Sunset view of Orbital ATK Cygnus CRS-4 spacecraft at Space Launch Complex 41 poised for blastoff to ISS on ULA Atlas V on December 3, 2015 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
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NASA’s commercial resupply program was re-launched Sunday as an Atlas V rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral carrying a Cygnus spacecraft full of supplies for the International Space Station.
There have been three failed attempts since Thursday last week and after launch windows delayed on Thursday and Friday, launch directors and managers have only been anticipating a 20 percent chance of good weather conditions and chose to stop the countdown three hours before the countdown on Saturday before fueling the Atlas V rocket of United Launch Alliance.
Eight months after Orbital’s explosion, SpaceX, the other company NASA relies on to ferry cargo to the station, also saw its rocket explode.
Orbital ATK arranged to use United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket while it upgrades its Antares rocket, which failed due to a problem with its reconditioned Ukrainian engine. In October 2014, an Orbital Antares rocket packed with thousands of pounds of supplies exploded seconds after takeoff. Cygnus will deliver vital equipment, supplies and scientific experiments to the ISS as part of its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.
“This launch begins a high tempo of cargo resupply missions supporting the International Space Station”, said Culbertson. It has more than 3,500 kilos of food, clothing, computer gear, spacewalk equipment, science experiments and other supplies for the research laboratory circling 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth. The Cygnus is carrying more than 7,000 pounds of cargo.
Following two scrubs and a three day due to intense and wide spread rain squalls and excessive blustery winds, the third time is hopefully the charm for the Orbital ATK Cygnus resupply ship set for blastoff atop the venerable ULA Atlas V booster. Orbital ATK also provides a critical service by providing large-volume pressurized disposal cargo, a unique capability among America’s commercial cargo providers.
That is nearly as much cargo as Orbital delivered during a test flight and its two successful cargo missions. Nasa aims to keep the supply cushion at six months.
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“It is our future”, Shireman stressed last week.
