Streaking to Orbit: United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Advanced Extremely High Frequency AEHF-4 jam resistant military communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force blasts off shortly after midnight liftoff to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) in this long duration exposure photo on Oct. 17, 2018 at 12:15 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the AEHF-4 milcomsat for the U.S. Air Force is poised for midnight liftoff to GTO on Oct. 17, 2018 at 12:15 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on a national security mission. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   16 October 2018 CAPE CANAVERAL

Roll to Pad: Atlas V AEHF-4. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket with the AEHF-4 mission for the U.S. Air Force rolls from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Oct. 15, 2018 for Oct. 17 liftoff. Credit: United Launch Alliance Ken Kremer  —  

USAF awarded contracts valued at over $2 Billion to ULA, Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin to develop new prototype rockets for National Security Space launches.  Collage Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   12 October 2018 CAPE CANAVERAL, FL –  The U.S. Air Force announced a trio of contracts to develop rocket prototypes for future National Security Space launches

The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft is launched with Expedition 57 Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA and Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. During the Soyuz spacecraft’s climb to orbit, an anomaly occurred, resulting in an abort downrange. The crew was quickly recovered and is in good condition. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill

Launch of the Russian Soyuz rocket and Soyuz MS-10 capsule with a two person American Russian crew on Oct, 11, 2018 that failed shortly after liftoff and forced an abort and emergency landing.  Credit: Roscosmos Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   11 October 2018 CAPE CANAVERAL, FL –  The two person America Russian crew made a steep but safe emergency landing

Illustration of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft during a burn of its main engine for arrival at target Asteroid Bennu in Dec. 2018.  Credit: University of Arizona Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   9 October 2018 CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sampling spacecraft successfully completed the first in a series of critical main engine firings in early October that significantly slowed

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in Earth orbit.  Credit: NASA Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   9 October 2018 TITUSVILLE, FL – NASA’s premiere space observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, entered safe mode after suffering a serious glitch with one its onboard gyroscopes this past Friday, Oct. 5.  One of the current gyros used to aim and stabilize the telescope has failed.

Advanced Extremely High Frequency-4 (AEHF-4) jam-resistant national security military communications satellite for U.S. Air Force Space Command is encapsulated in 5 meter RUAG Space payload fairing as it rolls overnight Oct. 5, 2018 with convoy from Astrotech processing facility, Titusville, FL on public highways to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL for upcoming night launch Oct. 17, 2018 on most

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems to carry crews safely to and from low-Earth orbit – the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing CST-100 Starliner. Initial test launches for both have slipped to 2019. Credits: NASA Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   5 October 2018 CAPE