Getting closer to space, one segment at a time.
3 of 5 solid rocket booster segments for Artemis III are now stacked on the mobile launcher in Vehicle Assembly Building! Forward assemblies have been delivered, ready to top the stack, as we prepare for the next SLS launch.
On this day in 2020, the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft splashed down, completing the Demo-2 mission. With this mission, SpaceX successfully launched NASA astronauts from American soil and returned them safely to Earth.
📷: NASA/Bill Ingalls
ALT A spacecraft is descending over the ocean, supported by three large parachutes. Below, a boat with several people is approaching the landing site. The scene is set against a clear, blue sky.
The kind of Earth view that makes astronauts go, “Holy cow.” 🌎 On this month’s episode of We Choose to Go to Kennedy, dive into stories of the final flight of the shuttle program from the very astronauts that flew STS-135.
bit.ly/45jsBHy
On #TDIH in 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center, completing STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle program.
ALT A Space Shuttle lands on a runway at night, with a parachute deployed at the back. The scene is dimly lit, and the runway is reflected in a body of water in the foreground.
On July 21, 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis completed its final mission, landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and bringing an end to the Space Shuttle program after more than 30 years. abcnews.link/rCc3kYK
#OTD 15 Years Ago: Atlantis and the crew of STS-135 landed at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) after delivering parts and equipment to the International Space Station. The landing of Atlantis marked the end of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. Today, visitors can get up close to this legendary orbiter at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. bit.ly/4gAIBMn
📸: NASA
Atlantis closed out the 30 year Space Shuttle Program on this day 15 years ago, as STS-135 concluded in the dark on the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility.
Commander Chris Ferguson (@Astro_Ferg) with the tribute to Atlantis and her sister ships at wheels stop.
17 years ago this day, the intrepid crew in this photo launched aboard Endeavour, beginning a 16 day adventure to continue assembly of the International Space Station. Great crew, mission, and memories. @NASA, @Space_Station, @NASAJohnson
Follow in the footsteps of shuttle astronauts when you take the Explore Tour. bit.ly/4528oWF
Walk across the same orbiter access arm as the STS-135 astronauts before they launched on space shuttle Atlantis.
📸: NASA/Jim Grossmann
ALT STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson stands on the walkway to the White Room
ALT STS-135 Pilot Doug Hurley stands on the walkway to the White Room
ALT STS-135 Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus stands on the walkway to the White Room
ALT STS-135 Mission Specialist Rex Walheim stands on the walkway to the White Room
Got the band back together for the STS-135 15th Anniversary events at the KSC Visitors Center last weekend. Great reuniting with friends, colleagues, and so many people from across the US and all over the world that came to celebrate. Always special to see Atlantis again.
#OTD 15 Years Ago: Atlantis launched on the final shuttle mission, STS-135. Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim embarked on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.
📸: NASA
15 years ago today, Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on STS-135, her final mission and the very last flight of the 30-year Space Shuttle era.
Sit back, crank the volume, and soak in every angle of this epic NASA JSC (SE&I department) vid.
The 135th and final shuttle launch! 🚀
July 8 marks the 15th anniversary of the historic final launch of NASA's 30-year Space Shuttle Program. With its crew of 4 astronauts, Atlantis lifted off at 11:29 am to begin STS-135, its last journey to the International Space Station.
ALT Space shuttle Atlantis and its four-member STS-135 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:29 a.m. (EDT) on July 8, 2011 from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The solid rocket boosters spew fiery exhaust as the shuttle ascends into the cloudy sky.
#OTD 15 years ago ✨
STS-135 launched on July 8, 2011, with ASE members @Astro_Sandy, @Astro_Rex, @Astro_Doug, and @Astro_Ferg aboard.
Fun fact: The crew appeared on an episode of The Colbert Report after returning home!
ALT ASE salutes the crew of STS-135 on the 15th anniversary of their launch! Launch: July 8, 2011. Sandra Magnus, Rex Walheim, Doug Hurley, Christopher Ferguson.
Artemis II flew on April 1 powered by our boosters. That same day, Artemis III booster segments started their journey from our Utah facility to @NASAKennedy. We’re already building the next chapter of space exploration – no pause, just progress.
United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket is on the launch pad for the USSF-87 mission that will place U.S. national security spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit. It will be our next-generation rocket's heaviest payload yet and the longest flight to date, lasting 10 hours.
Liftoff is scheduled for Thursday at 3:30 a.m. EST (0830 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral. Weather forecasters give a 95% chance of GO conditions.
Our play-by-play status journal begins at 10 p.m. EST (0300 UTC) and the live webcast starts 20 minutes before liftoff. bit.ly/vulcan_ussf87
Every January, @NASA commemorates the lives we have lost, including crews of Apollo 1 and the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. #NASARemembers their sacrifice and enduring strength of their families, whose courage continues to inspire us all.
As we continue missions to the @Space_Station and push forward to the Moon and beyond, the agency is committed to safety and lessons learned to further space exploration and discovery.
ALT The Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial is seen during a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA’s Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Today is our Day of Remembrance.
As we push forward to the Moon with our Artemis missions, it is vital that we stay vigilant and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of science and discovery.
ALT The Apollo 1 crew stands together for a group portrait wearing their flight suits. From left to right: Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White, Roger B. Chaffee. Credit: NASA.
ALT The STS-51L crew pose for a group portrait and smile in their light blue flght suits. From left to right: Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Payload Specialist Christa McAuliffe, Commander Francis R. \u201CDick\u201D Scobee, Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, Mission Specialist Judith A. Resnik, Mission Specialist Ronald E. McNair. Credit: NASA
ALT The STS-107 crew posing for a portrait in their orange spacesuits. Crew seated in front, from left, are: Astronauts Rick D. Husband, mission commander; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; and William C. McCool, pilot. Standing, from left, are: David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, and Michael P. Anderson, all mission specialists; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. Credit: NASA
ALT A memorial wreath inside the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida commemorates NASA\u2019s Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The banner on the wreath reads: \"Remembering our fallen heroes.\" Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
From rollout to liftoff, propulsion matters. Artemis II is one step closer to exploring deep space and our technology is built into the mission from the ground up.