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Delta 2 rocket launch - A Delta 2 rocket lifts off with an international oceanography satellite.

ESA's lifting body - Europe's re-entry demonstrator should be approved soon for blastoff in late 2013.

Crew arrives at ISS - Next space station crew docks to orbiting complex in Soyuz capsule.

Voyager finds bubbles - The Voyager spacecraft has discovered signs of giant magnetic bubbles at the solar system's outer edge.

Rosetta goes to sleep - ESA's Rosetta comet-chasing spacecraft goes into hibernation.

Shuttle photo op - Spectacular photos of shuttle Endeavour docked to the space station.

Sea Launch update - Two missions are planned this year by Sea Launch from the Pacific Ocean and Kazakhstan.

Fresh crew launched - Reinforcements for the space station crew blast off on a Soyuz rocket.

Picking a destination - NASA will decide this summer where its next Mars rover will land.

Spirit's last images - A collection of the final photos returned from NASA's Spirit rover on Mars.

Atlantis on deck - Beautiful photos of shuttle Atlantis at sunrise on the launch pad.

Endeavour home - Concluding a 16-day mission, Endeavour returns to Earth for the final time.


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Launch tower retracted at Minotaur pad
The service structure at the Kodiak Launch Complex rolled away from the Minotaur 4 rocket at about 12 p.m. local time Friday, four-and-a-half hours before the scheduled liftoff with seven small satellites for the U.S. military, NASA and university students. These images show the tower retraction and local scenery during the final countdown, including a buffalo herd that shares the facility with rocket operations.
Photo credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now











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