Category: Cygnus

Cameras on the second stage captured this image of the Cygnus spacecraft separating from the rocket into orbit.

The Antares is a two-stage rocket: the first powered by a pair of liquid-fueled engines made by Aerojet and the second stage a solid-propellant motor built by ATK. Here’s a look at the first stage structure and second stage, both courtesy of Orbital Sciences:

NASA partnered with Orbital Sciences to develop the Cygnus cargo spacecraft for commercial missions to resupply the International Space Station. You can find out more details about the partnership here and in this fact sheet.

 

A look at the Antares rocket on Pad-0A at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia this morning via NASA TV. Orbital Sciences reports its testing and other countdown activities are proceeding normally. Launch time is 10:50 a.m. EDT.

The countdown is on and running smoothly at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops, Va. ahead of this morning’s launch of the Orbital Sciences Cygnus spacecraft on an Antares rocket. Continuous coverage on this NASA Launch Blog begins at 10:15 a.m. leading up to the 10:50 a.m. liftoff.

The weather forecast for today’s launch opportunity calls for a 75 percent chance of acceptable conditions at Wallops Flight Facility at launch time. The concern is for low clouds.

Orbital Sciences designed this logo for the launch of its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft. The design shows the rocket and the Cygnus spacecraft, along with the International Space Station. It also shows the Virginia launch site’s location with a star on a map.

Orbital Sciences teams rolled the Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft to Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Saturday. Take a look at this Antares/Cygnus time-lapse video of the trip from the hangar to standing up the rocket at the pad.

We are one day from the launch of an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket on a mission to demonstrate cargo delivery to the International Space Station with the company’s Cygnus spacecraft. Launch time is 10:50 a.m. EDT from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Our coverage of the countdown begins at 10:15 a.m. EDT. You can find out more about the Antares rocket here and the Cygnus spacecraft here.

Here’s what Pad 0A looks like today with the Antares in place, courtesy of NASA photographer Bill Ingalls:

 

The Orbital Sciences Antares rocket carrying the company’s Cygnus spacecraft stands at Pad 0A at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Friday. Launch remains on track for Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 11:16 a.m. EDT. Cygnus will deliver about 1,300 pounds of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew aboard the International Space Station. The astronauts on the station will capture and install the spacecraft Sept. 22 using the station’s robotic arm. The NASA Launch Blog will begin continuous coverage of the countdown and liftoff beginning at 10:45 a.m. on launch day.