MAVEN on Its Way
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft on a 10-month journey to the Red Planet.
The Centaur upper stage has restarted its RL-10A-4-2 engine, ending the coast phase and ensuring NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is placed on its path to Mars.

MAVEN launched at 1:28 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Mars-bound spacecraft is embarking on a mission to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere, where it will investigate how the loss of atmospheric gases to space determined the history of water on the surface.

Join our live commentary and ascent coverage on NASA's Launch Blog at http://blogs.nasa.gov/maven and on NASA Television at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.