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LAUNCH UPDATES

June 16, 2008

The delayed GLAST mission was launched by a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket.

June 14, 2008

The Space Shuttle Discovery touched down at the end of another successful mission to the International Space Station. However, damage to the launch pad may delay future shuttle missions.

May 31, 2008

The Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off on mission STS-124 to deliver the Kibo laboratory’s Japanese Pressurized Module to the International Space Station.

April 3, 2008

The launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery has been pushed back to May 31 at 5:01 pm following delays with the delivery of the external fuel tank.

March 26, 2008

The Space Shuttle Endeavour followed up on its night launch with a night time landing at the end of a successful mission. Endeavour touched down at 8:39 pm EST after the first landing attempt was called off because of cloud cover.

March 11, 2008

The Space Shuttle Endeavour made the first night launch in over two years. Lift off was at 2:28 am on mission STS-123 to the International Space Station.

February 20, 2008

The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Station after successfully delivering the European Space AgencyÕs (ESA) Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.

February 7, 2008

The Space Shuttle Atlantis finally blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center after months of delays following fuel sensor problems.

January 12, 2008

NASA have further delayed the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis until February 7 which will then push back the launch of Endeavour until mid March.

January 6, 2008

NASA have announced that the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis has been put back until January 24 at the earliest. This will have a knock-on effect on the other 2008 missions.

More launch details

Rocket/Space Shuttle Launch Schedule 2008

If you ever get the opportunity to watch the launch of a rocket or space shuttle then you do not want to miss it; it is an experience of a lifetime. Words cannot describe the sounds of a space shuttle blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center.

Upcoming Launch Schedule for 2008 and beyond

All launch dates are provisionally and are subject to change, you should always check with the Kennedy Space Center before making a special trip.

Atlantis STS-98 night-time launch Atlantis/STS-98 night-time launch April 2001 [courtesy of NASA]

Previous launch details can be found here.

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July 16, 2008 - United Launch Alliance Delta 2 Rocket, GPS 2R-20 (M7)

A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 will launch the seventh NAVSTAR GPS Block 2R military navigation satellite from launch pad SLC-17.

Launch time is set for 12:00 p.m. EDT. Delayed from June 30.

September 26 - Boeing Delta 4-H Rocket, NROL-26

The United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. Delayed from 2005, 2006, 2007 and January 25, April, May 9, July 25 and September 9.

September 11, 2008 - United Launch Alliance Delta 2 Rocket, GPS 2R-21 (M8)

A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 will launch the eighth NAVSTAR GPS Block 2R military navigation satellite from launch pad SLC-17.

October 8, 2008 - Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-125, Hubble HST-SM4 mission

NASA are planning a fifth and final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, interrupting the missions to the International Space Station, in order to extend its useful working life to 2013.

During the 11 day mission, astronauts will replace the telescope's failing batteries and gyroscopes, install two new instruments; the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (replacing the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement, COSTAR) and Wide Field Camera 3 (replace the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, WFPC2) and attempt to repair the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).

They will also install a docking module so that at some point in the future, a propulsion module can be installed to allow the Hubble telescope to make a controlled re-entry when the telescope is decommissioned.

The shuttle does not carry sufficient fuel to reach the International Space Station in the event of a problem whilst servicing the Hubble telescope and there are plans to have a second shuttle on standby as an emergency rescue vehicle.

Launch time is provisionally set for 1:30 am EDT from launch pad LC-39A. Delayed from August 7 and August 28.

October 10, 2008 - United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 Rocket, WGS SV2 (AV-016)

The Atlas 5 (AV-016) mission is to launch the second of five Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft (WGS) for the US military from pad SLC-41 at 8:22 pm EDT. Delayed from August 2 and August 4.

November 10, 2008 - Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-126 (ISS ULF2)

The 27th mission to the International Space Station will deliver the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM).

Launch time is provisionally set for 9:28 pm EDT from launch pad LC-39A. Delayed from September 18 and October 16.

November 20, 2008 - United Launch Alliance Delta 2 Rocket, STSS

The Delta 2 mission is a tracking technology demonstrator for the Missile Defense Agency as part of a ballistic missile defense system. Launch is scheduled for launch pad 17A. Delayed from November 25, 2007, April, July 16 and November 13, 2008.

November 24, 2008 - United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 Rocket, LRO/LCROSS

The Atlas 5 mission is to launch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) to confirm the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed crater at the Moon's North and South Poles.

Launch time is provisionally set for 3:34 am EDT from launch pad SLC-41. Delayed from October 28.

December 1 - United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 Rocket, SDO

The Atlas 5 mission is to launch the NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This is the first Space Weather Research Network mission in the Living With a Star Program. Launch is scheduled for launch pad 41.

December 12, 2008 - United Launch Alliance Delta 4, GOES-O

GOES-O is a joint NASA/NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) mission to launch a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) from launch pad SLC-37B. Delayed from April, June 12, July 20, August 8 and November 5.

TBC - United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 Rocket, AEHF1

The Atlas 5 mission is to launch the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite to provide highly-secure communications for the U.S. military.

A provisional launch schedule for 2009 can be found here.

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