A gigantic Delta IV Heavy rocket is being fueled for launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as countdown clocks tick toward an early evening liftoff.
Supercold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are being pumped into propellant tanks aboard the United Launch Alliance rocket, which stands 24 stories tall and is the largest unmanned launch vehicle in the U.S. inventory.
Liftoff remains scheduled for 7:33 p.m., and mission managers are working no significant technical problems. The launch window tonight will extend to 11:33 p.m.
We'll have updates here in The Flame Trench throughout the day, so make sure to refresh this page for the latest news. We'll also webcast live United Launch Alliance television coverage of the terminal countdown and launch starting 25 minutes prior to liftoff. At that time, you'll see a video player embedded in the top item in the blog. Simply click it to launch live coverage.
We'll also send text message alerts on the status of the launch. Sign up here to receive those alerts on your cell phone.
You can learn more about the Delta IV Heavy here: Delta IV-Heavy.
The rocket will carry a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the super-secret agency which owns and operates the nation's fleet of spy satellites. Read more about the NRO here: NROL-26.
ABOUT THE IMAGE: Click to enlarge the awesome aerial shot of the Delta IV Heavy rocket at Launch Complex 37. And you can click on the enlarged image to get an even larger, more detailed view. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance/Pat Corkery.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
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