missions are being jointly developed by ESA (European Space Agency), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission (EC) and support from France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).
NASA's contributions to the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS missions are three science instruments for each of the two Sentinel-6 satellites: the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the GNSS-RO, and the Laser Retroreflector Array. NASA is also contributing launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the international Ocean Surface Topography Science Team. NASA'S Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages NASA's contribution to the mission.
September 17, 2020
NASA to Host Preview Briefings, Interviews for First Crew Rotation Mission with SpaceX
 The SpaceX Crew-1 official crew portrait with (from left) NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Soichi Noguchi.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 flight mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 23, will carry astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker of NASA and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the space station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Following an Oct. 23 launch, the Crew-1 astronauts are scheduled to arrive at the space station the same day to join NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, as well as Expedition 64 commander Sergey Ryzhikov and flight engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, both of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Michael Hopkins is commander of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Crew-1 mission. Hopkins is responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. He will also serve as an Expedition 64 flight engineer aboard the station. Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009, Hopkins spent 166 days in space as a long-duration crew member of Expeditions 37 and 38 and completed two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 58 minutes. Born in Lebanon, Missouri, Hopkins grew up on a farm outside Richland, Missouri. He has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois, and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Stanford University. Before joining NASA, Hopkins was a flight test engineer with the U.S. Air Force.
Victor Glover is the pilot of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and second-in-command for the mission. Glover is responsible for spacecraft systems and performance. He also will be a long duration space station crew member. Selected as an astronaut in 2013, this will be his first spaceflight. The California native holds a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering, a Master of Science degree in flight test engineering, a Master of Science degree in systems engineering and a master’s degree military operational art and science. Glover is a naval aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet, and EA‐18G Growler aircraft.
Shannon Walker is a mission specialist for Crew-1. As a mission specialist, she will work closely with the commander and pilot to monitor the vehicle during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She will also be responsible for monitoring timelines, telemetry, and consumables. Once aboard the station, Walker will become a flight engineer for Expedition 64. Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004, Walker launched to the International Space Station aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft as the co-pilot, and spent 161 days aboard the orbiting laboratory. More than 130 microgravity experiments were conducted during her stay in areas such as human research, biology, and materials science. A Houston native, Walker received a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Rice University in 1987, as well as a Master of Science degree and a doctorate in space physics, both from Rice University, in 1992 and 1993, respectively.
Soichi Noguchi will also be a mission specialist for Crew-1, working with the commander and pilot to monitor the vehicle during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight, and keeping watch on timelines, telemetry and consumables. Noguchi will also become a long-duration crew member aboard the space station. He was selected as an astronaut candidate by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA, currently the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in May 1996. Noguchi is a veteran of two spaceflights. During STS-114 in 2005, Noguchi became the first Japanese astronaut to perform a spacewalk outside the space station. He performed a total of three spacewalks during the mission, accumulating 20 hours and 5 minutes of spacewalking time. He launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in 2009 to return to the station as a long-duration crew member. The Crew Dragon will be the third spacecraft that Noguchi has flown to the orbiting laboratory.
Follow Hopkins on social media at: https://twitter.com/Astro_illini
Follow Glover on social media at: https://twitter.com/VicGlover
Follow Noguchi on social media at: https://twitter.com/Astro_Soichi
Learn more about the Commercial Crew Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
September 11, 2020
NASA Awards Kennedy Flight Operations Contract
NASA has selected Airbus Helicopters, Inc., of Grand Prairie, Texas, to provide comprehensive H-Care Infinite maintenance and flight operations services for three new Airbus H135 T3 aircraft and associated aerospace ground equipment at Kennedy Space Center.
The Kennedy Flight Operations Contract (KFLOC) is a firm-fixed price contract and has a maximum potential value of approximately $15.2 million. The performance period begins Oct. 1 and may extend 10 years, with a two-year base period and four additional two-year options.
KFLOC will supply Kennedy with all the services to operate and maintain the aircraft fleet and will include maintenance technicians, program management and pilots to ensure readiness in providing aerial helicopter-based services for multiple customers and programs at Kennedy.
For information about Kennedy Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy
September 04, 2020
NASA Calls on College Students to Aid in Lunar Excavation Ideas
Students from Saginaw Valley State University pose for a photo at NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition on May 17.
First-time participants from Saginaw Valley State University pause with their robot miner in the RobotPits on the fourth day of NASA's 9th Robotic Mining Competition, May 17, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. More than 40 student teams from colleges and universities around the U.S. are using their mining robots to dig in a supersized sandbox filled with BP-1, or simulated Lunar soil, gravel and rocks, and participate in other competition requirements. The Robotic Mining Competition is a NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate project designed to encourage students in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that could be used on NASA's deep space missions.
Credits: NASA/Leif Heimbold
|
Registration is now open for teams of undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the nation to participate in NASA's Robotic Mining Competition: Lunabotics 2021.
The competition is a part of the Artemis Student Challenges, designed to engage and retain students in STEM fields by expanding opportunities for student research and design in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. The project provides a competitive environment to foster innovative ideas and solutions that potentially could be used on future NASA missions to the Moon or even Mars.
RMC: Lunabotics 2021 aims to train university students in the methods of NASA systems engineering, while designing, building, and operating lunar excavator prototypes. In order to have a sustainable presence on the Moon, it will be necessary to excavate lunar soil, known as regolith, to extract local resources to use as building materials, water, or even rocket fuel.
In light of the current global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the competition has taken on a more virtual form. Teams must manage limited or suspended physical access to campuses, travel restrictions, or other impediments that may affect their ability to participate in the challenges as proposed.
This year's competition features a new 'Design It, Build It, Dig It Challenge" format in which teams can compete in the "Design It" phase of the competition only, or compete in all three portions, through to the actual build and dig portion event. Teams selected to compete in the live events will demonstrate their excavator robots next spring at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
During the live competition, the teams' robots will go head-to-head to determine which machine can collect and move the most regolith within a specified amount of time.
Registration will close Wednesday, Sept. 16, at noon EDT.
For more competition information, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/centers/kennedy/technology/nasarmc.html
August 25, 2020
NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps Joins First Operational Boeing Crew Mission to Space Station
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps
Credits: NASA
|
NASA has assigned astronaut Jeanette Epps to NASA's Boeing Starliner-1 mission, the first operational crewed flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on a mission to the International Space Station.
Epps will join NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Josh Cassada for a six-month expedition planned for a launch in 2021 to the orbiting space laboratory. The flight will follow NASA certification after a successful uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 and Crew Flight Test with astronauts.
The spaceflight will be the first for Epps, who earned a bachelor's degree in physics in 1992 from LeMoyne College in her hometown of Syracuse, New York. She completed a master's degree in science in 1994 and a doctorate in aerospace engineering in 2000, both from the University of Maryland, College Park.
While earning her doctorate, Epps was a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Project fellow, authoring several journal and conference articles on her research. After completing graduate school, she worked in a research laboratory for more than two years, co-authoring several patents, before the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited her. She spent seven years as a CIA technical intelligence officer before her selection as a member of the 2009 astronaut class.
NASA assigned Williams and Cassada to the Starliner-1 mission in August 2018. The spaceflight will be the first for Cassada and third for Williams, who spent long-duration stays aboard the space station on Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and to the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.
For nearly 20 years, the station has served as a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight. As commercial companies focus on providing human transportation services to and from low-Earth orbit, NASA will concentrate its focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep-space missions.
Follow Epps on social media at: https://twitter.com/Astro_Jeanette
and
https://www.instagram.com/jeanette.epps/
August 03, 2020
NASA Astronauts to Discuss Historic SpaceX Crew Dragon Test Flight
|
NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. The Demo-2 test flight for NASA's Commercial Crew Program was the first to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station and return them safely to Earth onboard a commercially built and operated spacecraft. Behnken and Hurley returned after spending 64 days in space.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will discuss their recently completed SpaceX Demo-2 test flight mission to the International Space Station during a news conference at 4:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 4.
The news conference from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will be broadcast live on NASA Television and on the agency's website.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon, carrying Behnken and Hurley, splashed down at 2:48 p.m. Sunday under parachutes in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, and was successfully recovered by SpaceX. After returning to shore, the astronauts immediately flew back to Houston, where they were greeted by their families and invited guests – including NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk – at a welcome home ceremony.
NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight launched May 30 from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Nearly 19 hours later, Crew Dragon docked to the forward port of the International Space Station's Harmony module May 31.
Behnken and Hurley contributed more than 100 hours to scientific experiments and participated in numerous public engagement events during their 62 days aboard the station. Behnken conducted four spacewalks with Expedition 63 Commander and NASA colleague Chris Cassidy to upgrade two power channels on the station's truss with new lithium-ion batteries. Overall, the astronaut duo spent 64 days in orbit, completed 1,024 orbits around Earth and traveled 27,147,284 miles.
This was SpaceX's final test flight and will provide data about the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, splashdown, and recovery operations. The data will inform NASA's certification of the SpaceX crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is readying the hardware for the first rotational mission, which is scheduled to occur following NASA certification. NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Jr., and Shannon Walker, as well as Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), are assigned to the first operational flight of Crew Dragon and spend six months aboard the station.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program works with the U.S. aerospace industry to develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective crew transportation systems that will carry astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station, and back. A successful Commercial Crew Program could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration, including helping us prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
Follow updates on the Commercial Crew Program at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/
Follow Hurley on Twitter and Instagram and Behnken on Twitter.
Download b-roll and additional video content at: http://images.nasa.gov
Get the latest space station news, images and features on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
August 02, 2020
NASA Astronauts Safely Splash Down after First Commercial Crew Flight to Space Station
|
SpaceX's Crew Dragon, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 2:48 p.m. EDT Aug. 2, 2020, where the spacecraft is recovered by SpaceX and brought aboard the recovery ship 'Go Navigator.'
Credits: NASA
|
Two NASA astronauts splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday for the first time in a commercially built and operated American crew spacecraft, returning from the International Space Station to complete a test flight that marks a new era in human spaceflight.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon, carrying Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, splashed down under parachutes in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 2:48 p.m. EDT Sunday and was successfully recovered by SpaceX. After returning to shore, the astronauts immediately will fly back to Houston.
