NASA’s InSight mission has begun the assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) phase of its development, on track for a March 2016 launch to Mars. The lander, its aeroshell and cruise stage are being assembled by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.
“Reaching this stage that we call ATLO is a critical milestone,” said InSight Project Manager Tom Hoffman at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “This is a very satisfying point of the mission as we transition from many teams working on their individual elements to integrating these elements into a functioning system..” [More at link]