skewed plume) lifts off with the OSIRIS-REx mission on September 8."/>

UPDATE: The Atlas V 411 rocket lifted off successfully at 7:05pm ET and has delivered the asteroid-hunting spacecraft into a hyperbolic trajectory away from Earth. The listing image showcases the skewed thrust required to keep the rocket with a single strap-on booster stabilized.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Atlas V rocket is the "workhorse" that will get NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft into space this evening, and on the way to the distant asteroid Bennu. But for aerospace aficionados, tonight's launch vehicle is of great interest in and of itself. That's because the 7:05pm ET (12:05pm BST) launch from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 launch pad offers the rare opportunity to see the 411 configuration of the Atlas V rocket in action.

The Atlas V 411 variant, with just a single strap-on solid booster, has flown only three times previously, and just once from Cape Canaveral back in 2006. The other two launches, in 2008 and 2011, were national security payloads that flew from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Los Angeles. Up to five strap-on boosters can be added to an Atlas V launch vehicle, but it makes sense to only pay for the power you need. For the Bennu-bound spacecraft, which will get a gravity assist from Earth in one year, just one booster is required.

As there is only poor quality video of the non-classified 2006 launch, tonight offers a viewing opportunity for people to see an Atlas V 411 fly with unprecedented clarity. And it should be quite a show. With just a single strap-on booster, the rocket will have to gimbal its main engine, the RD-180, during the initial ascent to account for the lack of symmetry. Fortunately the RD-180 engine, with its two nozzles, can gimbal (or pivot) up to 8 degrees during full thrust. You will be able see this skewed thrust during liftoff, which should look quite awkward but is nonetheless well grounded in rocket science.

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

Tonight's launch window opens at 7:05pm ET (12:05pm BST) and lasts until 9pm. The launch will be the 111th one conducted by United Launch Alliance, which has a perfect record of primary mission success. It will take the NASA spacecraft about two years to reach Bennu and, after some 500 days of observations, OSIRIS-REx will swoop in toward the asteroid to grab a sample in July, 2020. If all goes well, the spacecraft will return to Earth in 2023 with half a kilogram or so of pristine asteroid material.