Rocket Launch On Saturday [Postponed Again]

[Updated - launch scrubbed] A US company may try to launch the maiden test flight of its new rocket — which will be visible from Bermuda as it streaks into space — on Saturday [April 20] after a last-minute glitch thwarted a first attempt earlier this week.

The Dulles-based company Orbital Sciences Corp. initially tried to launch the new Antares rocket from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration [NASA] Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Wednesday.

But officials called off the attempt when a data cable that relays commands to the rocket’s onboard computer popped loose from the booster 12 minutes before the scheduled lift off.

“We are still examining all of the data, but it appears that the issue is fairly straightforward,” Orbital executive vice president Frank Culbertson, a former astronaut and head of Orbital’s advanced programmes group, said in a statement. “With this being the first launch of the new system from a new launch facility we have taken prudent steps to ensure a safe and successful outcome.

The launch team originally planned to launch the rocket today, however due to the weather forecast decided to wait out Friday’s weather and aim for launch at 6pm Bermuda time on Saturday. Earlier this week officials said Bermuda residents “will likely have a clear view of Antares as it rockets by.”

Orbital Science Corps. promotional video on the Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft

The two-stage Antares rocket is 131 feet tall and will launch toward the southeast out over the Atlantic Ocean and towards Bermuda on its inaugural mission.

The Antares test flight will carry a mock payload, called a “mass simulator,” to mimic Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft which is designed to re-supply the International Space Station.  Orbital Sciences is one of two companies with a commercial cargo delivery contract with NASA..

Update Apr 20, 5.57pm: NASA said the Antares launch for today has been scrubbed due to upper wind conditions. The next launch attempt will be tomorrow at 6pm Bermuda time.

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