An Atlas 5 rocket and a Starliner crew capsule stand at pad 41 in these images taken at sunset Dec. 18.
United Launch Alliance teams rolled the 172-foot-tall (52.4-meter) Atlas 5 to Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 launch pad earlier in the day. The Atlas 5 is set for launch at 6:36 a.m. EST (1136 GMT) Friday, carrying Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft toward the International Space Station a planned eight-day shakedown mission before the capsule is cleared to carry astronauts.
ULA constructed a new crew access tower at pad 41 in preparation for Starliner crew missions. An access arm is seen in these images connected to the Starliner side hatch, providing boarding access for astronauts during launch countdowns.
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