Rob Garner – Page 6 – Northrop Grumman

Update on Bermuda Tracking Station

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport are set to support the launch of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket at 8:03 p.m. EDT, Oct. 16.

The NASA tracking station in Bermuda received minor damage from Hurricane Nicole when it passed over the island Oct. 13, 2016. Repairs to the station have been made and the team is currently readying to support the launch.

upright rocket on pad. — The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft aboard. **Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls**

The Bermuda site provides tracking, telemetry and flight terminations support for Antares launches from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Final testing is scheduled to be conducted the morning of Oct. 15 prior to the launch readiness review later that day.

Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket will launch the company’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft, loaded with some 5,100 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware bound for the International Space Station. Antares will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport pad 0A at Wallops.

As of 3:30 p.m. EDT on Oct. 14, the latest forecast from the Wallops Weather Office has conditions for the Sunday evening launch at 95 percent “go.”

The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout the east coast of the United States. Local public viewing of the launch will be available at the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops and Robert Reed Park on Chincoteague Island or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. Assateague Island National Seashore/Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia will not be open for viewing the launch.

Antares Roll-Out Photo Gallery

Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 2016. Antares, with its Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, arrived at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s pad 0A a few hours later. The distance between the HIF and the launch pad is roughly a half-mile.

Antares rocket roll-out from Wallops HIF to MARS launch pad on Oct. 13, 2016 — Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

More roll-out photos are available on NASA’s Flickr page. The International Space Station-bound Antares is currently scheduled for launch no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8:03 p.m. EDT.

Antares Rolling out to Launch Pad; 72-Hour Weather Forecast Announced

Antares rocket rolls out of the NASA Wallops HIF on Oct. 13, 2016. Credit: NASA — Antares rocket rolls out of the NASA Wallops HIF on Oct. 13, 2016. **Credit: NASA**

This graphic depicts the maximum elevation the Antares rocket will appear above the horizon for skywatchers in the Mid-Atlantic. For example, a viewer in Pittsburg would not expect to see the rocket appear higher in the sky than five degrees above the horizon (about the width of three fingers held at arm's length). A viewer in . Credit: Orbital ATK — This graphic depicts the maximum elevation the Antares rocket will appear above the horizon for skywatchers in the Mid-Atlantic. For example, a viewer in Pittsburg would not expect to see the rocket appear higher in the sky than five degrees above the horizon (about the width of three fingers held at arm’s length). **Credit: Orbital ATK**

Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket began rolling out of the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 2016. Launch of the Antares, with its Cygnus cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station, is currently scheduled for no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16. Antares will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s pad 0A at NASA Wallops, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore near Chincoteague.

The launch window on Oct. 16 opens at 8:03 p.m. EDT. The latest forecast from the Wallops Weather Office predicts warmer than average weather for Sunday evening. Mid- and upper-level cloudiness will increase over the Wallops region Sunday evening, as a weak cold front approaches the northern Mid-Atlantic. The main weather concern for the launch appears to be a low chance of thick clouds, and weather is currently 95 percent go.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Nicole is still affecting Bermuda, where NASA maintains a tracking station integral to launches from Wallops.

Cygnus will carry about 5,100 pounds of cargo, including crew supplies and vehicle hardware, to the space station, to support dozens of science and research investigations.

Antares Launch Viewing Map

Orbital ATK has produced a visibility map for the company’s next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8:03 p.m. EDT.

Ability to see the launch may be possible throughout the Mid-Atlantic, depending on location, elevation and local weather conditions.

Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft will launch aboard the company’s Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport launch pad at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Atlantic Storm System Delays NASA Resupply Launch to Space Station

NASA and its partner Orbital ATK have postponed the launch of the company’s next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station to no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, as the agency prepares for Tropical Storm Nicole at its tracking site in Bermuda.

A Sunday launch would occur at 8:03 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, with a five-minute window.

Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft arrived on Oct. 2, 2016 at the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for mating with the Antares rocket. Cygnus is scheduled to launch on the Antares rocket at 8:03 p.m. EDT, Oct. 16, 2016, carrying about 5,100 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA — Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft arrived on Oct. 2, 2016 at the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for mating with the Antares rocket. Cygnus is scheduled to launch on the Antares rocket at 8:03 p.m. EDT, Oct. 16, 2016, carrying about 5,100 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. **Credit: NASA**

As the spacecraft’s trajectory takes it from Wallops and past Bermuda on its flight into orbit, the Bermuda tracking station provides downrange tracking, telemetry and flight termination support. Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to reach Bermuda as a hurricane Thursday, Oct. 13.

Forecast from the National Hurricane Center of Hurricane Nicole's path, as of the afternoon of Oct. 11. Credit: NHC/NOAA — Forecast from the National Hurricane Center of Hurricane Nicole’s path, as of the afternoon of Oct. 11. Credit: NHC/NOAA

“The tracking station at Bermuda is required to conduct the Antares launch from Wallops,” said Steven Kremer, chief of the Wallops Range and Mission Management Office. “The ability to support a launch will depend on the impact the storm has on not only our systems, but also the overall Bermuda infrastructure.”

