Volga-Dnepr has transported an Atlas 5 rocket booster to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for a scheduled mission to Mars.
The An-124-100 ‘Ruslan’ flew the 32-meter long rocket booster from Huntsville, Alabama, to its final launch location on May 18.
In addition to the over-length piece, Volga-Dnepr also transported payload fairings and RD-180 engines for the special mission.
After unloading the cargo, launch service provider United Launch Alliance moved the rocket into the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center for post-shipment checks.
The high profile delivery signaled the start of a new phase of launch preparations for the Perseverance Rover, the centerpiece of NASA’s $2.5bn Mars 2020 mission.
The launch is scheduled at 9:10am on July 17.
Damian has been writing about the freight and logistics industry since 2007 when he joined International Freighting Weekly to cover the shipping sector. After a stint in PR, he went on to work for Containerisation International and Lloyd’s List - where he was editor of container shipping - before joining Air Cargo News in 2015.View full profile
