CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Jan. 20, 2015) - KENNEDY SPACE CENTER – Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex guests at the Apollo/Saturn V Center inside Kennedy Space Center experienced the unforgettable sights, sounds and earth-shaking vibrations of a nighttime Atlas V rocket launch at 8:04 p.m. EST. The rocket blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

 The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carries the MUOS-3 satellite. MUOS-3, or Mobile User Objective System, is the third in a series of U.S. Navy next-generation satellite communications systems designed to improve the quality of ground communications for U.S. forces on the move. This marks ULA's first launch of 2015 and the 52nd launch of the Atlas V rocket.

“It's overwhelming. You get, you know, all your senses. You get the sights, the sounds. We spend so much time on YouTube, on social media, and everything is kind of out there, and we forget that you can actually, still feel things and sense things in a personal experience, said Marguerite Cook, of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. 

The launch tonight is one of numerous rocket launches taking place at Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station each year, carrying not only NASA science missions and government satellites, but also testing commercial space endeavors such as SpaceX.

First Quarter 2015 Rocket Launch Schedule (schedule subject to change):

Feb. 8, 6:10 p.m.         SpaceX Falcon 9 launch, Deep Space Climate Observatory

March 12 10:44 p.m.   Atlas V, Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

March 25 2:36 p.m.     Delta IV, Global Positioning Satellite IIF-9

A list of upcoming launches, launch-related activities and other special events are available online at www.KennedySpaceCenter.com/events or by calling 866-737-5235.

 About Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex brings to life the epic story of the U.S. space program, offering a full day or more of fun and educational activities, including the Kennedy Space Center Tour featuring the Apollo/Saturn V Center with an actual Saturn V moon rocket, the new Space Shuttle AtlantisSM, Shuttle Launch Experience®, IMAX® Hubble 3D and Journey to Space films, Astronaut Encounter,Exploration Space®: Explorers Wanted, Rocket Garden and many other interactive exhibits. Admission also includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®, featuring historic spacecraft and the world's largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia, which opens daily at noon and closing times vary by season. Only 45 minutes from Orlando, Fla., Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. with closing times varying by season.  Admission is $50 + tax for adults and $40 + tax for children ages 3-11. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers annual passes starting at $75 + tax for adults and $60 + tax for children ages 3-11. For more information, call 877-313-2610 or visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.

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Media Contact:

Andrea Farmer, 321-449-4318, afarmer@delawarenorth.com

Nancy Glasgow, 407-375-2433, nancy@bitner.com