The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket was rolled out to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 on Wednesday morning, emerging from the Vertical Integration Facility assembly hangar where the two-stage rocket was put together.
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Mission Reports
SpaceX about one month away from first commercial crew test flight
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said this weekend that the company is about one month away from launching the first Crew Dragon spacecraft on an unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station, a precursor to a demonstration launch with astronauts later this year. He also warned that early test flights of the commercial crew capsule, built under contract to NASA, will be “especially dangerous.”
Atlas 5
Atlas 5 for Solar Orbiter launch returns to assembly building for inspections
United Launch Alliance moved its next Atlas 5 rocket off its Florida launch pad Wednesday for inspections after a cooling duct unexpectedly disconnected before a planned countdown rehearsal to prepare for liftoff next month with the joint U.S.-European Solar Orbiter mission. The roll back to the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 launch pad could delay Solar Orbiter’s liftoff, which was scheduled for Feb. 5