DECATUR, Alabama – An Atlas V rocket that’s poised to make history emerged for the United Launch Alliance manufacturing facility in Alabama on Thursday and began a trek aboard a unique cargo ship to the legendary launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
This Atlas V’s mission targets a significant milestone –- restoring the nation’s human launch capability.
It’s set to launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on the Crew Flight Test mission to the International Space Station in what could be the first time an American-made rocket has carried U.S. astronauts to the orbiting laboratory since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.
On Thursday, the Atlas V booster stage and Dual Engine Centaur upper stage were moved down the road from ULA’s Decatur factory for loading into the Mariner cargo vessel docked nearby, NASA said.
