NASA Launch Services Program


The NASA Launch Services Program is responsible for procurement of launch services for NASA uncrewed missions and oversight of launch integration and launch preparation activity, providing added quality and mission assurance to meet program objectives. LSP operates under the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate.
Since 1990, NASA has purchased expendable launch vehicle launch services directly from commercial providers, whenever possible, for its scientific and applications missions. Expendable launch vehicles can accommodate all types of orbit inclinations and altitudes and are ideal vehicles for launching Earth-orbit and interplanetary missions. The Launch Services Program was established at Kennedy Space Center for NASA's acquisition and program management of expendable launch vehicle missions. A NASA/contractor team is in place to meet the mission of the Launch Services Program, which exists to provide leadership, expertise and cost-effective services in the commercial arena to satisfy Agency wide space transportation requirements and maximize the opportunity for mission success.
Primary launch sites are Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Other launch locations are NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska.

History

Operations

NASA Launch Services II

The LSP acquires space launch services using the NASA Launch Services II Contract. Once a year, launch services contractors can be added to or offloaded from contract. The following contractors are attached to the NLS II Contract.
NASA awarded contracts to launch services contractors to support Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare missions in January 2022 and again in August 2024. In 2025 NASA selected six companies for additional VADR studies focused orbital transfer vehicle technology. The current contractors selected are:
The LSP works with U.S. Government spacecraft program offices to define launch requirements for their programs and then engage with launch services contractors to deliver a compatible solution. LSP has relationships with various agencies and organizations:
LSP also works with the United States Space Force, via coordination by the launch services contractors. For launches at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Space Launch Delta 45 and Space Launch Delta 30 commanders, respectively, are the Launch Decision Authority.
For launches from CCSFS, guardians, Space Force civilians and contractors from throughout Space Launch Delta 45 provided vital support, including weather forecasts, launch and range operations, security, safety, medical and public affairs. The wing also provided its vast network of radar, telemetry, and communications instrumentation to facilitate a safe launch on the Eastern Range. Among work done by the Space Force is Mission Flight Control, which ensures public safety during launch.

Operating locations

The LSP management, business office, and engineering teams support from the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center.
The Launch Services Program operates Hangar AE on the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is LSP's Launch Communications Center. For Florida launches, many of the primary LSP engineers on console are in Hangar AE. For launches from California and other launch sites, many of support LSP engineers are on console there. Launch services contractors and spacecraft engineers will often operate out of the Hangar also. It gathers telemetry for rocket launches beyond those worked by LSP.
LSP also maintains resident offices at:
NASA has specific policies governing launch services. NASA uses a certification system for rockets launched by its contractors, and for validation purposes it requires the certification process to be "instrumented to provide design verification and flight performance data", with post-flight operations, anomaly resolution process, and a flight margin verification process, with 80% predicted design reliability at 95% confidence.
Launch vehicle risk categoryVehicle maturityPayload classFlight experience
Cat 1 No flight historyD
  • No previous flights required
Cat 2 Limited flight historyC and D, sometimes B
  • 1 successful flight of a common launch vehicle configuration, or:
  • 3 consecutive successful flights of a common launch vehicle configuration from an evolved vehicle family developed by an LSC with a previously certified launch vehicle for Risk Category 2 or 3
    • Cat 3 Significant flight historyA, B, C, D
  • 14 consecutive successful flights of a common launch vehicle configuration, or:
  • 6 successful flights of a common launch vehicle configuration from an evolved vehicle family developed by an LSC with a previously certified launch vehicle for Risk Category 3, or:
  • 3 consecutive successful flights of a common launch vehicle configuration from an evolved vehicle family developed by an LSC with a previously certified launch vehicle for Risk Category 3

    • Additional advisory services

    In addition to providing end-to-end launch services, LSP also offers Advisory Services. This "is a consulting service to government and commercial organizations, providing mission management, overall systems engineering and/or specific discipline expertise; e.g. mission assurance, flight design, systems safety, etc., as requested." By example, the LSP Flight Design team provides general information regarding the launch vehicle performance available via existing NASA contracts. This non-traditional service allows LSP to "expand its customer base and assist these customers in maximizing their mission success by using NASA LSP's unique expertise." The four general categories of advisory services are:
    The schedule below includes only Launch Services Program primary and advisory missions. The has the most up to date public schedule of all NASA launches. The will also have updates on LSP launches and mission accomplishments. Additional NASA pages which mention future launch dates are the , NASA Goddard's , NASA Goddard's and NASA Goddard's .
    The ELaNa Launch Schedule has the upcoming schedule of CubeSat missions, which occur on both NASA and non-NASA launches.
    Scheduled Launch DateMissionVehicleLaunch SiteTotal Launch Cost*
    2026----
    NET January 2026 PandoraSpaceXVADR Award
    2026.02Asperavehicle provided by Rocket LabVADR award
    2026.02QuickSounderlaunch provided by Firefly Aerospace, Inc.VADR
    2026Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols + Vega-CGuiana Space Centre
    2026.08 Investigation of Convective Updrafts Firefly AlphaWallops Flight FacilityVADR
    2026.10.30Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Falcon HeavyKennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 $255
    2027----
    2027Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 SpaceXVADR Award
    NET 2027Lunar Gateway’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost & Power and Propulsion Element Falcon HeavyKennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 $331.8
    2027Multi-slit Solar Explorer Vehicle Unassigned
    2027Joint Polar Satellite System Falcon 9Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 East $112.7
    2027.08Compton Spectrometer and Imager Falcon 9Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 $69
    2027.09Near-Earth Object Surveyor Falcon 9Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 $100
    2028 and later----
    2028Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer Vehicle Unassigned
    2028.07.05DragonflyFalcon HeavyKennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 $257
    2028ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Vehicle Unassigned
    2028HelioSwarmVehicle Unassigned
    2029.06Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, Plus Vehicle Unassigned
    2030UltraViolet EXplorer Vehicle Unassigned
    2031Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy Vehicle Unassigned
    2031Joint Polar Satellite System Vehicle Unassigned

    KEY
    NETNo Earlier Than
    NLTNo Later Than
    Under Review
    +LSP Advisory Mission
    *The total cost for NASA to launch the mission includes the launch service, spacecraft processing, payload integration, tracking, data and telemetry, mission unique launch site ground support, and other launch support requirements. All costs listed are approximate. Some spacecraft were awarded as a group, which is why their cost is listed as 1 of a number of spacecraft. Unless the reference specifies otherwise, the value is at award and does not account for additional costs due to delays and other factors or any cost savings that may have occurred later.

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