Atlas 5 rocket poised for Navy satellite launch

With its heaviest-ever payload at nearly 15,000 pounds mounted aboard and the Centaur upper stage going for its 200th mission, the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket stands poised at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 for liftoff to deploy the U.S. Navy's Mobile User Objective System 1 satellite.

MUOS 1 will begin constructing a new space-based constellation for global mobile communications and replacing the military's aging Ultra High Frequency Follow-On spacecraft fleet.

See our Mission Status Center for the latest news on the launch.

Photo credit: Justin Ray/Spaceflight Now