ULA rocket arrives on Space Coast from Alabama factory

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - It was a symbolic and important moment for The Boeing Company and for manned space missions, as a rocket booster arrived on Space Coast on Wednesday. 

The booster was made in Alabama and came to Cape Canaveral on a cargo ship. It will carry United Launch Alliance's Starliner capsule, a competitor of SpaceX.

“It’s another milestone on the way to reclaiming that ability to be able to send humans to the International Space Station,” said Josh Barrett, a Boeing spokesman.

ULA hopes it will make history. The booster was manufactured in Decatur, Alabama. Other parts of the system come from there too. To transport the pieces to Space Coast, that literally involves a slow boat. But the company is excited because it says now things will start to move quicker -- the parts are where they need to be.  They are assembled at a ULA facility near their launch site.

“This is the Atlas 5 booster, that’s also known as the first stage, it’s got a kerosene burning and oxygen engine on it,” Barrett said.