AEHF 2 hoisted atop its Atlas launcher

The U.S. Air Force's second Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite, dubbed AEHF 2, is hoisted into the open doorway at the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 for attachment atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on April 23.

The ultra-secure communications spacecraft is tucked inside the bullet-shaped nose cone that 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: United Launch Alliance