"Welcome home, Bob and Doug! Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams for the incredible work to make this test flight possible," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "It's a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together to do something once thought impossible. Partners are key to how we go farther than ever before and take the next steps on daring missions to the Moon and Mars."
Behnken and Hurley's return was the first splashdown for American astronauts since Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand, and Donald "Deke" Slayton landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii on July 24, 1975, at the end of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight launched May 30 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After reaching orbit, Behnken and Hurley named their Crew Dragon spacecraft "Endeavour" as a tribute to the first space shuttle each astronaut had flown aboard.
Nearly 19 hours later, Crew Dragon docked to the forward port of the International Space Station's Harmony module May 31.
"On behalf of all SpaceX employees, thank you to NASA for the opportunity to return human spaceflight to the United States by flying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley," said SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell. "Congratulations to the entire SpaceX and NASA team on such an extraordinary mission. We could not be more proud to see Bob and Doug safely back home—we all appreciate their dedication to this mission and helping us start the journey towards carrying people regularly to low Earth orbit and on to the Moon and Mars. And I really hope they enjoyed the ride!"
Behnken and Hurley participated in a number of scientific experiments, spacewalks and public engagement events during their 62 days aboard station. Overall, the astronaut duo spent 64 days in orbit, completed 1,024 orbits around Earth and traveled 27,147,284 statute miles.
The astronauts contributed more than 100 hours of time to supporting the orbiting laboratory's investigations. Hurley conducted the Droplet Formation Study inside of the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), which evaluates water droplet formation and water flow. Hurley also conducted the Capillary Structures investigation, which studies the use of different structures and containers to manage fluids and gases.
Hurley and Behnken worked on numerous sample switch outs for the Electrolysis Measurement (EM) experiment, which looks at bubbles created using electrolysis and has implications for numerous electrochemical reactions and devices. Both crew members also contributed images to the Crew Earth Observations (CEO) study. CEO images help record how our planet is changing over time, from human-caused changes – such as urban growth and reservoir construction – to natural dynamic events, including hurricanes, floods, and volcanic eruptions.
Behnken conducted four spacewalks while on board the space station with Expedition 63 Commander and NASA colleague Chris Cassidy. The duo upgraded two power channels on the far starboard side of the station's truss with new lithium-ion batteries. They also routed power and Ethernet cables, removed H-fixtures that were used for ground processing of the solar arrays prior to their launch, installed a protective storage unit for robotic operations, and removed shields and coverings in preparation for the arrival later this year of the Nanoracks commercial airlock on a SpaceX cargo delivery mission.
Behnken now is tied for most spacewalks by an American astronaut with Michael Lopez-Alegria, Peggy Whitson, and Chris Cassidy, each of whom has completed 10 spacewalks. Behnken now has spent a total of 61 hours and 10 minutes spacewalking, which makes him the U.S. astronaut with the third most total time spacewalking, behind Lopez-Alegria and Andrew Feustel, and the fourth most overall.
The Demo-2 test flight is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which has worked with the U.S. aerospace industry to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil to the space station for the first time since 2011. This is SpaceX's final test flight and is providing data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, splashdown, and recovery operations.
Crew Dragon Endeavour will return back to SpaceX's Dragon Lair in Florida for inspection and processing. Teams will examine the spacecraft's data and performance from throughout the test flight. The completion of Demo-2 and the review of the mission and spacecraft pave the way for NASA to certify SpaceX's crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is readying the hardware for the first rotational mission, called Crew-1, later this year. This mission would occur after NASA certification, which is expected to take about six weeks.
The goal of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station. This could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration, including helping us prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
August 02, 2020
NASA Broadcasts First Splashdown of American Astronauts in 45 Years
|
NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley boarded the International Space Station shortly after arriving in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on May 31, 2020. The two departed the station aboard the Crew Dragon Aug. 1 for a scheduled splashdown of 2:38 p.m. EDT Aug. 2 in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA is broadcasting the return of the agency's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley from the International Space Station – the first splashdown of an American crew spacecraft in 45 years. Ongoing live coverage is airing on NASA Television and the agency's website.
Their return began at 7:35 p.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 1, when the Crew Dragon spacecraft autonomously undocked from the International Space Station's Harmony module for a splashdown at 2:48 p.m. in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Pensacola, Florida (1:48 p.m. local time).
Return coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):
Sunday, Aug. 2
- 2:48 p.m. – Splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico
- 4:30 p.m. – Administrator post-splashdown news conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, with:
- NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
- Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program
- Joel Montalbano, manager of NASA's International Space Station Program
- Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer at SpaceX
- SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker of NASA, and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Tuesday, Aug. 4
- 4:30 p.m. – Demo-2 crew news conference from Johnson, with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. A media phone bridge will be available for this event, details of which are forthcoming
Behnken and Hurley arrived at the orbiting laboratory May 31, following a successful launch May 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Their return completes the test flight for the first commercially owned and operated crewed spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The Commercial Crew Program works with the U.S. aerospace industry to develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective crew transportation systems that will carry astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station, and back.
This is SpaceX's final test flight and is providing data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, splashdown, and recovery operations. The data will inform NASA's certification of the SpaceX crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is readying the hardware for the first rotational mission, which would occur following NASA certification.
A successful Commercial Crew Program could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration, including helping us prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
For more information about splashdown locations, weather criteria and recovery logistics, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/top-10-things-to-know-for-nasa-s-spacex-demo-2-return
For full mission coverage, NASA's commercial crew blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
July 24, 2020
NASA to Provide Coverage of Astronauts' Return from Space Station on SpaceX Commercial Crew Test Flight
|
The International Space Station's two newest crew members, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, left, and Doug Hurley, are pictured having just entered the orbiting lab shortly after arriving aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Credits: NASA
|
NASA will provide live coverage of activities leading up to, during, and following the return of the agency's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with the agency's astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley from the International Space Station.
The duo arrived at the orbiting laboratory on May 31, following a successful launch on May 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 7:34 p.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 1, for undocking of the Dragon "Endeavour" spacecraft from the space station and 2:42 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, for splashdown, which will be the first return of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft carrying astronauts from the space station.
Coverage on NASA TV and the agency's website will begin at 9:10 a.m., Aug. 1, with a short farewell ceremony on station and resume at 5:15 p.m., with departure preparations through splashdown and recovery at one of seven targeted water landing zones in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.
These activities are a part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which has been working with the U.S. aerospace industry to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station for the first time since 2011. This is SpaceX's final test flight and is providing data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon spacecraft and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, splashdown and recovery operations.
The test flight also is helping NASA certify SpaceX's crew transportation system for regular flights carrying astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX is readying the hardware for the first rotational mission, which would occur following NASA certification.
The goal of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station. This could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration, including helping us prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
For more information about splashdown locations, weather criteria and recovery logistics, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/top-10-things-to-know-for-nasa-s-spacex-demo-2-return
For full mission coverage, NASA's commercial crew blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
July 22, 2020
NASA, SpaceX's First Operational Commercial Crew Launch
|
Mission specialist Shannon Walker, left, pilot Victor Glover, Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins – all of NASA – and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi, right, will launch to the International Space Station on the agency's SpaceX Crew-1 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Credits: NASA
|
The launch is targeted for no earlier than late-September, following a successful return from the space station and evaluation of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley.
Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Shannon Walker – all of NASA – along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi will launch on the Crew-1 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil. The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station, which will allow for additional research time and will increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
July 17, 2020
NASA to Broadcast Mars 2020 Perseverance Launch, Prelaunch Activities
|
Engineers observe the first driving test for NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on Dec. 17, 2019.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
|
NASA is targeting 7:50 a.m. EDT Thursday, July 30, for the launch of its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is approximately two hours, with a launch opportunity every five minutes.
Live launch coverage will begin at 7 a.m., on NASA Television and the agency's website.
The mission – designed to better understand the geology and climate of Mars and seek signs of ancient life on the Red Planet – will use the robotic scientist, which weighs just under 2,300 pounds (1,043 kilograms) and is the size of a small car, to collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth by future Mars sample return missions. It also will test new technologies to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by Caltech in Southern California, built the Perseverance rover and will manage mission operations for NASA. The agency's Launch Services Program, based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.
Mars 2020 Perseverance is part of America's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program.
On launch day, a "clean feed" of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel (https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive). Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, heard within Brevard County on Florida's Space Coast.
For more information, visit: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
NASA's Mars 2020 press kit: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/mars_2020/launch/
NET July 25 -- SpaceX's Falcon 9 scheduled to launch the SAOCOM 1B satellite.
The rocket booster segments that will help power NASA's first Artemis flight test mission around the Moon arrived at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday for launch preparations.
All 10 segments for the inaugural flight of NASA's first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft were shipped by train from Promontory, Utah. The 10-day, cross-country journey is an important milestone toward the first launch for NASA's Artemis program.
"The arrival of the booster segments at Kennedy is just the beginning of the SLS rocket's journey to the pad and onward to send the Orion spacecraft to the Moon," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Artemis I will pave the way toward landing the first woman and the next man on the surface of the Moon in 2024 and expanding human exploration to Mars."
Each rocket booster has individual motor segments, located between the forward assemblies and aft skirts, making up the largest single component of the entire booster. The two SLS rocket boosters, four RS-25 engines, and core stage, produce a combined total of more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust power during launch.
"It's an exciting time at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as we welcome Artemis flight hardware and continue working toward the Artemis I launch," said Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana.
Each booster segment, weighing 180 tons, is filled with propellant and outfitted with key flight instrumentation. Due to their weight, Northrop Grumman, which is the booster lead contractor, transported the segments in specially outfitted railcars to make the 2,800-mile trip across eight states to Florida's Space Coast.
"The fully assembled boosters for NASA's Space Launch System rocket are the largest, most powerful solid propellant boosters ever built for flight," said Bruce Tiller, manager of the SLS Boosters Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "These enormous rocket motors help provide the necessary launch power for the SLS deep space rocket."
