Photos: Atlas 5 rocket aims for International Space Station

Watch a time-lapse video of the Falcon 9 rocket being lifted upright at launch complex 39A in readiness for another launch attempt on a commercial space station resupply mission.

NASA’s Perseverance rover will depart Cape Canaveral Thursday on a $2.7 billion mission to Mars, carrying with it the first interplanetary aircraft, sophisticated instruments to search for signs of ancient life, and drill to core samples for eventual return to Earth.

The newest Global Positioning System replenishment satellite went into operation Tuesday night, five weeks after ascending to space from Cape Canaveral atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.