National Aeronautics and Space Administration Kennedy Space Center Premier Multi-user Spaceport or more than 50 years, NASA has through Kennedy’s leadership, the Freached new heights and revealed center’s workforce accomplished the the unknown to benefit all of humanity. considerable task of reinventing their Spaceflight in the 21st century will approach to operating the world’s see the space around Earth open for leading spaceport. research and commercial enterprise For more than 30 years, Kennedy like never before. was a hub of activity supporting NASA has sent robotic envoys processing, launch and landings throughout the solar system on during America’s Space Shuttle Info continuing missions of discovery. Program. Thousands of skilled Astronauts aboard the International engineers and technicians supported Space Station are conducting missions that made possible research not possible on Earth, unprecedented achievements in the helping advance the human journey utilization of space. Shuttle crews to Mars. NASA’s Kennedy Space deployed and serviced the Hubble Center in Florida helps make all of this Space Telescope, and built the possible as a multi-user spaceport, Engineers encapsulate the Orbital ATK enhanced International Space Station involving enabling research, processing and Cygnus spacecraft in a protective payload fairing the world’s best innovators. launch site operations for government inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility Following the conclusion of shuttle and commercial customers. at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. flights and reductions in the size Photo credit: United Launch Alliance Much of the science and supplies of the workforce, a new approach destined for the space station 2014. Lifting off atop a United Launch was required. Additionally, President comes through Kennedy as part Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, Orion Barack Obama challenged NASA and of NASA’s Commercial Resupply soared 3,604 miles above Earth. As the nation to develop a new spacecraft, NASA Services Program. Across the center, such, it became the first human-rated designed for long journeys to allow the preparations are underway to send vehicle to leave low-Earth orbit in 42 nation to send humans to an asteroid astronauts farther than ever before, years. and, ultimately, a landing on Mars. aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched The flawless flight test was a Kennedy Director Bob Cabana by the Space Launch System rocket. first step in the agency’s plans to points out that the Florida spaceport The first flight test of an Orion send humans on the Journey to now is well on its way to meeting the spacecraft was launched Dec. 5, Mars. It also demonstrated that president’s challenge. “Here at the Kennedy Space Center, we are low-Earth orbit with American-built rockets by continuing to help develop the Orion crew vehicle, the end of 2017. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and support the Space Launch System rocket and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon are the next step with exploration ground systems that will one day toward ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS. send astronauts on trips beyond low-Earth orbit,” To prepare for these next steps in crew he said. transportation, Bay 3 of the space shuttle The SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever era’s Orbiter Processing Facility now is being built and will enable astronauts in the Orion modernized by Boeing as the Commercial Crew spacecraft to explore distant destinations. and Cargo Processing Facility. There, Boeing The space center’s NASA-industry team also plans to prepare its Starliner spacecraft under has met Cabana’s objective for a spaceport development. ready to meet diverse challenges of the future. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement “Our confidence in meeting the president’s with SpaceX for the use and operation of Launch objective and our future challenges is based Complex 39A where it will launch the Falcon 9 on the fact that we have an outstanding, highly Heavy rocket with its Crew Dragon spacecraft. skilled workforce,” he said. “They have already These are all tangible steps toward meeting achieved the goal of building a 21st century the president’s challenge and firmly establishing space launch complex with modernized that Kennedy has become a multi-user spaceport infrastructure for more cost-effective operations, regularly launching to low-Earth orbit and beyond. serving multiple users.” Missions beyond low-Earth orbit are already Making the best use of taxpayer funded underway, including the extensive robotic resources has been a key objective from reconnaissance of Mars. In 2011, the Mars reorganization of the space center’s Science Laboratory with its Curiosity rover management structure to providing optimum The SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built and will utilization of available assets. enable astronauts in the Orion spacecraft to explore distant launched from Kennedy. In 2013, the Mars Existing historic buildings and launch sites in destinations. Image credit: NASA Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral use for more than 50 years are being converted operations and management of the Shuttle to support a modern spaceport equipped with and now is orbiting the Red Planet. Scheduled for Landing Facility. Now a variety of commercial launch in 2018, the InSight mission will launch state-of-the art technology meeting the diverse and government partners will have access to use needs of another half-century. a lander to Mars, designed to drill beneath the the 3-mile-long runway. surface and investigate the planet’s deep interior. Ongoing improvements over the past few In September, Blue Origin announced they “Allowing industry to provide our transportation years include upgrades to facilities such as the plan to build rockets at Exploration Park on to low-Earth orbit, means the NASA team can Vehicle Assembly Building, mobile launcher, Kennedy property. The company also leased focus on what we do best – exploration,” Cabana crawler–transporter and Launch Complex 39B – Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force said. “We’ve got a lot of work going on here at a historic pad that will launch astronauts aboard Station where they plan to launch their orbital Kennedy as we advance the mission to the Orion spacecraft, atop an SLS rocket. launch vehicle. put boots on Mars.” Other center facilities no longer needed are While partners from industry and being turned over to industry partners to take academia are finding new uses for The Mars Science Laboratory with its advantage of their unique capabilities. Kennedy’s unique assets, commercial Curiosity rover launched In June 2012, NASA signed a partnership providers soon will take astronauts from Kennedy Space Center in 2011. Image credit: NASA agreement with Craig Technologies to maintain to and from the International Space an inventory of unique processing and Station. manufacturing equipment for future mission Through NASA’s Commercial support at the Cape Canaveral, Florida, site Crew Program, commercial formerly known as the NASA Shuttle Logistics partners SpaceX and The Depot. In its new role, it is now the Aerospace Boeing Company are and Defense Manufacturing Center. developing safe, reliable During the past year, NASA signed a 30-year and cost-effective property agreement with Space Florida for the access to and from National Aeronautics and Space Administration John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 www.nasa.gov NASA Info SP-2016-04-122-KSC .