Now that the booster segments are at Kennedy, NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team will prepare them for assembly and integration activities that start with offloading the segments. Teams will attach the aft segments to the aft skirts and offload and store the remaining segments from the railcars in preparation for stacking.
"It is good to see booster segments rolling into the Kennedy Space Center," said Mike Bolger, program manager of Exploration Ground Systems. "The team can't wait to get started working on the boosters that will send the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on the first Artemis mission to the Moon."
The solid rocket boosters are the first elements of the SLS rocket to be installed on the mobile launcher in preparation for launch. The aft booster assemblies will be lifted on to the mobile launcher, followed by the remaining booster segments, and then topped with the forward assembly.
Teams at Kennedy have been preparing for the arrival of the booster segments by assembling and testing the aft skirts and forward assemblies of the boosters, and practicing stacking procedures with booster pathfinders, or hardware replicas, earlier this year. NASA and Northrop Grumman completed casting in 2019 of all 10 of the motor segments for both the first and second Artemis lunar missions, and are now working on the boosters for the Artemis III mission, which will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024.
With the arrival of the boosters, the only remaining pieces of hardware for the Artemis I flight test to be delivered to Kennedy are the launch vehicle stage adapter, which connects the rocket to the Orion spacecraft and will arrive this summer, and the SLS core stage, which will be transported to Kennedy by barge after the Green Run hot fire test later this year at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Through the Artemis program, NASA will return astronauts to the Moon's surface in four years. SLS, along with NASA's Orion spacecraft, the Human Landing System and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, will serve as NASA's backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon on a single mission. We'll explore more of the lunar surface than ever before, and collaborate with our commercial and international partners to establish sustainable exploration by the end of the decade. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Friday selected Commercial Crew Program Manager Kathy Lueders to be the agency's next associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. Since 2014, Lueders has directed NASA's efforts to send astronauts to space on private spacecraft, which culminated in the successful launch of Demo-2 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30.
"Kathy gives us the extraordinary experience and passion we need to continue to move forward with Artemis and our goal of landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024," said Bridenstine. "She has a deep interest in developing commercial markets in space, dating back to her initial work on the space shuttle program. From Commercial Cargo and now Commercial Crew, she has safely and successfully helped push to expand our nation's industrial base. Kathy's the right person to extend the space economy to the lunar vicinity and achieve the ambitious goals we've been given."
The appointment takes effect immediately. Steve Stich is named Commercial Crew Program Manager, and Ken Bowersox returns to his role as HEO deputy associate administrator.
Lueders began her NASA career in 1992 at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico where she was the Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control Systems Depot manager. She later moved to the International Space Station Program and served as transportation integration manager, where she led commercial cargo resupply services to the space station.
She also was responsible for NASA oversight of international partner spacecraft visiting the space station, including the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's H-II Transfer Vehicle, and the Russian space agency Roscosmos' Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. She went to Kennedy as acting Commercial Crew Program Manager in 2013 and was selected as the head of the office in 2014.
Lueders has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University.
"I want to thank Ken and the entire HEO team for their steady support of Kathy in making Commercial Crew such a success," added Bridenstine. "I know they'll give her the same support as she moves out in her new role. This is such a critical time for the agency and for HEO. We still need to bring Doug and Bob home safely and we're not going to lose focus. We have our sights set on the Moon and even deeper into space, and Kathy is going to help lead us there."
For additional information in NASA's human spaceflight program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/
The firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts have a five year period of performance with an estimated value not to exceed $150 million.
The work performed under the contracts will include architect-engineer services with an emphasis on ordinary and complex mechanical systems, including, but not limited to preparation of studies, designs, specifications, reports and other documents for construction of heating, ventilating and air conditioning; fire protection; water distribution and waste water collection; and analysis of pneumatic, environmental control; steam and cryogenic systems; and systems for storage and distribution of high pressure gases.
The mission will use the robotic scientist, which weighs just under 2,300 pounds and is the size of a small car, to collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth by future Mars Sample Return missions. It also will test new technology to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars.
Perseverance will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch of Perseverance is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. EDT July 17 and is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program. Live coverage of the launch will air on NASA TV and the agency's website.
NASA is proactively monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation as it evolves. The agency will continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the agency's chief health and medical officer and communicate any updates that may impact mission planning as they become available.
The Perseverance rover was built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
The Mars 2020 mission is part of NASA's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program. Learn more at: https://www.nasa.gov/moon2mars
"Today a new era in human spaceflight begins as we once again launched American astronauts on American rockets from American soil on their way to the International Space Station, our national lab orbiting Earth," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "I thank and congratulate Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, and the SpaceX and NASA teams for this significant achievement for the United States. The launch of this commercial space system designed for humans is a phenomenal demonstration of American excellence and is an important step on our path to expand human exploration to the Moon and Mars."
Known as NASA's SpaceX Demo-2, the mission is an end-to-end test flight to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, including launch, in-orbit, docking and landing operations. This is SpaceX's second spaceflight test of its Crew Dragon and its first test with astronauts aboard, which will pave the way for its certification for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
"This is a dream come true for me and everyone at SpaceX," said Elon Musk, chief engineer at SpaceX. "It is the culmination of an incredible amount of work by the SpaceX team, by NASA and by a number of other partners in the process of making this happen. You can look at this as the results of a hundred thousand people roughly when you add up all the suppliers and everyone working incredibly hard to make this day happen."
The program demonstrates NASA's commitment to investing in commercial companies through public-private partnerships and builds on the success of American companies, including SpaceX, already delivering cargo to the space station.
"It's difficult to put into words how proud I am of the people who got us here today," said Kathy Lueders, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager. "When I think about all of the challenges overcome - from design and testing, to paper reviews, to working from home during a pandemic and balancing family demands with this critical mission - I am simply amazed at what the NASA and SpaceX teams have accomplished together. This is just the beginning; I will be watching with great anticipation as Bob and Doug get ready to dock to the space station tomorrow, and through every phase of this historic mission."
SpaceX controlled the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy's Launch Control Center Firing Room 4, the former space shuttle control room, which SpaceX has leased as its primary launch control center. As Crew Dragon ascended into space, SpaceX commanded the spacecraft from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California. NASA teams are monitoring space station operations throughout the flight from Mission Control Center at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock to the space station at 10:29 a.m. Sunday, May 31. NASA Television and the agency's website are providing ongoing live coverage of the Crew Dragon's trip to the orbiting laboratory. Behnken and Hurley will work with SpaceX mission control to verify the spacecraft is performing as intended by testing the environmental control system, the displays and control system, and by maneuvering the thrusters, among other things. The first docking maneuver began Saturday, May 30, at 4:09 p.m., and the spacecraft will begin its close approach to the station at about 8:27 a.m. Sunday, May 31. Crew Dragon is designed to dock autonomously, but the crews onboard the spacecraft and the space station will diligently monitor the performance of the spacecraft as it approaches and docks to the forward port of the station's Harmony module.
After successfully docking, the crew will be welcomed aboard the International Space Station, where they will become members of the Expedition 63 crew, which currently includes NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy. NASA will continue live coverage through hatch opening and the crew welcoming ceremony. The crew will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew.
Three astronauts aboard the International Space Station will participate in a live NASA Television crew news conference from orbit on Monday, June 1, beginning at 11:15 a.m. on NASA TV and the agency's website.
Behnken is the joint operations commander for the mission, responsible for activities such as rendezvous, docking and undocking, as well as Demo-2 activities while the spacecraft is docked to the space station. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and has completed two space shuttle flights. Behnken flew STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010, performing three spacewalks during each mission. Born in St. Anne, Missouri, he has bachelor's degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and earned a master's and doctorate in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Before joining NASA, he was a flight test engineer with the U.S. Air Force.
Hurley is the spacecraft commander for Demo-2, responsible for activities such as launch, landing and recovery. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and has completed two spaceflights. Hurley served as pilot and lead robotics operator for both STS-127 in July 2009 and STS-135, the final space shuttle mission, in July 2011. The New York native was born in Endicott but considers Apalachin his hometown. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. Before joining NASA, he was a fighter pilot and test pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.
While en route to the station, Behnken and Hurley will take control of Crew Dragon for two manual flight tests, demonstrating their ability to control the spacecraft should an issue with the spacecraft's automated flight arise. On Saturday, May 30, while the spacecraft is coasting, the crew will test its roll, pitch and yaw. When Crew Dragon is about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) below the station and moving around to the docking axis, the crew will conduct manual in-orbit demonstrations of the control system in the event it were needed. After pausing, rendezvous will resume and mission managers will make a final decision about whether to proceed to docking as Crew Dragon approaches 20 meters (66 feet).
For operational missions, Crew Dragon will be able to launch as many as four crew members at a time and carry more than 220 pounds of cargo, allowing for an increased number crew members aboard the space station and increasing the time dedicated to research in the unique microgravity environment, as well as returning more science back to Earth.
The Crew Dragon being used for this flight test can stay in orbit about 110 days, and the specific mission duration will be determined once on station based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch. The operational Crew Dragon spacecraft will be capable of staying in orbit for at least 210 days as a NASA requirement.
At the conclusion of the mission, Behnken and Hurley will board Crew Dragon, which will then autonomously undock, depart the space station, and re-enter Earth's atmosphere. Upon splashdown off Florida's Atlantic coast, the crew will be picked up by the SpaceX recovery ship and returned to the dock at Cape Canaveral.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with SpaceX and Boeing to design, build, test and operate safe, reliable and cost-effective human transportation systems to low-Earth orbit. Both companies are focused on test missions, including abort system demonstrations and crew flight tests, ahead of regularly flying crew missions to the space station. Both companies' crewed flights will be the first times in history NASA has sent astronauts to space on systems owned, built, tested and operated by private companies.
All boating restrictions will be lifted one hour after launch. Boating interests should monitor U.S. Coast Guard Radio transmitting on Marine Channel 16 from Port Canaveral.
Follow along with launch activities and get more information about the mission at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew.
Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following @Commercial_Crew, @space_station, and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the Commercial Crew Facebook, ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
Aeronautical Chart in Use: Orlando TAC Chart/Orlando Class B Airspace, Enroute L-24 Chart and Jacksonville sectional
Additional airspace restrictions: Within an airspace radius of 40 nautical miles of Pad 39A, a discrete transponder code must be obtained and clearance granted from air traffic control before entering this airspace. Continuous radio communications must be maintained. All VFR aircraft are restricted to 180 knots or less unless a variance is granted by air traffic control. Pilots should obtain NOTAM information to determine the affected airports within this radius before departure.
NOTAM Information: St. Petersburg Flight Service Station
Telephone: 1-800-992-7433
Radio frequencies: 122.5 MHz (Titusville) Transmitting/Receiving
122.1 MHz (Melbourne) Transmitting, 110.0 Receiving
Follow along with launch activities and get more information about the mission at: https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew. Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following @Commercial_Crew, @space_station, and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the Commercial Crew Facebook, ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
The Kennedy Space Center Propellants and Life Support Services II (KPLSS II) contract is a fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, with an award-term incentive. The maximum potential value of the contract is $165 million.
The contract has a three-month phase-in period that begins July 1, 2020, followed by a two-year base period from Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2022. A two-year option period and six one-year award term periods are available which will bring the total potential period of performance to 10 years.
The KPLSS II contract serves a critical role in supporting launch operational requirements by providing propellants and life support operations, maintenance, and engineering support for assigned systems and equipment.
Work performed under the KPLSS II contract will include manufacturing, processing, and hands-on, day-to-day distribution of hazardous, high-pressure gases, cryogenic fluids, hypergols, and other material to spaceport customers. It also will provide critical life support services to spaceport customers working in toxic or oxygen deficient environments, as well as operations, maintenance, and engineering of facilities systems, equipment, and utilities. AECOM also will provide project management and design engineering services.
NASA has selected SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, as the first U.S. commercial provider under the Gateway Logistics Services contract to deliver cargo, experiments and other supplies to the agency's Gateway in lunar orbit. The award is a significant step forward for NASA's Artemis program that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 and build a sustainable human lunar presence.
At the Moon, NASA and its partners will gain the experience necessary to mount a historic human mission to Mars.
SpaceX will deliver critical pressurized and unpressurized cargo, science experiments and supplies to the Gateway, such as sample collection materials and other items the crew may need on the Gateway and during their expeditions on the lunar surface.
"This contract award is another critical piece of our plan to return to the Moon sustainably," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "The Gateway is the cornerstone of the long-term Artemis architecture and this deep space commercial cargo capability integrates yet another American industry partner into our plans for human exploration at the Moon in preparation for a future mission to Mars."
NASA is planning multiple supply missions in which the cargo spacecraft will stay at the Gateway for six to 12 months at a time. These firm-fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts for logistics services guarantee two missions per logistics services provider with a maximum total value of $7 billion across all contracts as additional missions are needed.
"Returning to the Moon and supporting future space exploration requires affordable delivery of significant amounts of cargo," said SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell. "Through our partnership with NASA, SpaceX has been delivering scientific research and critical supplies to the International Space Station since 2012, and we are honored to continue the work beyond Earth's orbit and carry Artemis cargo to Gateway."
The Gateway Logistics Services contract enables NASA to order missions for as long as 12 years with a 15-year performance period and provides the ability to add new competitive providers. These missions will support NASA's plans for sustainable exploration with both international and commercial partners, while developing the experience and capabilities necessary to send humans to Mars.
"This is an exciting new chapter for human exploration," said Mark Wiese, Deep Space Logistics manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "We are bringing the innovative thinking of commercial industry into our supply chain and helping ensure we're able to support crews preparing for lunar surface expeditions by delivering the supplies they need ahead of time."
Charged with returning to the Moon in the next four years, NASA's Artemis program will reveal new knowledge about the Moon, Earth and our origins in the solar system. The Gateway is a vital part of NASA's deep space exploration plans, along with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and human landing system that will send astronauts the Moon. One standard logistics service mission is anticipated for each Artemis SLS/Orion crewed mission to the Gateway. Gaining new experiences on and around the Moon will prepare NASA to send the first humans to Mars in the coming years, and the Gateway will play a vital role in this process.
"We're making significant progress moving from our concept of the Gateway to reality," said Dan Hartman, Gateway program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Bringing a logistics provider onboard ensures we can transport all the critical supplies we need for the Gateway and on the lunar surface to do research and technology demonstrations in space that we can't do anywhere else. We also anticipate performing a variety of research on and within the logistics module."
NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 flight test, which will send two astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. This mission will be the return of human spaceflight launch capabilities to the United States and the first launch of American astronauts aboard an American rocket and spacecraft since the final space shuttle mission on July 8, 2011.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will launch Crew Dragon, with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley aboard the spacecraft, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA and SpaceX are currently targeting no earlier than mid-to-late May for launch.
This second demonstration mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft is another end-to-end flight test of SpaceX's human spaceflight system, which will include launch, docking, splashdown and recovery operations. It is the final flight test of the system before SpaceX is certified to carry out operational crew flights to and from the space station for NASA.
NASA is proactively monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation as it evolves. The agency will continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the agency's chief health and medical officer and communicate any updates that may impact mission planning as they become available.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil. The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station, which will allow for additional research time and will increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
NASA's Kennedy Space Center will see the arrival of the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I. The crew and service module stack will be offloaded from NASA's Super Guppy aircraft after its return flight home from NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. The offloading activity will happen the morning of March 24 at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy, operated by Space Florida. Arrival and offloading are dependent on favorable weather conditions and are subject to change.
The recently completed spacecraft spent the last several months in the world's premier space environments test facility undergoing thermal vacuum and electromagnetic environment testing to certify the vehicle for Artemis missions to the Moon. Engineers and technicians at Kennedy stand ready to welcome the spacecraft back and begin performing final processing and integration for the launch of the Artemis I mission.
The total cost for NASA to launch Psyche and the secondary payloads is approximately $117 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs.
The Psyche mission will journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche, which orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid is considered unique, as it appears to largely be made of the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet – one of the building blocks of our solar system.
Deep within rocky, terrestrial planets, including Earth, scientists infer the presence of metallic cores, but these lie unreachably far below the planet's rocky mantles and crusts. Because we cannot see or measure Earth's core directly, the mission to Psyche offers a unique window into the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets.
The launch of Psyche will include two secondary payloads: Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), which will study the Martian atmosphere, and Janus, which will study binary asteroids.
NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the SpaceX launch service. The mission is led by Arizona State University. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for the mission's overall management, system engineering, integration, testing and mission operations. Maxar Space Solutions is providing a high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis.
For more information about the Psyche mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/psyche
NASA has selected Rocket Lab of Huntington Beach, California, to provide launch services for the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) CubeSat.
Rocket Lab, a commercial launch provider licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration, will launch the 55-pound CubeSat aboard an Electron rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. After launch, the company's Photon platform will deliver CAPSTONE to a trans-lunar injection. The engine firing will allow the CubeSat to break free of Earth's gravity and head to the Moon. Then, CAPSTONE will use its own propulsion system to enter a cislunar orbit, which is the orbital area near and around the Moon. The mission is targeted for launch in early 2021 and will be the second lunar mission to launch from Virginia.
"NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) is pleased to provide a low-cost launch service for CAPSTONE and to work with Rocket Lab on this inaugural NASA launch from their new launch site at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia," said Ana Rivera, LSP program integration manager for CAPSTONE at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. LSP will manage the launch service.
"This mission is all about quickly and more affordably demonstrating new capabilities, and we are partnering with small businesses to do it," said Christopher Baker, Small Spacecraft Technology program executive at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "This is true from the perspective of CAPSTONE's development timeline, operational objectives, navigation demonstration and its quickly procured commercial launch aboard a small rocket."
Following a three-month trip to the Moon, CAPSTONE will enter a near rectilinear halo orbit, which is a highly elliptical orbit over the Moon's poles, to verify its characteristics for future missions and conduct a navigation demonstration with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. CAPSTONE will serve as a pathfinder for the lunar spaceship Gateway, a key component of NASA's Artemis program.
"CAPSTONE is a rapid, risk-tolerant demonstration that sets out to learn about the unique, seven-day cislunar orbit we are also targeting for Gateway," said Marshall Smith, director of human lunar exploration programs at NASA Headquarters. "We are not relying only on this precursor data, but we can reduce navigation uncertainties ahead of our future missions using the same lunar orbit."
The firm-fixed-price launch contract is valued at $9.95 million. In September, NASA awarded a $13.7 million contract to Advanced Space of Boulder, Colorado, to develop and operate the CubeSat.
After a final design review this month, Advanced Space and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc. of Irvine, California, will start building and testing the spacecraft.
CAPSTONE is managed by NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology program within the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate. Advanced Exploration Systems within NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate supports the launch and mission operations.
To learn more about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html
To learn more about NASA's investments in space technology, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech
Starting Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, Kennedy Space Center Security Police will be enforcing restricted access from the Kennedy Space Center boundary lines for the duration of the SpaceX launch attempt.
At 12:24 a.m. Monday, mission controllers at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, received a signal from the spacecraft indicating that its solar panels had successfully deployed.
In the first two days after launch, Solar Orbiter will deploy its instrument boom and several antennas that will communicate with Earth and gather scientific data. Solar Orbiter is on a unique trajectory that will allow its comprehensive set of instruments to provide humanity with the first-ever images of the Sun's poles. This trajectory includes 22 close approaches to the Sun, bringing the spacecraft within the orbit of Mercury to study the Sun and its influence on space.
"As humans, we have always been familiar with the importance of the Sun to life on Earth, observing it and investigating how it works in detail, but we have also long known it has the potential to disrupt everyday life should we be in the firing line of a powerful solar storm," said Günther Hasinger, ESA director of Science. "By the end of our Solar Orbiter mission, we will know more about the hidden force responsible for the Sun's changing behavior and its influence on our home planet than ever before."
Solar Orbiter will spend about three months in its commissioning phase, during which the mission team will run checks on the spacecraft's 10 scientific instruments to ensure they are working properly. It will take Solar Orbiter about two years to reach its primary science orbit.
Solar Orbiter combines two main modes of study. In-situ instruments will measure the environment around the spacecraft, detecting such things as electric and magnetic fields and passing particles and waves. The remote-sensing instruments will image the Sun from afar, along with its atmosphere and its outflow of material, collecting data that will help scientists understand the Sun's inner workings.
