The next rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for late Sunday night, when SpaceX plans to send a communications satellite into orbit aboard its reusable Falcon 9 rocket.

Explore NASA's rich history and even feel the rumble of a launch at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

Follow FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team for industry news, NASA and SpaceX updates, and live launch blog coverage at floridatoday.com/space.

While the crew of Apollo 9 was still orbiting Earth on this day in 1969, preparations were already underway on the ground for the next critical step in the race to the Moon.

Mission Control will be packed with experts, specialists and flight directors around-the-clock as NASA takes on its most complicated mission in more than half a century.

When you think of a shuttle or rocket launching into space, odds are the Kennedy Space Center comes to mind. After all, some of the most momentous expeditions, including the Apollo missions, took off from the center's very own Launch Complex (LC) 39A.

According to NASA's watchdog, the agency "does not have the capability to rescue the stranded crew" if they were to be marooned on the Moon. Late last month, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced during a livestreamed press conference that the space agency would be making major changes to its Artemis program,