NASA Launch Clichés

The stupid flowery stuff that the NASA press officers say to commemorate rocket launches.

SpaceX Crew-8 - Crew Dragon - Endeavour (4 March 2024)

“Endeavour Ascends! A beacon of human hi… ambition! 1.7 million pounds of thrust now propelling Falcon 9 and Crew-8.”

ULA Vulcan - Peregrine Mission 1 (8 January 2024)

“And liftoff of the first United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket, launching a new era of spaceflight to the moon and beyond.”

SpaceX Falcon Heavy - Psyche (13 October 2023)

“Liftoff of Falcon Heavy and Psyche, on a mission to a metal asteroid in deep space to study the building blocks of our planet’s inner space.”

SpaceX Crew-7 - Crew Dragon - Endurance (26 August 2023)

“Endurance Ascends! An international crew destined for the International Space Station”

Artemis I (16 November 2022)

“And liftoff of Artemis I! We rise together, back to the Moon and beyond!” (This was after a few failed attempts, from 29 August onwards, with fuel leaks, hurricane damage and so on. Each was heralded as certain, rather than an attempt.)
T+5m32s: “The last time those core engines flew they were taking Space Shuttles to orbit, and now with upgraded capabilities, they’re launching the future of human spaceflight!” (Surprising it wasn’t “a new era of human spaceflight”… see below)

Boeing Starliner OFT-2 (19 May 2022)

“Starliner is heading back to space on the shoulders of Atlas, powered by a workforce dedicated to its success”

Atlas V - Lucy (16 October 2021)

“Liftoff. Atlas V takes flight sending Lucy to uncover the fossils of our solar system.”

SpaceX Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (21 November 2020)

“And liftoff of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich continuing a legacy of ocean observation and international collaboration to benefit all humanity.”

SpaceX Crew-1 - Crew Dragon - Resilience (15 November 2020)

“And Resilience rises; not even gravity contains humanity when we explore as one for all.”

Perseverance (30 July 2020)

“And liftoff as the countdown to Mars continues: the perseverance of humanity launching the next generation of robotic explorers to the red planet.”

SpaceX DM-2 - Crew Dragon - Endeavour (30 May 2020)

“Liftoff of the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon! Go NASA! Go SpaceX! Godspeed, Bob and Doug!” – Jessica Anderson, SpaceX.
“America has launched! So rises a new era of American spaceflight, and with it the ambitions of a new generation continuing the dream.” – Dan Huot, NASA

Boeing Starliner Orbital Flight Test (20 December 2019)

“And, liftoff! The rise of Starliner, and a new era in human spaceflight.” (A “Mission Elapsed Time anomaly” caused it to think it was in an insertion burn, and it ran out of fuel, and missed the ISS)

ICESat-2 (15 September 2018)

“Liftoff of the final Delta II, launching nearly three decades of science research and exploration missions, lifting ICESat-2 on a quest to explore the polar ice sheets of our constantly changing home planet.”

Parker Solar Probe (12 August 2018)

“Liftoff of the mighty Delta IV Heavy rocket with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, a daring mission to shed light on the mysteries of our closest star, the sun.”

Progress MS-09 (9 July 2018)

“We have liftoff of the Progress resupply ship; heading into the Express Lane bound for the International Space Station.”

Insight (5 May 2018)

“Liftoff of the Atlas V launching the first interplanetary mission from the West Coast; and NASA’s Insight, the first outer-space robotic explorer to study the interior of Mars.”

TESS (18 April 2018)

“Liftoff; the SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying TESS: A planet-hunting spacecraft that will search for new worlds beyond our solar system.”

CRS-14 (2 April 2018)

“And liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket and a Dragon spacecraft packed with science and supplies for the International Space Station, humanity’s home in low-Earth orbit.”

GOES-S / GOES-17 (1 March 2018)

“Liftoff of the Atlas V and NOAA’s GOES-S: a highly sophisticated weather-watching eye in the sky to join its twin in providing better forecasts and saving lives.”

