Launch of Antares With Orbital’s Cygnus 1 Spacecraft Delayed

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After a launch readiness review, mission planners with Orbital Sciences Corporation have opted to delay the first flight of the company’s Cygnus 1 cargo vessel, perched atop their Antares rocket, for no earlier than Sept. 18. The launch window extends from 10:50 to 11:05 a.m. (EDT). This will be the first demonstration mission for Orbital under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract with NASA. Launch will occur at Wallops Flight Facility’s Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS).

 

The decision to delay the inaugural flight of the Cygnus spacecraft was prompted by a combination of poor weather during the rollout of the Antares rocket on Friday, Sept. 13, as well as a technical issue that was discovered during a combined systems test that was held that evening. The test involved communications between ground equipment and the rocket’s flight computer.

 

 

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