Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
CAPE CANAVERAL – A new spacecraft will be launched by NASA next week to study the upper atmosphere of Mars.
At Launch Complex 41, the Atlas V rocket carrying the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility on schedule. First motion was at 9:57 a.m. It reached the launch pad 20 minutes later and was secured in position at 10:35 a.m. All prelaunch work is complete except spacecraft battery charging, which will be underway until the launch countdown picks up at 6:28 a.m. Monday. The weather forecast is unchanged with a 40 percent chance of not meeting the launch weather criteria primarily due to cloud conditions.
