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The Cygnus spacecraft is on its way!

T-1 minute and counting.

The batteries aboard the Atlas V are now running the rocket’s systems.

The final steps of tonight’s countdown are taking pace at Space Launch Complex 41 as we near liftoff at 11:05:52 p.m. EDT.

Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft and the United Launch Alliance Atlas V are ready for liftoff. Launch time will be 11:05:52 as the International Space Station flies over the Bahamas 251 miles above Earth.

Tonight’s countdown remains on track for liftoff at 11:05 p.m. EDT. The launch teams will conduct their final polls to resume the countdown shortly.

Forecasters with the Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron see no chance of conditions that would threaten a launch tonight. The launch team is moving along toward a liftoff at 11:05 p.m. EDT.

This cargo resupply mission offers numerous scientific opportunities for researchers in a wide variety of areas, including an experiment that will set a large fire inside the Cygnus module toward the end of the flight. The experiment is called Saffire, short for Spacecraft Fire Experiment, and you can read more details about it here. The research is important for crew safety and is much larger than previous projects that produced tiny flames. From the full story:

“A spacecraft fire is one of the greatest crew safety concerns for NASA and the international space exploration community,” said Gary Ruff, Saffire project manager.
Saffire will involve far larger flames than previous experiments and will investigate the way fire spreads on a variety of combustible materials. Because the experiments will be conducted away from the space station, there is no risk to the astronauts aboard.
Each Saffire experiment will be remotely operated inside a 3 x 5 foot module, split into two compartments. One side of the module is an avionics bay that contains sensors, high definition video cameras and signal processing equipment. The other side contains the hardware required to ignite a large flame and burn the fabrics and materials inside.

 

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will lift the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft into orbit is the -401 version and is comprised of two stages with a 4-meter fairing covering the Cygnus to protect it during the climb through the dense lower atmosphere. The first stage, burning liquid oxygen and refined kerosene, will lift the rocket and payload off the pad and power the first four minutes, 15 seconds of flight. It will then separate, allowing the Centaur upper stage to fire for another 14 minutes to put the cargo-laden Cygnus on its correct course to catch the International Space Station. The Centaur is powered by super-cold liquid oxygen and hydrogen.

To ensure research aboard the International Space Station continues uninterrupted, NASA at the Kennedy Space Center is preparing to launch a Cygnus spacecraft to provide needed supplies to the orbiting outpost.