Cygnus OA-7 (18 April 2017)

“Liftoff of the Atlas V rocket with Cygnus and the S.S. John Glenn: extending the research legacy for living and working in space.”

EFT-1 (5 December 2014)

“Liftoff at dawn: the DAWN OF ORION and a new era in American space exploration!”

MAVEN (18 November 2013)

“Liftoff of the Atlas V with MAVEN; looking for clues about the evolution of Mars through its atmosphere.”

MSL/Curiosity (26 November 2011)

“Liftoff of the Atlas V with Curiosity seeking clues to the planetary puzzle about life on Mars.”

GRAIL (10 September 2011)

“Liftoff of the Delta 2 with GRAIL; on a journey to the center of the Moon” (!)

Juno (5 August 2011)

“Liftoff of the Atlas V with Juno; on a trek to Jupiter, a planetary piece of the puzzle on the beginning of our solar system.”

STS-135 (8 July 2011)

“The final liftoff of Atlantis on the shoulders of the space shuttle; America will continue the dream. … The Space Shuttle spreads its wings one final time for the start of a sentimental journey into history.”

STS-134 (16 May 2011)

“Liftoff for the final launch of Endeavour! Expanding our knowledge; expanding our lives in space.”

STS-133 (24 February 2011)

“The final liftoff of Discovery; a tribute to the dedication, hard work and pride of America’s Space Shuttle team.”

STS-132 (14 May 2010)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis; reaching the crest of its historic achievements in space.”

STS-131 (5 April 2010)

“Liftoff of Discovery; blazing a trail to scientific discoveries aboard Space Station.”

STS-130 (8 February 2010)

“Liftoff of Shuttle Endeavour with NASA’s final space station crew compartment to bring the bay window view to our celestial backyard.”

STS-129 (16 November 2009)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis; a mission to build, resupply and to do research on the International Space Station.”

Ares I-X (28 October 2009)

“Liftoff of Ares 1-X, testing concepts for the future of new rocket design.” (First and only launch of $230bn Constellation program. Wrecked the pad infrastructure.)

STS-128 (28 August 2009)

“Liftoff of Discovery; celebrating its 25th birthday by racking up science and supplies to the space station.”

STS-127 (15 July 2009)

“Liftoff of Endeavour; completing Kibo and fulfilling Japan’s hope for an out-of-this-world space laboratory”

STS-125 (11 May 2009)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis; the final mission to enhance the vision of Hubble into the deepest grandeur of our universe.”

STS-119 (15 March 2009)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery; taking the Space Station to full power for FULL SCIENCE!”

Kepler (7 March 2009)

“Liftoff of the Delta 2 rocket with Kepler; on a search for planets in some way like our own.”

STS-126 (14 November 2008)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour; preparing our home in space for a larger, international family.”

STS-124 (31 May 2008)

“Liftoff of Shuttle Discovery; Ganbatte kudasai – best of luck to the International Space Station’s newest laboratory!”

STS-123 (11 March 2008)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour; going where East and West do meet at the International Space Station.”

STS-122 (7 February 2008)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis as Columbus sets sail on a voyage of science to the space station.”

STS-120 (23 October 2007)

“Liftoff of Discovery; hoisting Harmony to the heavens and opening new gateways for international science.”

STS-118 (8 August 2007)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour; expanding the International Space Station while creating a classroom in space.”

STS-117 (8 June 2007)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis; to assemble the framework for the science laboratories of tomorrow!”

STS-116 (9 December 2006)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery; lighting up the night sky as we continue building the International Space Station.”

STS-115 (9 September 2006)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis; opening a new chapter in the completion of the International Space Station for the collaboration of nations in space.”

STS-121 (4 July 2006)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery; returning to the Space Station – paving the way for future missions and beyond.”

STS-114 (26 July 2005)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery; beginning America’s new journey to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

Opportunity (8 July 2003)

“Liftoff of the Delta rocket with Opportunity; a chance to explore and unlock the secrets of our neighbouring planet.”

