The rocket is scheduled to launch at 5:33 p.m. The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday but was delayed due to bad weather.
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The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft onboard seen shortly after arriving at Space Launch Complex 41 on December 2, 2015, at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands ready for launch with cargo for delivery to the International Space Station on launch complex 41at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, F…
Orbital ATK bought another company’s rocket, the Atlas, for this supply mission.
Orbital ATK now holds a contract with NASA to fly 62,000 lbs. of cargo to the station over the course of 10 mission through 2018.
The next launch attempt is Saturday, although forecasters put the odds of acceptable conditions at a lowly 30 percent.
It was not immediately announced when the next launch attempt would be if the weather does not cooperate again Friday evening.
The planned launch comes after NASA suffered two catastrophic losses in less than a year of cargo vessels bound for the International Space Station.
You can watch coverage of the Cygnus launch starting at 4:30 p.m. ET directly through NASA TV or in the window embedded below.
It’s another no-go for the first space station supply run in months from the U.S. SpaceX has flown six successful cargo flights so far, with a seventh mission failing in June.
The two companies have split a $3.6 billion NASA flight contract and are competing with Sierra Nevada Corp. for a new, $3.5 billion deal that is expected to be awarded in January. The original S.S. Deke Slayton was the cargo craft lost in last year’s explosion. A second Atlas will make a supply run for Orbital in March, before the Antares is back in business.
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If all goes according to plan, in a few days, Commander Scott Kelly, who is now spending one year in space, can look forward to unloading more food supplies, clothes and plenty of science experiments – the results of which can help benefit future missions.
