Photos: Atlas 5 rolls out for launch

DigitalGlobe’s 360 virtual reality preview of Friday’s WorldView 4 satellite launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

The flight of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket set for Aug. 26 from Cape Canaveral continues the Delta rocket family’s countdown to retirement. With five Delta 4-Heavy missions left to launch, ULA’s chief executive Tory Bruno says there are no plans to build more as the company transitions to the next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket.

This collection of photographs shows the Air Force’s Global Positioning System 2F-12 navigation satellite being encapsulated in the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 nose cone and hoisted atop the rocket for flight on Friday morning.