After the storm system has passed Bermuda, the Wallops team will conduct a damage assessment, perform mission readiness testing, and bring the site back up to operational status.

NASA’s full statement
Orbital ATK’s statement

New Launch Date Selected: Oct. 14

Photo of Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft, courtesy Orbital ATK.

Orbital ATK has rescheduled the launch of the OA-5 CRS mission for Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. The updated schedule now includes roll-out of the Antares rocket to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport launch pad at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Liftoff of the Antares rocket on Oct. 14 is planned for 8:51 p.m. (EDT), with the rendezvous of the Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft with the International Space Station expected at approximately 6:05 a.m. (EDT) on Monday, Oct. 17.

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.

Read Orbital ATK’s statement

Orbital ATK Sets Oct. 13 Antares Launch Date

NASA and Orbital ATK successfully completed a pre-launch Flight Readiness Review (FRR) and established a targeted launch date of Oct. 13, 2016, for the OA-5 cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. In preparation for the mission, final integration of the company’s Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket is now underway, with roll out to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore anticipated to take place on Oct. 11.

Antares rocket at night — File photo of Antares rocket from 2014. Image credit: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

For an Oct. 13 launch, liftoff is scheduled at 9:13 p.m. EDT and will be visible along the East Coast depending on atmospheric conditions. This schedule is subject to completion of all remaining pre-launch integration and testing activities and acceptable weather conditions prior to and during launch operations.

Latest update from Orbital ATK

New Target Dates Set for Orbital ATK Resupply Launch from Virginia

File Photo of Antares Launch — Antares rocket launches from Wallops Island in 2014. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Orbital ATK is targeting no earlier than Oct. 9-13, 2016, for the launch of its Cygnus spacecraft on an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, carrying cargo to the International Space Station. A more specific date will be identified after completion of final operational milestones and technical reviews. Launch times range from 10:47 p.m. EDT Sunday, Oct. 9, to 9:13 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13.

This will be the sixth planned cargo resupply mission by Orbital ATK under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract with the company and the fourth launch from Virginia. Cargo resupply by U.S. companies enables a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new science investigations aboard the world’s only microgravity laboratory.

Get more information about Orbital ATK, its Antares rocket and the Cygnus cargo spacecraft at:

https://www.nasa.gov/orbital

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

Antares’ Return to Flight Targeted for September

File photo of Antares rocket from preparations for a launch in April 2013. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Orbital ATK completed a stage test at the end of May and final data review has confirmed the test was successful, clearing the way for the Antares return to flight. Simultaneously, the company has been conducting final integration and check out of the flight vehicle that will launch the OA-5 mission to ensure that all technical, quality and safety standards are met or exceeded.

Due to a variety of interrelated factors, including the company’s continuing processing, inspection and testing of the flight vehicle at Wallops Island, and NASA’s scheduling of crew activities on the International Space Station in preparation for upcoming cargo and crew launches, Orbital ATK is currently working with NASA to target a window in the second half of September for the launch of the OA-5 mission. A more specific launch date will be identified in the coming weeks.

To date, Orbital ATK has carried out five cargo logistics mission for NASA under the COTS and CRS programs.

Cygnus Media Day at NASA Wallops

Media got a close-up look at Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft, packed with cargo for the International Space Station Tuesday, June 7, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Reporters talked with International Space Station Deputy Director Robyn Gatens and Dan Tani, mission and cargo operations senior director with Orbital ATK, about the space agency’s efforts to send supplies to the space station using commercial companies.

Dan Tani, senior director of Orbital ATK mission and cargo operations in front of Cygnus Cargo Module — Dan Tani, senior director of Orbital ATK mission and cargo operations, discusses Cygnus capabilities with reporters during a media day June 7, 2016, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Credit: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

Orbital ATK will make its fifth Cygnus cargo delivery to the space station this summer under its Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The agency and Orbital ATK currently are targeting July for launch of the company’s Antares rocket from Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at Wallops.

Orbital ATK specialists at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia load the Cygnus cargo module with supplies for the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black — Orbital ATK specialists at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia load the Cygnus cargo module with supplies for the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

Orbital ATK technicians load Cygnus — Credit: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

Cygnus Cargo Module — Orbital ATK technicians mate the Cygnus pressurized cargo module to the program command module during integration operations. Orbital ATK anticipates a July 2016 launch from Wallops to resupply the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

During the media event Orbital ATK announced that they will name this Cygnus spacecraft the S.S. Alan Poindexter, to honor the memory of former astronaut and Navy aviator Capt. Alan Poindexter. More information on the next Cygnus mission is available from Orbital ATK at http://go.nasa.gov/1RZdEuy.