Unsafe wind again stalls launch of space station supplies

The launching mission will be operated by the private United States space firm Orbital ATK, NASA said. Forecasters say there’s only a 20 percent chance the weather will cooperate. According to the Spaceflight Now website, it had been scheduled to lift off Saturday at 5:10 p.m. NY time from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and then was reset for 5:33 p.m. before the launch was suspended.

After the initial delay, the second attempt to send the Cygnus spacecraft back into orbit was once again cancelled due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Orbital ATK will try again on Sunday at 4.44 p.m. (local time) with a 30-minute launch window.

When the Atlas does take to the skies, it will mark NASA’s return to sending cargo to the International Space Station.

Shipper Orbital ATK is using another company’s rocket, the venerable Atlas V, for this grocery run. About one-third of Cygnus’ haul are supplies for science experiments that are conducted in space.

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.

If successfully launched, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s commercial cargo flights to the station will restart, ending its dependence on Russian and Japanese rockets.

The latest launch will mark Cygnus’ fourth cargo trip for NASA and the spacecraft’s first flight since October 2014.

The Cygnus is an unmanned spacecraft. The company expects the new rocket to be ready for space flight by the middle of next year.