Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on the NROL-35 mission with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
Atlas 5
Preview: NASA science-enabling relay satellite poised for launch
Resembling a cocooned insect with antennas and appendages tucked snuggly to its body for launch, NASA’s latest communications relay hub will be shot into space Friday to blossom in geosynchronous orbit for routing signals to and from the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope and three dozen science observatories.
