The unplanned “Happy Marriage” of United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Orbital ATK is set to give birth Sunday, Dec. 6, to a Cygnus cargo freighter bound for the International Space Station (ISS).
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On the fourth day of attempts, United Launch Alliance Atlas V launched from Brevard County Sunday afternoon with Orbital ATK’s Cygnus on board heading toward the International Space Station.
Orbital ATK will try today to launch the mission at 4:44 p.m. EST (2144 GMT) with a 30-minute launch window as NASA hopes the weather forecast would be better for acceptable conditions for launch.
Strong winds also delayed Friday’s attempt, and rainy weather postponed the initial launch bid on Thursday. High wind on Saturday forced a third delay for the first USA shipment of space station supplies since spring. Another Cygnus mission on an Atlas V will be launched in March, after which Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket will launch at least two ISS resupply missions in the second and fourth quarters of 2016.
The spacecraft is carrying the most cargo ever packed onto a barrel-shaped Cygnus, with some 3,300 kilograms of gear, including science experiments, ready-made food, a jet pack for spacewalking astronauts and even a satellite made by elementary school students. Meanwhile, Orbital bought two Atlas rocket rides from ULA to resume work under its $1.9 billion NASA contract.
A Russian Progress ship was also lost after launch in April, but ISS program managers said the astronauts were never in danger and still have several months of supplies in storage.
“It appears that maybe Mother Nature has played tricks on us once again”, reported NASA launch commentator Mike Curie. But it’s since picked up the slack, with another resupply mission scheduled just before Christmas, and Japan has chipped in as well.
The enhanced Cygnus spacecraft that launched today incorporated numerous planned upgrades of the vehicle including an extended pressurized cargo module (PCM), which enables the spacecraft to carry over 50 percent more cargo than the previous version. “#YearInSpace”, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who commands the station’s six-man crew and is flying a one-year mission to the outpost, wrote on Twitter after launch.
NASA is highly anticipating for its commercial cargo supply to be in transit again as two suppliers are grounded from the launch accidents that led to explosions in 2014, and now, the space station is in need of restocking supplies such as food and water.
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This Cygnus capsule has been named the SS Deke Slayton II, in honor of the late Mercury (and Apollo-Soyuz) astronaut. (Deke Slayton I was the capsule destroyed a year ago.) It’s due to reach the station for grappling and berthing on Wednesday.
