Secret satellite stacked atop Atlas 5

BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: September 14, 2014

Shrouded inside a 4-meter (13.1-foot) diameter fairing, the Lockheed Martin-built CLIO payload is set for launch Tuesday on an Atlas 5 rocket.

Its mission is being kept a secret, but officials have acknowledged the spacecraft is based on Lockheed Martin's A2100 satellite design. It will operate in an undisclosed orbit for a U.S. government customer, officials said.

The photos below show the spacecraft arriving at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad for attachment on top of the two-stage United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster.

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

Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

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