Spirit (10 June 2003)

“Liftoff of the Delta 2 carrying the Spirit from Earth to Planet Mars.”

STS-107 (16 January 2003) †

“Liftoff of Columbia with a multitude of national and international science experiments.”

STS-113 (24 November 2002)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour; another building block for the foundation of the International Space Station.”

STS-112 (7 October 2002)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia; with a multitude of national and international space research experiments.”

STS-111 (5 June 2002)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; extending our reach while expanding our research in space.”

STS-110 (8 April 2002)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; setting in place the keystone to the Space Station’s backbone.”

STS-109 (1 March 2002)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia; to broaden our view of the universe through the Hubble Space Telescope.”

STS-108 (5 December 2001)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; pushing our goals skyward using our station in space.”

STS-105 (10 August 2001)

“Liftoff of Discovery, carrying the third crew of astronaut residents to the International Space Station.”

STS-104 (12 July 2001)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis; launching a door to partnerships in space.”

STS-100 (19 April 2001)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; extending the reach of the space station while extending partnerships above the Earth.”

Mars Odyssey (7 April 2001)

“Liftoff of a Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA on an Odyssey back to Mars.”

STS-102 (8 March 2001)

“Liftoff of Discovery, and a team of explorers shaping their destiny.”

STS-98 (7 February 2001)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis with Destiny, a science laboratory for the 21st Century.”

STS-97 (30 November 2000)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour; providing power to the station as we continue to build our future in space.”

STS-92 (11 October 2000)

“Liftoff of Discovery; making Shuttle history and building our future in space.”

STS-106 (8 September 2000)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; opening the door to a permanent human presence in space.”

STS-101 (19 May 2000)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis, a space shuttle for the 21st Century.”

STS-99 (11 February 2000)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour, on a 21st Century mission placing Earth back on the map!”
(Launched in Feb 2000 – the 20th Century, with an interesting concept of how maps work)

STS-103 (19 December 1999)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery; our mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope as we venture into the 21st Century.”

STS-93 (23 July 1999)

“Liftoff of Columbia; reaching new heights for women and X-ray astronomy”

STS-96 (27 May 1999)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery; the first mission to dock with the International Space Station.”

STS-88 (4 December 1998)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; with the first American element of the International Space Station uniting our efforts in space to achieve our common goals.”

STS-95 (29 October 1998)

“Liftoff of Discovery with six astronaut heroes and one American legend.”

STS-91 (2 June 1998)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery as NASA embarks on the final mission to dock with Russia’s Space Station Mir.”

STS-90 (17 April 1998)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia on a mission expanding our knowledge and understanding of the human nervous system.”

STS-89 (22 January 1998)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; continuing the union of U.S. and Russian space endeavors.”

STS-87 (19 November 1997)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia on a mission combining science and the practical aspects of space.”

STS-86 (25 September 1997)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; extending America’s presence in space while opening new chapters in exploration.”

STS-85 (7 August 1997)

“Liftoff of Discovery on a mission to study Planet Earth.”

STS-94 (1 July 1997)

“Liftoff of Columbia with a microgravity science laboratory; a research bridge to the International Space Station.”

STS-84 (15 May 1997)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; maintaining America’s constant presence in space.”

STS-83 (4 April 1997)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Columbia with the microgravity science laboratory, our research bridge to the space benefits of tomorrow.”

STS-82 (11 February 1997)

“Liftoff; Discovery now on its way to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.”

STS-81 (12 January 1997)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; on a Tuesday mission to dock with Russia’s orbiting outpost.”

STS-80 (19 November 1996)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Columbia; on a diversified mission of astronomy and commercial space research.”

STS-79 (16 September 1996)

“Liftoff of Atlantis; on the fourth flight to dock with the Russian Space Station.”

STS-78 (20 June 1996)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Columbia; on an international life science and microgravity mission.”

STS-77 (19 May 1996)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; to develop the practical and the beneficial aspects of space.”

