After days of weather delays, the Delta IV Heavy rocket that will launch NASA's Orion capsule into orbit later this year for its first test run in space was rolled out late Tuesday.

The rocket made it to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station just before 10 p.m. Days of constant rain in Brevard County pushed back the rollout multiple times.

Crews began lifting the rocket into its vertical launch position around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The arrival of the Delta IV Heavy rocket to the launch pad is another step toward getting American astronauts back to space from U.S. soil, instead of relying on Russian Soyuz rockets for rides into orbit.

The Orion spacecraft, itself, won't be transported to Launch Complex 37 until mid-November, when it will be hoisted atop the rocket for its first test flight, currently scheduled to launch Dec. 4.

If the test proves to be a success, NASA said it plans to launch its first manned Orion flight by 2020.