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A first-of-its-kind mission to study a fundamental
driver of space weather soon will take flight

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from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

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NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission,
or MMS, consists of a foursome of observatories

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that will fly in tight formation to provide
a three-dimensional view of magnetic reconnection.

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The MMS spacecraft will get a boost into orbit
by a powerful United Launch Alliance Atlas

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V rocket.

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Preparations for the launch began in late
October 2014 when MMS was delivered by truck

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to the Astrotech payload processing facility
in Titusville, Florida, near Kennedy Space Center.

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Their protective coverings were removed, revealing
two pairs of observatories or "mini-stacks."

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The Atlas V booster and Centaur upper stage
arrived at Port Canaveral aboard ULA's Delta

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Mariner specialized cargo ship December 18.

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They were transported to the hangar at the
Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center at Cape

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Canaveral Air Force Station.

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Solar array illumination testing on the MMS
spacecraft was wrapped up and the two mini-stacks

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were fueled in mid-January.

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Assembly of the rocket at Space Launch Complex
41 began February 4 when the first stage was

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hoisted into position inside the Vertical
Integration Facility. The rocket's two solid-fuel

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motors were installed in the following days.

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Up next was the Centaur, added on February
12. Around the same time, the MMS lower stack

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was attached to the Atlas V payload adapter.

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MMS came together on February 16 with the
build-up of the upper and lower mini-stacks.

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At this point the spacecraft were configured
for launch, paving the way for encapsulation

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inside the two-piece payload fairing on February
23.

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Finally, MMS took the last leg of its journey
on Earth: an early morning move from Astrotech

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to Space Launch Complex 41.