During the mission's cruise phase, which lasts until November 2021, the spacecraft's in-situ instruments will gather scientific data about the environment around the spacecraft, while the remote-sensing telescopes will focus on calibration to prepare for science operations near the Sun. The cruise phase includes three gravity assists that Solar Orbiter will use to draw its orbit closer to the Sun: two past Venus in December 2020 and August 2021, and one past Earth in November 2021.
Following its Earth gravity assist, Solar Orbiter will begin the primary phase of its mission – leading up to its first close pass by the Sun in 2022 – at about a third the distance from the Sun to Earth. Throughout its mission, Solar Orbiter will use successive Venus gravity assists to draw its orbit closer to the Sun and lift it out of the ecliptic plane.
Solar Orbiter's unique orbit will bring the spacecraft out of the plane that roughly aligns with the Sun's equator where Earth and the other planets orbit. Spacecraft launched from Earth naturally stay in this plane, which means that telescopes on Earth and telescopes on satellites have limited views of the Sun's north and south poles.
A previous ESA-NASA mission, Ulysses, launched in 1990, achieved an inclined orbit giving scientists their first measurements of the space around the Sun in this critical region. Unlike Ulysses, Solar Orbiter carries cameras that will provide the first-ever images of the Sun's poles. This vital information will help scientists fill in the gaps in models of the Sun's magnetic field, which drives the Sun's activity.
"Solar Orbiter is going to do amazing things. Combined with the other recently launched NASA missions to study the Sun, we are gaining unprecedented new knowledge about our star," said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for Science at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Together with our European partners, we're entering a new era of heliophysics that will transform the study of the Sun and help make astronauts safer as they travel on Artemis program missions to the Moon."
ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands manages the development effort. The European Space Operations Center in Germany will operate Solar Orbiter after launch. Solar Orbiter was built by Airbus Defense and Space. The spacecraft contains 10 instruments. Nine were provided by ESA member states and ESA. NASA provided one instrument, the Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI), and an additional sensor, the Heavy Ion Sensor, which is part of the Solar Wind Analyzer instrument suite.
Solar Orbiter complements a fleet of NASA Heliophysics spacecraft observing the star we live with and its effects on the space we travel through.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will speak to the agency's workforce at 1 p.m. EST from Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. His remarks will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
At 3:30 p.m., Cabana will brief members of the media on the latest activities at the multi-user spaceport and Kennedy's role in the agency's Artemis program that will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.
The agency budget proposal and supporting information will be available online at noon on Feb.10 at: https://www.nasa.gov/budget
For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy
The total cost for NASA to launch PACE is approximately $80.4 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs. The PACE mission currently is targeted to launch in December 2022 on a Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The PACE mission represents the nation's next great investment in understanding and protecting our home planet. The mission will provide global ocean color, cloud, and aerosol data that will provide unprecedented insights into oceanographic and atmospheric responses to Earth's changing climate. PACE will help scientists investigate the diversity of organisms fueling marine food webs and the U.S. economy, and deliver advanced data products to reduce uncertainties in global climate models and improve our interdisciplinary understanding of the Earth system.
NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the SpaceX launch service. The PACE mission is managed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For more information about NASA's Earth science programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/earth
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida no earlier than March 2 at 1:45 a.m. EST.
Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Space station research through the ISS National Lab also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions, to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA's ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space. This is the 20th SpaceX mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, 239 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to in human exploration, including future missions to the Moon that will lead to America's next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.
For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
The launch escape test began at 10:30 a.m. EST with liftoff from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a mission to show the spacecraft's capability to safely separate from the rocket in the unlikely event of an inflight emergency.
"This critical flight test puts us on the cusp of returning the capability to launch astronauts in American spacecraft on American rockets from American soil," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "We are thrilled with the progress NASA's Commercial Crew Program is making and look forward to the next milestone for Crew Dragon."
As part of the test, SpaceX configured Crew Dragon to trigger a launch escape about 1.5 minutes after liftoff. All major functions were executed, including separation, engine firings, parachute deployment and landing. Crew Dragon splashed down at 10:38 a.m. just off the Florida coast in the Atlantic Ocean.
"As far as we can tell thus far, it's a picture perfect mission. It went as well as one can possibly expect," said Elon Musk, Chief Engineer at SpaceX. "This is a reflection of the dedication and hard work of the SpaceX and NASA teams to achieve this goal. Obviously, I'm super fired up. This is great."
Teams of personnel from SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force 45th Operations Group's Detachment-3 out of Patrick Air Force Base will recover the spacecraft for return to SpaceX facilities in Florida and begin the recovery effort of the Falcon 9, which broke apart as planned.
"The past few days have been an incredible experience for us," said astronaut Doug Hurley. "We started with a full dress rehearsal of what Bob and I will do for our mission. Today, we watched the demonstration of a system that we hope to never use, but can save lives if we ever do. It took a lot of work between NASA and SpaceX to get to this point, and we can't wait to take a ride to the space station soon."
Prior to the flight test, teams completed launch day procedures for the first crewed flight test, from suit-up to launch pad operations. The joint teams now will begin the full data reviews that need to be completed prior to NASA astronauts flying the system during SpaceX's Demo-2 mission.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. Commercial human space transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbiting laboratory. The program also has the benefit of facilitating and promoting for America a vibrant economy in low-Earth orbit.
Jan. 14, 2020
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 8 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan. 18, for launch of the company's In-Flight Abort Test, which will demonstrate Crew Dragon's ability to safely escape the Falcon 9 rocket in the event of a failure during launch. The abort test has a four-hour launch window.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon will launch from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX will intentionally trigger Crew Dragon to perform the launch escape prior to 1 minute, 30 seconds into flight. Falcon 9 is expected to aerodynamically break up offshore over the Atlantic Ocean. The spacecraft is planned to land under parachutes offshore in the ocean.
Saturday, Jan. 18
7:45 a.m. – NASA TV test coverage begins for the 8 a.m. liftoff
The goal of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station, which could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's orbiting testbed for exploration.
The total cost for NASA to launch GOES-T is approximately $165.7 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs.
The GOES-T mission currently is targeted to launch in December 2021 on an Atlas V 541 rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GOES-T is the third spacecraft in the next generation GOES-R Series of geostationary weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-R Series includes GOES-R, S, T, and U.
NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the ULS launch service. The GOES-R Flight Projects Office is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The GOES-R Program is managed by NOAA.
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
Expect heavy traffic on and around Kennedy Space Center on Friday, December 20, 2019, due to the upcoming United Launch Alliance launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Launch is scheduled for 6:36 a.m. with an instantaneous window.
Beginning Friday, Dec. 20 at 3:30 a.m., Kennedy Space Center Security Police will be enforcing restricted access from the Kennedy Space Center boundary lines for the duration of the launch attempt. Security police will operate checkpoints at the property lines listed below:
Media have been invited to view the Solar Orbiter spacecraft at the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida. The Solar Orbiter will be the first mission to provide images of the Sun's poles.
The Solar Orbiter will observe the Sun with high spatial resolution telescopes as well as capture observations in the environment directly surrounding the spacecraft – together creating a one-of-a-kind picture of how the Sun can affect the space environment throughout the solar system. The spacecraft also will provide the first ever images of the Sun's poles and the never-before-observed magnetic environment there, which helps drive the Sun's 11-year solar cycle and its periodic outpouring of solar storms.
Solar Orbiter is scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 11:27 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. ESA's Engineering & Test Center (ESTEC) in The Netherlands is managing the development effort. The spacecraft has been developed by Airbus. The European Space Operations Center (ESOC) in Germany will operate Solar Orbiter after launch.
Solar Orbiter was built by Airbus Defence and Space, and contains 10 instruments: nine provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and various European countries. NASA provided an instrument and a sensor, the SoloHI instrument and the Heavy Ion Sensor, which is part of the Solar Wind Analyzer (SWA) instrument suite. The instruments are EPD - Energetic Particle Detector, EUI - Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, MAG- Magnetometer, METIS – Coronagraph, PHI – Polarimetric & Helioseismic Imager, RPW – Radio & Plasma Waves, SoloHI – Heliospheric Imager, SPICE – Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment, STIX – Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays, and SWA – Solar Wind Analyzer.
The Solar Orbiter mission is managed by ESA. NASA's Launch Services Program is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.
For more information about the Solar Orbiter mission, visit: https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter
NASA and Boeing will hold a news teleconference Thursday, Dec. 12, following the agency's Flight Readiness Review for Boeing's uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT) to the International Space Station, as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The teleconference will begin no earlier than 2 p.m. EST, or approximately one hour after the review ends. The start time will be adjusted as necessary.
Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at: https://www.nasa.gov/live
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and is scheduled to arrive at the orbital outpost on Sunday, Dec. 8. Coverage of the spacecraft's approach and arrival at the space station will begin at 4:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency's website.
This delivery, SpaceX's 19th cargo flight to the space station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, will support dozens of new and existing investigations. NASA's research and development work aboard the space station contributes to the agency's deep space exploration plans, including future Moon and Mars missions.
Here are details about some of the scientific investigations Dragon is delivering:
For more information about the International Space Station, its research, and crew, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 12:51 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 4, for the launch of its 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station. Live coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website with prelaunch events Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The Dragon spacecraft will be filled with supplies and payloads including critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 61 and 62. In addition to bringing research to station, the Dragon's unpressurized trunk will transport the Japanese Space Agency's (JAXA) Hyperspectral Imager Suite (HISUI), a next-generation, hyperspectral Earth imaging system.
About 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit. It will then deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. When it arrives at the station Dec. 7, Dragon will be captured by Expedition 61 crewmembers and turned over to ground controllers for installation to Harmony's Earth-facing port.
On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.
