KSC-2009-4630

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. , technicians get ready to remove the overhead crane from the STSS Demonstrator SV-1 spacecraft. The spacecraft is a midcourse tracking technology demonstrator, part of an evolving ballistic missile defense system. STSS is capable of tracking objects after boost phase and provides trajectory information to other sensors. It will be launched by NASA for the Missile Defense Agency in late summer. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs (Approved for Public Release 09-MDA-4800 [30 July 09] )