STS-76 (22 March 1996)

“Liftoff of Atlantis; on the third Shuttle-Mir docking flight.”

STS-75 (22 February 1996)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Columbia; continuing space research through tether satellite technology.”

STS-72 (11 January 1996)

“Liftoff of Endeavour; in pursuit of a Japanese satellite.”

STS-74 (12 November 1995)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis with the Russian Docking Module; a threshold for world cooperation in space.”

STS-73 (20 October 1995)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Columbia; catapulting scientific knowledge through microgravity research.”

STS-69 (7 September 1995)

“Liftoff of Endeavour; on the 71st flight of the Space Shuttle on a multifaceted mission.”

STS-70 (13 July 1995)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery; to complete NASA’s constellation of tracking stations in the sky.”

STS-71 (27 June 1995)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis; on a mission that will herald a new day of international cooperation in space.”

STS-67 (2 March 1995)

“Liftoff of Endeavour; on a voyage to view the universe.”

STS-63 (3 February 1995)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery; on a mission to prepare for the next era of world cooperation in space.”

STS-66 (3 November 1994)

“Liftoff of Atlantis; on a mission to study Planet Earth.”

STS-68 (30 September 1994)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; on a mission to study the Earth’s ever-changing environment.”

STS-64 (9 September 1994)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery; developing new techniques to monitor our Earth’s environment from space.”

STS-65 (8 July 1994)

“Liftoff of Columbia on a multi-nation research flight.”

STS-59 (9 April 1994)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; observing the changes of Planet Earth.”

STS-62 (4 March 1994)

“Liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia, as NASA continues on the cutting-edge of microgravity research.”

STS-60 (3 February 1994)

“Liftoff of Discovery; on a bold new era of spaceflight between the United States and Russia.”

STS-61 (30 October 1985)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; on an ambitious mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.”

STS-58 (18 October 1993)

“Liftoff of Columbia on a life-sciences mission for Earth and space.”

STS-51 (8 November 1984)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery; launching the next generation of communication satellite technology.”

STS-57 (21 June 1993)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour; on the first Spacehab mission and the retrieval of the Eureka spacecraft.”

STS-55 (26 April 1993)

“Liftoff of Columbia on a voyage to the future.”
(at 88 miles per hour?)

STS-56 (8 April 1993)

“Liftoff of Discovery; on the second mission to Planet Earth research flight.”

STS-54 (13 January 1993)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, with NASA’s newest tracking station in the sky.”

STS-53 (2 December 1992)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery on a seven-day mission for the Department of Defense.”

STS-52 (22 October 1992)

“Liftoff of Columbia; on an ambitious 10-day international research flight.”

STS-47 (12 September 1992)

“Liftoff of Endeavour; on America’s fiftieth Space Shuttle flight.”

STS-46 (31 July 1992)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; on a mission for new utility in space.”

STS-50 (25 June 1992)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the first extended duration mission: a stepping stone to Space Station Freedom.”

STS-49 (7 May 1992)

“Liftoff of the maiden voyage of Endeavour; on a satellite rescue mission.”

STS-45 (24 March 1992)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; on a mission to Planet Earth.”
(You’d hope…)

STS-42 (22 January 1992)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and the first international microgravity laboratory.”

STS-44 (24 November 1991)

“Liftoff of Atlantis, and the six-man crew in a Department of Defense flight”

STS-48 (12 September 1991)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and the upper-atmosphere research satellite: a new era of studying the Earth’s atmosphere from space.”

STS-43 (2 August 1991)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis; on a nine-day mission to deploy the TDRS communication satellite.”

STS-40 (5 June 1991)

“Liftoff of Columbia and the first dedicated medical research flight.”

STS-39 (28 April 1991)

“Liftoff of Discovery; on a research flight for the Department of Defense.”

STS-37 (5 April 1991)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, and the Gamma Ray Observatory: seeking out the explosive forces of the universe.”

