An Atlas V rocket may launch a military space plane Saturday morning

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  An Atlas V will attempt to launch an X-378 space plane Saturday. [credit: ULA ]

Engineers and technicians with United Launch Alliance were preparing an Atlas V rocket for launch on Saturday morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The rocket has an approximately 150-minute launch window that opens at 8:24am ET (12:24 UTC). Before sunrise, the command was issued to begin loading the Atlas V rocket with cryogenic fuels for launch.

However, there were concerns about weather. On-and-off during the early morning hours, conditions at the launch range went into "red" for cumulus clouds, and ground level winds were just above acceptable limits. Forecasters have estimated about a 40 percent chance of "go" conditions for a launch on Saturday. If this mission flies, a Falcon 9 rocket may launch just 20 hours later from the Cape, early on Sunday.

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