News Archive / Tagged: Wallops Flight Facility

• GALLERY: Alan Bean makes art – one more time

  Jason RhianNovember 2nd, 2019

  WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket successfully launched the "Alan Bean" Cygnus spacecraft at 9:59 a.m. EST (13:59 GMT) on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. The NG-12 Cygnus spacecraft and the 8,200 pounds (3,719 kg) worth of crew supplies, cargo, experiments and hardware was launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad-0A in Virginia.

• Northrop Grumman NG-12 launch could be visible four states away

  Jason RhianNovember 1st, 2019

  WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- Whenever a rocket lifts off it's a pretty dramatic event. The scheduled launch of a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket should be no exception. A NASA map suggests that the NG-12 flight could be visible from up to four states away.

• Notes on the Run: What is it like to see a rocket launch?

  Jason RhianDecember 15th, 2018

  One of the questions I'm often asked is “What’s it like attending a rocket launch?” Perhaps the best way to answer the question is by detailing some of our recent experiences during the launch of Northrop Grumman's S.S. John Young to the International Space Station.

• Forever Young: NG-10 Cygnus departs Earth, bound for the International Space Station

  Michael ColeNovember 17th, 2018

  The skies of the U.S. East Coast were lit up as an Antares rocket with the NG-10 Cygnus spacecraft tore brightly and loudly like a torch into the heavens.

• How does Northrop Grumman secure Antares during powerful storms?

  Jason RhianNovember 15th, 2018

  WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- A powerful "Nor'easter" storm that is hanging off the Atlantic Coast has caused mission managers to push back the flight an additional day. What does Northrop Grumman have in place to handle turbulent weather such as this one?

• UPDATE: Northrop Grumman preps S.S. John Young for flight to ISS

  Michael ColeNovember 14th, 2018

  The next Cygnus spacecraft is set to launch from Virginia with supplies, experiments and equipment bound for the space station's Expedition 57 crew.

• NG-10 Cygnus mission named in honor of Apollo 16’s John Young

  Jason RhianOctober 26th, 2018

  Northrop Grumman's NG-10 Cygnus spacecraft has been named in honor of an American space flight legend - John Young.

• Rocket Lab announces new launch site at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility

  Jason RhianOctober 18th, 2018

  California-based Rocket Lab has announced a new site from which it plans to fly its Electron rocket from - one based in the United States.

• OA-9 Cygnus named in honor of J.R. Thompson

  Jason RhianMay 8th, 2018

  The OA-9 Cygnus spacecraft, currently scheduled to launch on May 20 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia - has a name. Breaking with tradition of how these vehicles have been named in the past, the OA-9 Cygnus will not bear the name of a former astronaut.

• “…We shall return!” S.S. Gene Cernan lifts off from MARS’ Pad 0A

  Jason RhianNovember 12th, 2017

  WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, Va. — With no wayward pilots to ruin their efforts, NASA and Orbital ATK sent the S.S. Gene Cernan (Cygnus CRS OA-8E) to orbit atop an Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at 7:19 a.m. EST (12:19 GMT) on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, on the OA-8 mission bound for the International Space Station.

• SFI LIVE: Orbital ATK Antares with OA-8 Cygnus

  Jason RhianNovember 11th, 2017

  WALLOPS ISLAND, Va., -- NASA and Orbital ATK are planning to launch the S.S. Gene Cernan, OA-8 Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station atop an Antares 230 rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0A sometime in a five minute long launch window that opens at 7:37 a.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 11. SpaceFlight Insider's exclusive Live Show will begin at 7 a.m. EST.

• NASA sounding rocket releases artificial clouds above mid-Atlantic

  Jason RhianJune 29th, 2017

  On Thursday, June 29, after numerous delays, the early morning skies along the mid-Atlantic coast came alive with luminescent clouds as NASA checked out a new deployment system that supports science studies of the ionosphere and aurora.

• Reflections on the launch of OA-5: Remembering

  Jason RhianOctober 30th, 2016

  ABOVE PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — It was a trip meant to last about four days. When all was said and done, nine had elapsed. As most of us are aware, travel in the post-9-11 world is not what one would describe as “fun", and covering the return-to-flight of Antares had been an interesting challenge.

• Reflections on the launch of OA-5: Waiting

  Jason RhianOctober 25th, 2016

  CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — The sleepy seaside village of Chincoteague only has a population of about 3,000 and is generally a quiet restful place best known for the wild ponies who reside in the wetlands surrounding NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. The island’s peaceful nature has been interrupted over the course of the past three years with some fairly dramatic activity.

• Reflections on the launch of OA-5: Infinite Blue

  Jason RhianOctober 24th, 2016

  WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — On Monday, Oct. 10, as I sit at Orlando International Airport, I was left wondering which gods I had offended. This was one of only a handful of trips SpaceFlight Insider had opted to undertake in 2016, and it was off to a less than auspicious start.