Photos: California’s predawn liftoff of Atlas 5 rocket

The first Boeing Starliner spacecraft designed to fly to the International Space Station rolled out of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Navigation satellites, communications spacecraft, classified missions, NASA science projects and the Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo ship destined for the International Space Station are on the United Launch Alliance manifest for the new year.

The privately-funded Israeli Beresheet lunar lander is ready for its historic mission to the moon, aiming to become the first space probe to land on another planetary body without government funding.