Photos: Atlas 5 launches navigation craft from Cape Canaveral

A Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship arrive at the International Space Station Monday carrying around 4.1 tons of supplies, experiments and small research CubeSats. The automated spacecraft was captured by the station’s robotic arm at 4:10 a.m. EST (0910 GMT) Monday to close out a two-day flight from a launch pad in Virginia.

A top secret payload developed in secrecy for the U.S. government is set to ride into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday.

After several delays earlier this week, SpaceX conducted a hold-down test-firing of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Friday evening in a key test before launch next week on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.