Rolling out on the eve of liftoff with the GOES-S weather satellite, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket journeyed 1,800 feet from its vertical assembly hangar to Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 launch pad Wednesday.
Riding a 1.4-million-pound mobile launch platform, the Atlas 5 emerged from the Vertical Integration Facility around 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) Wednesday for the trip to nearby Complex 41. Two “trackmobiles” pushed the Atlas 5 and its mobile table along dual rail tracks.
These photos show the Atlas 5’s journey to the pad, along with shots captured Wednesday evening showing the Atlas 5 at dusk.
Liftoff is scheduled for 5:02 p.m. EST (2202 GMT) Thursday at the opening of a two-hour launch window.
Read more about the launch in our Mission Status Center.
Email the author.
Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.
