Launch of OA-5 Cygnus slips 24 hours
Photo Credit: NASA
WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — Orbital ATK has opted to rescheduled the flight of the OA-5 Cygnus cargo spacecraft on the Antares 230 rocket. The mission had been poised to launch at 9:13 p.m. EDT Oct. 13 (01:13 GMT Oct. 4) from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad 0A.
If everything goes as it is now scheduled, Antares will roll out to the pad Wednesday, Oct. 12. The new launch date is Friday, Oct. 14, with the launch window opening at 8:51 p.m. EDT (00:51 GMT Oct. 15).
According to the Dulles, Virginia-based firm, “The Antares and Cygnus team encountered and resolved a minor vehicle processing issue over the weekend which, together with time spent on contingency planning for Hurricane Matthew, necessitated the one-day slip. This updated schedule is still subject to the completion of all remaining pre-launch testing and operational activities, as well as acceptable weather conditions prior to and during launch operations.”
If the launch takes place at the currently-scheduled time, the S.S. Alan Poindexter Cygnus spacecraft should arrive at the International Space Station around 6:05 a.m. EDT (10:05 GMT) Oct. 17.
Orbital ATK has a $1.9 billion contract under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program to send cargo, experiments and crew supplies to the orbiting lab via privately-produced launch vehicles and spacecraft.
Jason Rhian
Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.
