Image above: The Altas V rocket remains at the pad for Friday's second launch attempt. Image credit: NASA/KSC

Spacecraft to launch Friday, August 12

The second liftoff attempt of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is set for Friday, August 12, with a launch window from 7:43 am to 9:43 am EDT.

The spacecraft is to depart from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft's trip to Mars will take 7 months, followed by a period of 6 months spent refining its orbit.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's mission is to see if long-standing bodies of water once existed on the planet. While missions like the Mars Exploration Rovers have shown that water once flowed across the planet's surface, scientists are yet to determine if it was around long enough to provide a habitat for life.

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