Antares launch postponed 24 hours
The OA-5 Antares 230 rocket at MARS’ Pad 0A. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian / SpaceFlight Insider
The launch of Orbital ATK’s Antares 230 rocket will have to wait another 24 hours. The company announced a ground support equipment cable did not perform as expected during the pre-launch check out.
“We have spares on hand and rework procedures are in process,” a spokesperson for Wallops Flight Facility said in an email. “The Antares and Cygnus teams are not currently working any technical issues with the rocket or the spacecraft.”
The new launch time is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. EDT (23:40 GMT) Oct. 17 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad 0A.
When it does take to the skies, it will send the OA-5 Cygnus cargo ship, named S.S. Alan Poindexter, toward the International Space Station. It will arrive at the orbiting outpost Sunday, Oct. 23. On board is 5,300 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of supplies for the Expedition 49 and 50 crews.
Derek Richardson
Derek Richardson has a degree in mass media, with an emphasis in contemporary journalism, from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. While at Washburn, he was the managing editor of the student run newspaper, the Washburn Review. He also has a website about human spaceflight called Orbital Velocity. You can find him on twitter @TheSpaceWriter.
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