Shuttle Atlantis unwrapped ahead of public debut

Running through a practice countdown and hold-down engine firing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket passed a key checkpoint Thursday ahead of liftoff next week with the U.S. Air Force’s fifth X-37B spaceplane flight, a mission that will come with several firsts.

All NASA centers and facilities will begin a mandatory telework policy for agency and contractor employees effective immediately, except for “mission-essential” personnel, to combat the threat from the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Tuesday.

SpaceX has released the first close-up images and video of the Falcon Heavy rocket at launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The rocket was rolled out on December 28, 2017 and raised vertical on the launch pad.