An Antares rocket is being prepared for launch for the first time in two years after emerging from the Horizontal Integration Facility at Wallops Island, Virginia, on Thursday evening for a one-mile trip to the launch pad.
The rocket started its journey on a self-propelled transporter around 5:12 p.m. EDT (2112 GMT) Thursday and rolled down a two-lane road and up a ramp to launch pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
Ground crews lifted the rocket vertical Friday morning, ahead of a planned launch at 8:03 p.m. EDT Sunday (0003 GMT Monday) with more than 5,100 pounds of cargo inside a Cygnus supply ship heading for the International Space Station.
The photos of the rollout posted below include views of the new RD-181 engines mounted to the base of the Antares rocket’s Ukrainian-built first stage.
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