Resupply Mission of ISS is delayed due poor weather conditions

According to Orbital Sciences, the launch was originally scheduled for 5:55 pm EST and no technical difficulties were reported.

Gather ’round, all ye space nerds (myself included) – today (Dec. 3), NASA will send 7,700 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The spaceship was scheduled to launch on Thursday, but now the next opportunity will be on Friday.

If all goes well, astronauts will use the station’s robotic arm to grab the cargo capsule on Sunday. “The forecast tomorrow calls for a 30% chance of acceptable conditions at launch time”, NASA reported. Orbital ATK says that until the Antares returns to service in 2016, future Cygnus missions will rely on the ULA Atlas V rocket. Slayton is carrying over 3 tons of equipment and supplies for the astronauts on ISS. Launch failures, one in October 2014 and the other in June, grounded both of its suppliers.

The ISS and her six person crew can not live and work on the station and fully utilize its research function without a steady stream of resupply missions.

“The winds were just a couple of knots too high, so we just didn’t feel comfortable launching tonight”, said Vernon Thorp, the NASA programs manager for United Launch Alliance, whose Atlas V rocket is carrying the Orbital payload aloft.

The two companies have split a $3.6 billion NASA flight contract and are competing with Sierra Nevada Corp. for a new, $3.5 billion deal that is expected to be awarded in January.

The launch is going to be crucial for Cygnus as the spacecraft has not flown since previous year.

It was followed 8 months later by a SpaceX rocket explosion, and the consecutive accidents effectively shut off the flow of USA supplies to astronauts in orbit. Since then, the Russians have successfully launched two Progress missions and Japan launched one of its large HTV cargo ships.

Launch Notes: OA-4 will mark the 60th launch of the Atlas V and the 30th launch in the 401 configuration.