Q&A with Steve Skladanek, president of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services

NASA announced Thursday that work on the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew capsule at facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi is being halted due to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, a stoppage that could force further delays on the already behind-schedule and over-budget programs. Meanwhile, NASA officials are making plans to continue working on the agency’s next Mars rover to keep it on schedule for launch later this year, even if the virus forces further closures.

Photos captured by remote cameras placed at launch pad 39A show SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket soaring skyward Thursday evening atop more than 5 million pounds of thrust.

Watch a replay of the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, hauling into orbit a new eye in the sky for the National Reconnaissance Office.