Learn more about the SpaceX CRS-19 mission by going to the mission home page at:
http://www.nasa.gov/spacex
SpaceX's In-Flight Abort Test is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The flight test of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft is targeted for no earlier than December -- an exact test date still is to be determined -- from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This will be among the final major tests for the company before NASA astronauts will fly aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. As part of the test, SpaceX will configure the spacecraft to trigger a launch escape shortly after liftoff and demonstrate Crew Dragon's capability to safely separate from the rocket in the unlikely event of an in-flight emergency. The demonstration also will provide valuable data toward NASA certifying SpaceX's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The goal of the program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station, which could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
For test coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the test, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
NASA has opened the public comment period for the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the agency's Mars 2020 mission. The rover is targeted to launch from Florida in July 2020 on an expendable launch vehicle.
NASA published the Notice of Availability for the Draft SEIS to the November 2014 Final Environmental Impact Statement for Mars 2020 on Oct. 25. The documents and associated information are available at:
The meetings will include briefings about the Mars 2020 mission, its power system, and the findings of the draft SEIS. Comments may be submitted in writing at a meeting, following the briefings, or by email to mars2020-nepa@lists.nasa.gov. The public comment period ends Dec. 10.
The draft SEIS provides updated information related to the potential environmental impacts associated with carrying out the Mars 2020 mission. The mission includes a mobile science rover based on the design of NASA's Curiosity rover, which was launched in 2011 from Florida and is operating successfully on Mars.
Additional information on NASA's National Environmental Policy Act process is available at: https://www.nasa.gov/emd/nepa
Media were invited to a tour and briefing with Steve Lindsey, former NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) senior vice president of Space Exploration, about SNC's Dream Chaser spacecraft cargo module. The event took place on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Dream Chaser is currently in full production, readied for its missions to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft completed a critical safety milestone on Monday in an end-to-end test of its abort system. The Pad Abort Test took place at Launch Complex 32 at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The test was designed to verify each of Starliner's systems will function not only separately, but in concert, to protect astronauts by carrying them safely away from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. This was Boeing's first flight test with Starliner as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program to return human spaceflight launches to the International Space Station from American soil.
"Tests like this one are crucial to help us make sure the systems are as safe as possible," said Kathy Lueders, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager. "We are thrilled with the preliminary results, and now we have the job of really digging into the data and analyzing whether everything worked as we expected."
During the test, Starliner's four launch abort engines, and several orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters simultaneously ignited to rapidly push the spacecraft away from the test stand. Five seconds into flight, the abort engines shut off as planned, transferring steering to the control thrusters for the next five seconds.
A pitcharound maneuver rotated the spacecraft into position for landing as it neared its peak altitude of approximately 4,500 feet. Two of three Starliner's main parachutes deployed just under half a minute into the test, and the service module separated from the crew module a few seconds later. Although designed with three parachutes, two opening successfully is acceptable for the test perimeters and crew safety. After one minute, the heat shield was released and airbags inflated, and the Starliner eased to the ground beneath its parachutes.
The demonstration took only about 95 seconds from the moment the simulated abort was initiated until the Starliner crew module touched down on the desert ground.
"Emergency scenario testing is very complex, and today our team validated that the spacecraft will keep our crew safe in the unlikely event of an abort," said John Mulholland, Vice President and Program Manager, Boeing's Commercial Crew Program. "Our teams across the program have made remarkable progress to get us to this point, and we are fully focused on the next challenge - Starliner's uncrewed flight to demonstrate Boeing's capability to safely fly crew to and from the space station."
Boeing's next mission, called Orbital Flight Test, will launch an uncrewed Starliner spacecraft to the station on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. Launch is targeted for Dec. 17.
Learn more about NASA's Commercial Crew Program at: http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
NASA and Boeing will broadcast live coverage of the CST-100 Starliner Pad Abort Test on Monday, Nov. 4, from Launch Complex 32 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The test is scheduled for 9 a.m. EST (7 a.m. MST) with a three-hour test window. Live coverage is targeted to start at 8:50 a.m., on NASA Television and the agency's website. Coverage will be adjusted as necessary within the window.
Boeing's Pad Abort Test is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program work with the American aerospace industry -- through a public-private partnership -- to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The goal of the program is to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station, which would allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration.
The test is designed to verify that each of Starliner's systems will function not only separately, but in concert, to protect astronauts by carrying them safely away from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. During the test, Starliner's four launch abort engines and several orbital maneuvering and altitude control thrusters will fire, pushing the spacecraft approximately 1 mile above land and 1 mile north of the test stand.
The spacecraft's crew module will use parachutes with landing airbags to touch down at White Sands Missile Range. It will be recovered and brought back to Launch Complex 32 for evaluation and analysis.
For additional coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
On Nov.7, the spaceport Kennedy Space Center will receive the national honor of being named a Purple Heart Entity by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The Military Order of the Purple Heart will present Kennedy Space Center with a proclamation and plaque honoring the multi-user spaceport. Kennedy is the first NASA center to receive this designation.
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.
Currently there are more than 300 veteran civil servants at Kennedy, supporting a variety of NASA's missions. This group includes Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, Deputy Director Janet Petro and Associate Director Kelvin Manning who will attend the event and provide remarks on behalf of the center.
The Military Order of the Purple Heart is a congressionally chartered United States war veterans organization. The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals, awarded to service members who were killed or wounded by enemy action.
Boeing's upcoming uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT) to the International Space Station, is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
The launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is targeted for Dec. 17 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.
The flight test will provide valuable data on the end-to-end performance of the Atlas V rocket, Starliner spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, and landing operations. The data will be used as part of NASA's process of certifying Boeing's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the space station.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The goal of the program is safe, reliable and cost-effective human space transportation to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit, which could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida no earlier than Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 12:48 p.m. EST with delivery of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station..
Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Space station research through the ISS National Lab also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions, to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
Highlights of space station research that will be facilitated by research aboard this SpaceX Dragon mission include testing the effectiveness of a device to separate and capture water droplets suspended in an air stream, delivering a next-generation spaceborne system to image Earth in higher spectral resolution than currently possible onboard the TERRA satellite, and testing conditions to develop an inexpensive and scalable process to manufacture optical materials in space.
Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA's ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space. This is the 19th SpaceX mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, 239 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
In mid-November the next milestone in NASA's Commercial Crew Program takes place, as Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is transported for integration on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
The spacecraft will be moved from its production facility to its launch site in Florida ahead of the company's uncrewed Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station.
During the event, the fueled Starliner will be moved from Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy to ULA's Space Launch Complex 41 Vertical Integration Facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Later the same day, the spacecraft will be stacked on top an Atlas V rocket for final processing ahead of the launch.
Boeing's uncrewed flight test will provide valuable data on the end-to-end performance of the rocket, spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking and landing operations. The data will be used toward certification of Boeing's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the space station.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through public-private partnerships to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The goal of the program is safe, reliable and cost-effective human space transportation to and from the International Space Station, which could allow for additional research time aboard the station and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration.
For launch coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
After successfully launching Thursday night, NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft is in orbit for a first-of-its-kind mission to study a region of space where changes can disrupt communications and satellite orbits, and even increase radiation risks to astronauts.
A Northrop Grumman Stargazer L-1011 aircraft took off at 8:31 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying ICON, on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, to launch altitude of about 39,000 feet. The first launch opportunity around 9:30 was skipped due to communication issues between the ground team at Cape Canaveral and the aircraft. On the second attempt, the aircraft crew released its payload at 9:59 p.m. EDT and automated systems on the Pegasus rocket launched ICON, a spacecraft roughly the size of a refrigerator, into space.
The spacecraft's solar panels successfully deployed, indicating it has power with all systems operating. After an approximately month-long commissioning period, ICON will begin sending back its first science data in November.
ICON will study changes in a region of the upper atmosphere called the ionosphere. In addition to interfering with communications signals, space weather in the ionosphere can also prematurely decay spacecraft orbits and expose astronauts to radiation-borne health risks. Historically, this critical region of near-Earth space has been difficult to observe. Spacecraft can't travel through the low parts of the ionosphere and balloons can't travel high enough.
"ICON has an important job to do – to help us understand the dynamic space environment near our home," said Nicola Fox, director for heliophysics at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "ICON will be the first mission to simultaneously track what's happening in Earth's upper atmosphere and in space to see how the two interact, causing the kind of changes that can disrupt our communications systems."
ICON explores the connections between the neutral atmosphere and the electrically charged ionosphere with four instruments. Three of the instruments rely on one of the upper atmosphere's more spectacular phenomena: colorful bands called airglow.
Airglow is created by a similar process that creates the aurora – gas is excited by radiation from the Sun and emits light. Though aurora are typically confined to extreme northern and southern latitudes, airglow happens constantly across the globe, and is much fainter. But it's still bright enough for ICON's instruments to build up a picture of the ionosphere's density, composition and structure. By way of airglow, ICON can observe how particles throughout the upper atmosphere are moving.
ICON's fourth instrument provides direct measurements of the ionosphere around it. This instrument characterizes the charged gases immediately surrounding the spacecraft.
"We put as much capability on this satellite that could possibly fit on the payload deck," said Thomas Immel, the principal investigator for ICON at the University of California, Berkeley. "All those instruments are focused on the ionosphere in a completely new science mission that starts now."
ICON's orbit around Earth places it at a 27-degree inclination and altitude of about 360 miles. From there, it can observe the ionosphere around the equator. ICON will aim its instruments for a view of what's happening at the lowest boundary of space, from about 55 miles up to 360 miles above the surface. This rapid orbit circles Earth in 97 minutes while precessing around the equator, allowing ICON to sample a wide range of latitude, longitude and local times.
ICON is an Explorer-class mission. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorer Program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The University of California at Berkeley developed the ICON mission and the two ultraviolet imaging spectrographs, Extreme Ultra-Violet instrument and the Far Ultra-Violet instrument. The Naval Research Laboratory in Washington developed the Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging instrument. The University of Texas in Dallas developed the Ion Velocity Meter. The spacecraft was built by Northrop Grumman in Dulles, Virginia. The Mission Operations Center at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory is tasked with operating the ICON mission.
Viewing the movement of the core stage pathfinder of the Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Crews will lift the 212-foot-long pathfinder nearly 200 feet into the air to practice moving it from the transfer aisle into High Bay 3.
The practice going on all this month is part of preparations for the Artemis missions to the Moon.
All media accreditation requests must be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to conduct the final water flow test in a series of sound suppression tests at Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the first Artemis launch. The brief test is one of the final checkouts between the launch pad and the mobile launcher.
