Tag: LC-39B
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Artemis II returns humanity to the Moon with launch on Wednesday evening
At 23:35 UTC on Dec. 16, 1972, the Apollo 17 command module, America, successfully completed its trans-Earth injection burn, sending it and its crew of NASA astronauts Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans on a return trajectory back to Earth. The moment marked the final time a crewed Apollo spacecraft was in orbit around…
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NASA returns its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft photographed during the final hour of its four-mile journey to the launch pad on Friday, March 20, 2026. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Update March 20, 12 p.m. EDT (1600 UTC): NASA confirmed completion of the Space Launch System rocket’s rollout. NASA’s Moon rocket returned to the launch…
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NASA to attempt second full fueling test of its Space Launch System rocket
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is seen at Launch Complex 39B in the midst of pre-launch testing for the Artemis 2 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now NASA will try again to fully load its Space Launch System rocket with more than 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen this week at the conclusion of…
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Artemis II rolls out to LC-39B for first crewed lunar mission since 1972
The rocket and spacecraft that will perform the first human spaceflight to the vicinity of the Moon since December 1972 rolled out to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Orion spacecraft and its associated Space Launch System rocket, mounted on its mobile launch platform, started its rollout with…
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Final ML-2 tower module added as Artemis and SLS Block 1B receive a funding reprieve
Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), the launch tower and platform to be used by the Block 1B variant of the Space Launch System (SLS), recently had its tenth and final tower module stacked on July 2. Module 10 will support the Orion crew access arm and related systems, and its installation brings the ML-2 tower’s height…
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30 years after its first repair mission, Hubble continues to observe the cosmos
30 years ago, on the very early morning of Dec. 2, 1993, the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the STS-61 crew launched on a high-stakes mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. 30 years after the successful flight, which enabled Hubble to finally fulfill its promise to revolutionize our view of the Universe, the veteran observatory…
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SLS teams scrub second launch attempt for Artemis I as hydrogen leaks persist
NASA has scrubbed the second launch attempt of the Artemis I mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a liquid hydrogen (LH2) leak was detected at the vehicle-to-ground interface on the LH2 Tail Service Mast Umbilical (TSMU). This was the fourth time teams loaded liquid hydrogen on the vehicle, and the fourth time…
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Aiming for the Moon: Artemis I countdown begins for historic flight
The launch countdown for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Artemis I mission is underway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of a planned liftoff within a two-hour launch window that opens at 8:33 AM EDT (12:33 UTC) on Monday, August 29. The launch count comes after more than a decade…
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SLS arrives at LC-39B for launch, teams prepare for multiple launch trajectories
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has left the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and completed its 4.2-mile (6.7-km) journey to Launch Complex 39B. The multi-hour rollout process resulted in a sunrise arrival at the pad. The rollout is the last major milestone ahead of launch, which will differ from…
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Solid Rocket Boosters arrive at Kennedy for Artemis 1 and OmegA
For the first time in ten years, Solid Rocket Booster segments have arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for flight operations. Successfully completing the cross-country train trip were all 10 propellant segments for the Artemis 1 mission of the SLS rocket as well as inert Castor-series segments for the company’s upcoming OmegA rocket,…