Live at KSC: Dexter moves to payload canister

Live: Refresh this page for periodic updates and the latest still images from NASA's Space Station Processing Facility. Click on the pictures for a larger views. You can also click here to play a live webcast in a 2nd smaller window. The live shots and broadcast will not come up until 20 minutes prior to the planned 5:05 p.m. EST launch.

A two-armed Canadian robot destined for the International Space station is being hoisted out of a work stand in NASA's Space Station Processing Facility so it can be loaded into a canister for a trip out to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A.

Refresh this page to see the latest still images from live video feeds in the $70 million processing facility. You should be able to see sequential still video of the move.

The Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator is scheduled to be launched aboard shuttle Endeavour on March 11. It is a key part of the Canadian Space Agency's contribution to the International Space Station.

Dubbed Dexter, the two-armed robot will be stationed outside the international outpost, where it will be used to perform maintenance tasks that otherwise would have to be done by spacewalking astronauts. Dexter is being loaded into a canister that is shaped like the shuttle's cargo bay. The canister will be transported to launch pad 39A later this week.