Space Shuttle mating to launch rockets. Time-lapse footage of a Space Shuttle handled by a bridge crane and mated to its launch rockets in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. The VAB is where NASA's largest launch systems are assembled. The Space Shuttles were brought here after being prepared at the nearby Orbiter Processing Facility. They were then lifted by a bridge crane (yellow) and mated with their external tank (orange) and booster rockets (white). The bridge cranes are capable of lifting 325 tons. The Space Shuttle program operated from 1981 to 2011. The arrival of the Space Shuttle in the VAB is shown in clip K005/7116.