At launch, the Space Launch System rocket will produce nearly nine million pounds of thrust—and a lot of sound. The purpose of the sound suppression system is to dampen sound and vibrations to keep the rocket and the launch pad safe at lift-off. During the test and the launch of Artemis missions, 450,000 gallons of water will be released onto the mobile launcher and flame deflector.
Learn more about NASA's Artemis I mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1
NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) is scheduled to be air-launched over the Atlantic Ocean at 9:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 9, by Northrop Grumman's Pegasus XL rocket. Coverage of the prelaunch briefing and launch will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
ICON and Pegasus will take off aboard the company's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for a 90-minute launch window opening at 9:25 p.m.
ICON will study the frontier of space - the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above. The ionosphere can be a source of great beauty, but also can be disruptive to radio communications and satellites, and astronaut health. ICON will help determine the physical processes at play in the ionosphere and pave the way for mitigating its effects on our technology, communications systems and society.
For the latest schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/icon-briefings-and-events
Each contract is a fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirement contract that begins Oct. 1 with a two-year base period, followed by three one-year options that, if exercised, extend the contract to Sept. 30, 2024. The total value of the contract with Air Products, including options, is approximately $168 million. The total value of the contract with Messer, including options, is approximately $35.2 million.
NASA uses helium as an inert purge gas for hydrogen systems and a pressurizing agent for ground and flight fluid systems. Helium is also used throughout the agency as a cryogenic agent for cooling various materials and has been used in precision welding applications. Helium is required to support the Space Launch System, Orion spacecraft, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), International Space Station, and various other programs.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
The SLS core stage pathfinder is a full-scale mockup that is identical to the core stage in shape, size and weight. The pathfinder, though not actual flight hardware, will provide the EGS team with the opportunity to practice stacking maneuvers and certify the new system inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) High Bay 3 before Artemis flight hardware arrives next year. Over the next several months, pathfinder will be used to validate ground support equipment and demonstrate how the core stage will be integrated in the VAB – the same process the actual core stage will undergo when being processed for Artemis I.
NASA's launch of its Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON [1]) mission, targeted to be air-launched over the Atlantic Ocean on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket Wednesday, Oct. 9.
ICON and Pegasus will take off aboard the L-1011 Stargazer aircraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for a 90-minute launch window opening at 9:25 p.m. ICON will be launching off the coast of Daytona at 39,000 feet at a heading of 105 degrees.
The ionosphere, where Earth's weather meets space weather, can be a source of great beauty, but also can be disruptive to radio communications and satellites, and astronaut health. ICON will help determine the physical processes at play in this frontier of space, and help find ways to mitigate their negative effects.
For more information about the ICON mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/icon
The CubeSat 3 contract provides indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price task orders, with a five-year ordering period that begins Aug. 23. The maximum cumulative value of the contracts is $18 million.
The contractors will provide various-sized CubeSat dispensers and dispenser mass simulators. These dispensers will be loaded with CubeSats, mounted to a launch vehicle, and release CubeSats at a designated time after launch.
The contractors also will provide mission integration services, to include flight hardware qualification, flight hardware development and assembly, flight hardware acceptance testing, dispenser to launch vehicle interface control document (ICD) development, CubeSat to dispenser ICD development, integration of CubeSats into flight dispensers, integrated flight CubeSat/dispenser acceptance testing, flight hardware to launch vehicle integration, and mission support.
LSP supports the CubeSat Launch Initiative by providing dispenser hardware and mission integration services to CubeSat development teams from educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and NASA centers.
For more information about NASA and other agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
In another major step toward landing American astronauts on the lunar surface by 2024, NASA is asking industry to respond to a Request for Proposals to deliver cargo, science experiments and supplies to the Gateway to support Artemis missions to the lunar surface. Commercial supply services will support the agency's Artemis lunar exploration program which includes sending the first woman and the next man to surface of the Moon within five years, and preparing for human exploration of Mars.
The agency is seeking capabilities from American companies to deliver a logistics spacecraft with pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the Gateway for six months of docked operations followed by automatic disposal. The logistics spacecraft must launch on a commercial rocket.
"Working with industry to deliver supplies necessary to support our lunar missions is a critical step to accelerate our return to the Moon under the Artemis program including meeting that bold goal to land the next American astronauts on the Moon by 2024," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "This solicitation builds on the capabilities NASA pioneered in low-Earth orbit with commercial cargo resupply to the International Space Station and is the next step in commercialization of deep space. We look forward to industry's response to our latest solicitation."
The agency previously asked industry for innovative ideas to transport supplies between Earth and the Gateway, which will be located about 250,000 miles away in a lunar orbit. NASA followed up that request with a draft solicitation earlier this summer.
"We chose to minimize spacecraft requirements on industry to allow for commercial innovation, but we are asking industry to propose their best solutions for delivering cargo and enabling our deep space supply chain," said Mark Wiese, NASA's Gateway logistics element manager at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "In addition to delivering cargo, science and other supplies with these services, private industry also has the opportunity to deliver other elements of our lunar architecture with this solicitation."
This solicitation is for a multi-award, firm-fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for 15 years, with a maximum $7 billion value. The guaranteed minimum value for any award is two missions.
NASA is also asking responders to address logistics spacecraft design, cargo mass capability, pressurized volume, power availability for payloads and, transit time to Gateway.
Following initial award, there may be future contract opportunities for new service providers to ensure capabilities remain competitive. If approved in advance by NASA, a commercial provider may also use a mission to deliver, remove and/or return non-NASA cargo as long as it does not interfere with the agency mission, furthering the development of a robust deep space economy.
This solicitation is the latest in a line of work by the agency to accelerate its Moon to Mars exploration plans by working with American aerospace companies. NASA recently awarded a contract to Maxar Technologies to design, develop, launch and demonstrate the power and propulsion element by 2022. Negotiations are ongoing for development of the habitation and logistics outpost [8] (HALO) module. The agency is also working on another draft solicitation for the integrated human landing system. A final solicitation will be released in the future.
Charged with returning to the Moon within five years, NASA's lunar exploration plan encompasses a two-phase approach: speed – landing on the Moon by 2024 – and establishing a sustained multi-national human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. The agency will leverage what it learns on the Moon to prepare for the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.
The cost-plus fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract begins Oct. 1 with a one-year base period, followed by a two-year option and four one-year options that, if exercised, will extend to Sept. 30, 2026. The total contract value including options is approximately $115.3 million.
Under the contract, ARES will provide engineering and technical services, program and business management support services and administrative support services to the EGS Program. The contract also includes support for ground systems and spaceflight systems planning and design; project management and integration; operations integration and analysis; technical requirements development, management, and compliance; cost, risk, information and configuration management; and schedule integration and analysis.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
Media are invited to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Aug. 16, for the notification ceremony of Kennedy's partnership agreements with Northrop Grumman Corporation.
The event will highlight a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement for the use of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), High Bay 2 and Mobile Launcher Platform 3 (MLP-3) and an Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) for land in support of Northrop Grumman's modification of MLP-3. These facilities and assets were used during the Space Shuttle Program and are now available to commercial partners as part of the agency's plan in support of a multi-user spaceport. Northrop Grumman personnel will be available to discuss this new partnership.
Pursuant to a Launch Services Agreement with the U.S. Air Force, Northrop Grumman is developing a new launch vehicle, OmegA. The company plans to assemble, test and launch OmegA at Kennedy and will use VAB High Bay 2 for assembly and testing, and modify MLP-3 for use as an assembly and launch platform. These two agreements, along with future agreements for use of NASA KSC services and property, including Launch Complex 39B, will enable Northrop Grumman's OmegA launch capability from Kennedy.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information.
As NASA prepares to land humans on the Moon by 2024 with the Artemis program, commercial companies are developing new technologies, working toward space ventures of their own and looking to NASA for assistance. NASA has selected 13 U.S. companies for 19 partnerships to mature industry-developed space technologies and help maintain American leadership in space. NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is working with two of them. The public-private partnerships will advance the commercial space sector and help bring new capabilities to market that could benefit future NASA missions.
Kennedy's Swamp Works will partner with SpaceX to advance their technology to vertically land large rockets on the Moon. This includes advancing models to assess engine plume interaction with lunar regolith.
"We are dedicated to developing technologies that will take us forward to the Moon and to Mars, and working with commercial partners such as SpaceX will make these missions possible," said Rob Mueller, senior technologist for advanced projects development in Kennedy's Exploration Research and Technology Programs. "Missions to the lunar surface present challenges from rocket engine plume effects as they interact with the regolith surface to eject high-velocity dust particles and rocks. To mitigate risk of damage to equipment during landings and takeoff, we'll work on technologies such as launch and landing pads, and blast protection berms or walls to make operations on the Moon sustainable and safe for NASA and all of our partners. These types of risk mitigations become exponentially more important as landers increase in size, and Kennedy's Swamp Works is at the forefront of developing new technological solutions for this based on related computer modeling tools and testing."
The spaceport's botanists will work with Lockheed Martin to test technologies and operations for autonomous in-space plant growth systems. Integrating robotics with plant systems could help NASA harvest plants on future platforms in deep space.
"My office has many examples of NASA engineers, scientists, interns and support contractors working with industry, such as earlier this year when we supported Lockheed Martin with Gateway evaluation testing," said Bryan Onate, chief of the Life Sciences and Utilization Office at Kennedy. "Exploring beyond low-Earth orbit will require long-duration stays on the Moon and eventually Mars, meaning we are focused on providing plant growth systems that will supplement and sustain the crews' nutrition and implement autonomous operations as required. So, we are excited to be taking part in this collaborative opportunity, which will develop new technology to enable future missions."
The selections were made through NASA's Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) released in October 2018 by the Space Technology Mission Directorate. They will result in non-reimbursable Space Act Agreements between the companies and NASA. Through ACO, NASA helps reduce the development cost of technologies and accelerate the infusion of emerging commercial capabilities into space missions.
Starting Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, Kennedy Space Center Security Police will be enforcing restricted access from the Kennedy Space Center boundary lines for the duration of the SpaceX launch attempt.
