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Bad Weather scrubbed Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Launch
Posted On Dec 04 2015
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It’s the first launch for Orbital since the company’s Antares rocket exploded on the launchpad last October, so the pressure to succeed is particularly high.
Today’s weather outlook does not appear to be much better, with only a 30 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time. They will try again on Saturday at about 4 p.m. (CST).
Rain, thick clouds and wind all will be watched closely.
Launch Notes: OA-4 will mark the 60th launch of the Atlas V and the 30th launch in the 401 configuration.
An uncrewed, privately-built, cargo-carrying spacecraft loaded down with thousands of pounds of supplies for NASA is expected to launch atop a commercial rocket to the International Space Station Friday, after bad weather delayed its first launch attempt Thursday.
The six space station astronauts have gone without US shipments since April. This caused the flight of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket with Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft to be scrubbed. Orbital ATK plans to return its Antares rockets to flight in 2016. This new experiment will look into the possible causes of this arterial stiffening, to help protect the health of astronauts and to potentially benefit people on Earth as well. Orbital is competing against privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, and Sierra Nevada Corp for follow-on station cargo delivery contracts, now due to be awarded in January. SpaceX, the other supplier, suffered a launch failure in June.
Cygnus is on a mission to deliver 3,300 kiligrams (almost 6,614 pounds) of supplies to the International Space Station.
Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch,twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #Cygnus, #OA4 and #AtlasV.
The launch is going to be crucial for Cygnus as the spacecraft has not flown since a year ago. Expect the approach and birthing of the spacecraft to be featured on NASA TV.
