Photos: Delta 4 lights up the sky for night owl launch

It’s one thing to watch a spouse blast off on a rocketship, especially when the spacecraft is making its first flight with people on board. But it’s altogether another matter when the anxious spouse is an astronaut as well.

Signs that a launch to the International Space Station is approaching are obvious this week at Cape Canaveral, with the Atlas 5 booster rocket beginning to take shape and the commercial resupply ship heading to its propellant depot.

After several delays to wait for improved weather, SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 rocket into space Saturday from California’s Central Coast with 51 small satellites, payloads, and orbital transfer vehicles from customers around the world.