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is on its way to deliver the second commercial crew docking port and about 5,000 pounds of science investigations and supplies for the International Space Station after a 6:01 p.m. EDT Thursday launch from Florida.
The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory Saturday, July 27. Coverage of the spacecraft's approach and arrival will begin at 8:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency's website.
Dragon will join three other spacecraft currently at the space station. Expedition 60 Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Christina Koch of NASA will use the station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, to grab, or grapple, Dragon around 10 a.m. Coverage of robotic installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module will begin at 12 p.m.
A key item in Dragon's unpressurized cargo section is International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3). Flight controllers at mission control in Houston will use the robotic arm to extract IDA-3 from Dragon and position it over Pressurized Mating Adapter-3, on the space-facing side of the Harmony module. Hague and NASA astronaut Drew Morgan, who arrived at the station Saturday, July 20, will conduct a spacewalk in mid-August to install the docking port, connect power and data cables, and set up a high-definition camera on a boom arm.
Robotics flight control teams from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency will move the docking port into position remotely before the astronauts perform the final installation steps. IDA-3 and IDA-2, which was installed in the summer of 2016, provide a new standardized and automated docking system for future spacecraft, including upcoming commercial spacecraft that will transport astronauts through contracts with NASA.
This delivery, SpaceX's 18th cargo flight to the space station under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA, will support dozens of new and existing investigations. The space station continues to be a one-of-a-kind laboratory where NASA is conducting world-class research in fields, such as biology, physics, and materials science. NASA's research and development work aboard the space station contributes to the agency's deep space exploration plans, including returning astronauts to the Moon's surface in five years and preparing to send humans to Mars.
Here are details about some of the scientific investigations Dragon is delivering to the space station:
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations providing opportunities for U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth. Conducting science aboard the orbiting laboratory will help us learn how to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars.
For more than 18 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 230 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,500 research investigations from researchers in 106 countries.
NASA will provide television, still image, and social media coverage of Vice President Mike Pence's visit to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, July 20 – the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
The day will begin at 11:25 a.m. EDT with Air Force Two's arrival at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway.
During his visit, the Vice President will recognize the success of Apollo 11 – one of humanity's greatest achievements – and address progress in NASA's return to the Moon with the upcoming Artemis missions. Going back to the Moon sustainably with this innovative approach will enable America to take the next giant leap – sending humans to Mars.
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 7:35 p.m. EDT Sunday, July 21, for the launch of its 18th agency-contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station. Live coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website Sunday with prelaunch events.
The Dragon spacecraft will deliver supplies and critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 60 and beyond. In addition to bringing research to station, the Dragon's unpressurized trunk is carrying the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3), which, when installed on the space station, will provide the microgravity laboratory with two common ports enabling expanded opportunities for visiting vehicles, including new spacecraft designed to carry humans for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Dragon will dock to the space station Tuesday, July 23. When it arrives, NASA astronaut Nick Hague will grapple Dragon with NASA astronaut Christina Koch acting as a backup. NASA's Andrew Morgan will assist the duo by monitoring telemetry during Dragon's approach. The station crew will monitor Dragon vehicle functions during rendezvous. After Dragon capture, mission control in Houston will send ground commands for the station's arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station's Harmony module.
Dragon will remain at the space station until Aug. 20, when the spacecraft will return to Earth with research and return cargo.
For the latest schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-broadcast-next-space-station-resupply-launch-prelaunch-activities-1
Learn more about the SpaceX resupply mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
NASA has selected SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the agency's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission, which will allow astronomers to discover, for the first time, the hidden details of some of the most exotic astronomical objects in our universe.
The total cost for NASA to launch IXPE is approximately $50.3 million, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.
IXPE measures polarized X-rays from objects, such as black holes and neutron stars to better understand these types of cosmic phenomena and extreme environments.
The IXPE mission currently is targeted to launch in April 2021 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A in Florida. IXPE will fly three space telescopes with sensitive detectors capable of measuring the polarization of cosmic X-rays, allowing scientists to answer fundamental questions about these turbulent environments where gravitational, electric and magnetic fields are at their limits.
NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the SpaceX launch service. The IXPE project office is located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
NASA Television will broadcast launch and prelaunch activities of the Ascent Abort-2 flight test of the Orion spacecraft's launch abort system that will help pave the way for Artemis missions with astronauts to the Moon and then Mars.
Ascent Abort-2 will verify Orion's abort system can pull the crew module away from an emergency during its ascent to space. During approximately three minutes of flight, a booster will loft the test capsule about six miles into the atmosphere to experience high-stress aerodynamic conditions, at which point the abort sequence will be triggered to carry the crew module a safe distance from the rocket. The test flight will help ensure the safety of astronauts, in the unlikely event an emergency arises as they rocket into space.
Orion is part of NASA's backbone for deep space exploration that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, along with the Space Launch System and the Gateway. Through the Artemis program, the next American Moon walkers will depart Earth aboard Orion and begin a new era of exploration. DETAILS ON NASA WEBSITE.
The launch window for the Falcon Heavy opens at 11:30 p.m. EDT Monday, June 24, from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch, as well as a live technology show, will air NASA Television and the agency's website.
SpaceX and the U.S. Department of Defense will launch two dozen satellites to space, including four NASA payloads that are part of the Space Test Program-2, managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. The four payloads include two NASA technology demonstrations to improve how spacecraft propel and navigate, as well as two NASA science missions to help us better understand the nature of space and how it impacts technology on spacecraft and the ground.
Learn more about the NASA technologies aboard this launch: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
NASA's mobile launcher makes its final roll on crawler-transporter 2 to Launch Pad 39B prior to the launch of the first Artemis mission.
Over the next three months, the mobile launcher will undergo final testing at the pad to certify the systems for launch. The next time the mobile launcher makes its trek out to Launch Pad 39B, it will transport NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the launch of Artemis 1, part of the agency's larger, sustainable Moon to Mars exploration approach.
NASA will seek solicitations from American companies to deliver cargo and other supplies to the lunar outpost that will support human exploration of the Moon by 2024.
The agency issued a draft solicitation June 14 to industry seeking comments for a future opportunity for American companies to deliver cargo and other supplies to the Gateway in lunar orbit as part of plans to accelerate a human return to the Moon within the next five years.
The first logistics service to the orbital outpost is expected to deliver science, cargo and other supplies in support of the agency's new Artemis lunar exploration program including sending the first woman and the next man to the surface of the Moon by 2024.
NASA's lunar exploration plans are based on a two-phase approach: the first is focused on speed - landing astronauts on the Moon by 2024 - while the second will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. The agency will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare for the next giant leap - sending astronauts to Mars.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 230 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory.
The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including missions to the Moon by 2024 and on to Mars. Space station research also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex
The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory on Monday, May 6. Dragon will join five other spacecraft currently at the station. Coverage of the spacecraft's approach and arrival will begin at 5:30 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency's website.
Dragon's launch comes on the heels of robotics ground controllers in Mission Control Houston successfully completing an operation to remove a failed Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) aboard the space station and replace it with a spare. The completion of the robotics work marks the second replacement of an MBSU not involving a spacewalk. The space station continues to be a critical test bed where NASA is pioneering new methods to explore space, from complex robotic work to refueling spacecraft in flight and developing new robotic systems to assist astronauts on the frontier of space. Technologies such as these will be vital as NASA looks to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024.
Expedition 59 astronauts David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Nick Hague of NASA will use the space station's robotic arm to grapple Dragon around 7 a.m. Coverage of robotic installation to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module will begin at 9 a.m.
This delivery, SpaceX's 17th cargo flight to the space station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, will support dozens of new and existing investigations. NASA's research and development work aboard the space station contributes to the agency's deep space exploration plans, including returning astronauts to the Moon's surface in five years.
Here are details about some of the scientific investigations Dragon is delivering to the space station:
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations that will help us learn how to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Space station research also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
For more than 18 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 230 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,500 research investigations from researchers in 106 countries.
NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting no earlier than 4:22 a.m. EDT Tuesday, April 30, for the launch of its next resupply mission to the International Space Station. Live coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website Monday, April 29, with prelaunch events.
This is the 17th SpaceX mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. The Dragon spacecraft will deliver supplies including critical materials to support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 59 and 60. The spacecraft's unpressurized trunk will transport NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 (OCO-3) and Space Test Program-Houston 6 (STP-H6).
OCO-3 will be installed robotically on the exterior of the space station's Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility Unit, where it will measure and map carbon dioxide from space to increase our understanding of the relationship between carbon and climate. STP-H6 is an X-ray communication investigation that will be used to perform a space-based demonstration of a new technology for generating beams of modulated X-rays. This technology may be useful for providing efficient communication to deep space probes, or communicating with hypersonic vehicles where plasma sheaths prevent traditional radio communications.
The spacecraft will take two days to reach the space station before installation on Thursday, May 2. When it arrives, astronaut David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency will grapple Dragon, with NASA astronaut Nick Hague serving as backup. NASA astronaut Christina Koch will assist by monitoring telemetry during Dragon's approach. Station crew will monitor Dragon vehicle functions during rendezvous. After Dragon capture, mission control in Houston will send commands to the station's arm to rotate and install the spacecraft on the bottom of the station's Harmony module.
The total cost for NASA to launch DART is approximately $69 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs.
The DART mission currently is targeted to launch in June 2021 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. By using solar electric propulsion, DART will intercept the asteroid Didymos' small moon in October 2022, when the asteroid will be within 11 million kilometers of Earth.
NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the SpaceX launch service. The DART Project office is located at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, and is managed by the Planetary Missions Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office in Washington.
For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 10 minutes after launch, Crew Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit. It is scheduled to dock to station Sunday, March 3 at 5:55 a.m. EST. The Crew Dragon spacecraft will carry about 400 pounds of crew supplies and equipment to the space station and return some critical research samples to Earth.
The spacecraft will spend about five days attached to the space station. Dragon will remain at the space station until March 8 when the spacecraft will return to Earth. About five hours after Dragon leaves the station, it will conduct its deorbit burn, which lasts up to 10 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes for Dragon to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean.
The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed, but more information about media accreditation is available by contacting ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. The goal of the program is safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station, which could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
