AEHF 2 encapsulated for launch

The U.S. Air Force's second Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite, dubbed AEHF 2, is pictured in this gallery during the mid-April process to encapsulate the craft into the Swiss-made nose cone of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at the Astrotech spacecraft preparation facility in Titusville.

The bullet-shaped shroud protects the satellite during ascent through Earth's atmosphere and then gets jettisoned from the rocket at T+plus 3 minutes and 34 seconds.

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

Photo credit: Jim Dowdall/Lockheed Martin Space Systems