The Stargazer L-1011 is a unique kind of storm chaser, able to shoot NASA weather satellites into space from 39,000 feet in the air. See how this onetime Air Canada jetliner was converted to carry a very different kind of passenger: the Pegasus XL rocket, which launches satellites designed to detect the speed, magnitude, and intensity of hurricanes. Follow the Stargazer on her latest mission, one plagued by bad weather, mechanical issues, and launch delays.

Russia's mighty Volga-Dnepr Ilyushin-76 is built military-tough to deliver heavy-duty cargo around the world, but her maiden voyage into the Arctic Circle proves to be a challenge. To support summer shipping operations, follow the IL-76's attempt to airlift a multimillion-dollar fleet of trucks and trailers to the Baffinland Iron Mines in a remote part of Nunavut, Canada. It's a mission no other plane can pull off, and the Arctic will throw everything it has at the Ilyushin, from blinding polar storms to icy runways.