File:KSC-05-S-00147 (ksc 052405 mro spacecraft).webm

English: NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO spacecraft, has arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a C-17 cargo plane to prepare it for an exciting journey to Mars. The MRO mission will give researchers an unprecedented look at the red planet's atmosphere and subterranean environment in greater detail than any previous orbiter. It is the next major step in Mars exploration. The spacecraft was delivered to Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and gingerly unpacked from its protective crate. It was carefully lowered onto a specially designed processing table for assembly and testing. 'Bunny-suited' technicians, dressed to keep the environment and craft incredibly clean, carefully install the solar arrays and instrumentation. Testing this month will verify the MRO's ability to communicate through NASA's Deep Space Network tracking stations. It will also undergo mechanical assembly operations and electrical tests for flight readiness. The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, and is scheduled for launch later this year from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, aboard an Atlas V rocket. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission is an important step in fulfilling the Vision for Space Exploration, ultimately sending human explorers to Mars and beyond.