STS-35 (2 December 1990)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and ASTRO-1 for an insight into the life-cycle of the galaxy.”

STS-38 (15 November 1990)

“Liftoff of Atlantis and its crew on a classified Department of Defense flight.”

STS-41 (3 February 1984)

“Liftoff of Discovery and the Ulysses spacecraft bound for the polar regions of the sun.”

STS-31 (24 April 1990)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope: our window on the universe.”

STS-36 (28 February 1990)

“Liftoff of Atlantis and mission STS-36.”

STS-32 (9 January 1990)

“Liftoff of Columbia; a new decade of spaceflight begins.”

STS-33 (22 November 1989)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery for its Thanksgiving Day mission.”

STS-34 (18 October 1989)

“Liftoff of Atlantis and the Galileo spacecraft bound for Jupiter.”

STS-28 (8 August 1989)

“Liftoff on Columbia and its return to flight.”

STS-30 (4 May 1989)

“A new era of planetary science begins as Atlantis clears the tower.”

STS-29 (13 March 1989)

“Liftoff of STS-29 as Discovery clears the tower.”

STS-27 (2 December 1988)

“Liftoff: Atlantis begins another space voyage as it clears the tower.”

STS-26 (29 September 1988)

“Liftoff: America’s return to space as Discovery clears the tower.”

STS-51-L (28 January 1986) †

“Liftoff of the 25th Space Shuttle mission and it has cleared the tower.”

STS-61-C (12 January 1986)

“Liftoff of Columbia and Mission 61-C and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-61-B (26 November 1985)

“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle, and it has cleared the tower.”

STS-61-A (30 October 1985)

“Liftoff of Challenger and the Spacelab D-1 Mission and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-51-J (3 October 1985)

“Liftoff of Atlantis: a new orbiter joins the fleet and it has cleared the tower.”

STS-51-I (27 August 1985)

“Liftoff of 51-I and the commercial deploy and repair mission, and it has cleared the tower.”

STS-51-F (29 July 1985)

“Liftoff of Challenger and SpaceLab 2. The shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-51-G (17 June 1985)

“Liftoff of Discovery, and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-51-B (29 April 1985)

“and Challenger and Spacelab 3 is airborne and has cleared the tower.”

STS-51-D (12 April 1985)

“Liftoff of Mission 51-D and the seven-member crew of Discovery and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-51-C (24 January 1985)

“Liftoff of Discovery; the first flight totally dedicated to the Department of Defense mission.”

STS-51-A (8 November 1984)

“Liftoff of Discovery, and the first flight to retrieve and return satellites from space, and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-41-G (5 October 1984)

“and history’s largest astronaut crew is on its way.”

STS-41-D (30 August 1984)

“Liftoff of Mission 41-D and the first flight of the orbiter Discovery, and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-41-C (6 April 1984)

“Liftoff of Challenger and the first flight to repair a satellite in space.”

STS-41-B (3 February 1984)

“Liftoff of Challenger and the tenth Space Shuttle flight.”

STS-9 (28 November 1983)

“Liftoff of Columbia and the first flight of the European Space Agency’s Spacelab.”

STS-8 (30 August 1983)

“Liftoff, 32 minutes after the hour and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-7 (18 June 1983)

“Liftoff of STS-7 and America’s first woman astronaut and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-6 (4 April 1983)

“Liftoff of the orbiter Challenger and the sixth flight of the Space Shuttle.”

STS-5 (11 November 1982)

“Liftoff of the first operational Space Shuttle mission with two satellites on board and the shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-4 (27 June 1982)

“Liftoff of America’s space shuttle on its fourth mission and we have cleared the tower.”

STS-3 (22 March 1982)

“Liftoff of a new space shuttle mission. Tower cleared.”
(Unclear)

STS-2 (12 November 1981)

“Liftoff of America’s space shuttle and the space shuttle has cleared the tower.”

STS-1 (12 April 1981)

“Liftoff of America’s first space shuttle. And the shuttle has cleared the tower.”