
Orbital ATK will launch the Antares rocket early Monday morning, and it will carry a payload to the International Space Station.
Orbital ATK is getting ready to launch their Antares rocket carrying the commercial Cygnus cargo on Monday to the International Space Station. The launch will take place from Virginia’s Eastern Shore very early on Monday morning, with the launch scheduled for 4:39 a.m. Eastern time, and it should be visible from a wide area.
The mission, OA-9, will be launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, and it will deliver more than 3 tons of supplies to the ISS. It should be visible across the East Coast of the United States, as long as the weather cooperates, and you can still watch the launch webcast online thanks to NASA TV.
The mission had originally planned for Sunday, but Orbital ATK decided to postpone the launch by 24 hours over weather concerns and a need for more preflight checks. The launch will be visible from Massachusetts down to South Carolina, and as far inland as Pittsburgh.
“Orbital ATK in conjunction with NASA, has moved the Antares and Cygnus launch to NET Monday, May 21st at 4:39 a.m. EDT to support further pre-launch inspections and more favorable weather conditions. Monday shows an 80% probability of acceptable weather for launch,” reads an Orbital ATK statement. “Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Antares rocket for the seventh time from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Cygnus will deliver vital equipment, supplies and scientific equipment to the space station as part of Orbital ATK’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The Antares launch vehicle is integrated and ready for Cygnus arrival. Initial cargo has been loaded and the Cygnus spacecraft is ready for fueling. After fueling, Cygnus will move to the Horizontal Integration Facility where it will be mated to Antares and final cargo will be loaded. Fairing encapsulation will be the final activity prior to rollout to Virginia Space’s Pad 0A for launch operations.”
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