Orbital has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to supply astronauts at the orbiting outpost but has not sent any cargo in more than a year because of an Antares rocket explosion in October 2014 that destroyed its cargo ship and the thousands of pounds of supplies on board. Lousy weather already has resulted in a pair of back-to-back launch delays.
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The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the OA-4 mission was scrubbed today due to forecasted high winds. According to the Spaceflight Now website, it had been scheduled to lift off Saturday at 5:10 p.m. NY time from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and then was reset for 5:33 p.m. before the launch was suspended.
There’s a 40 percent chance of weather good enough to permit a liftoff from Launch Complex 41 during a 30-minute window that closes just before sunset. High odds of excessive winds are prevalent, giving little reason to proceed onwards.
Rocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 will launch Orbital ATK’s Cygnus™ spacecraft on the initial leg of its cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Christmas presents also are on board.In orbit, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly had to endure some teasing from his identical twin back home about the repeated delays. The picture books are part of an astronaut-in-space reading program for children.
Technical issues cropped up around the four-hour mark in the countdown, pushing the launch time to 5:33 p.m., the last possible moment for the day.
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Kelly is making NASA’s first yearlong mission.
