Follow the key events of the Antares rocket’s ascent into orbit from launch pad 0A at Wallops Island, Va., carrying a Cygnus supply ship with cargo for the International Space Station.
T+0:00:00: Main Engine Ignition
The Antares rocket’s two AJ26 engines ignite on the launch pad.
T+0:00:02.1: Liftoff
Producing about 730,000 pounds of thrust, the rocket’s two main engines propel the 139-foot-tall Antares rocket into the sky.
T+0:03:54: Main Engine Cutoff
After consuming its supply of kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants, the Antares first stage shuts down at an altitude of about 62 miles.
T+0:04:00: Stage Separation
The first stage separates from the second stage, which begins a 41-second coast phase.
T+0:04:29: Fairing Jettison
After flying out of the dense lower atmosphere, the Antares rocket jettisons its clamshell-like 12.8-foot-diameter payload fairing.
T+0:04:34: Interstage Jettison
The interstage adapter connecting the first and second stages is jettisoned.
T+0:04:41: Second Stage Ignition
The rocket’s solid-fueled Castor 30XL second stage ignites at an altitude of 87 miles, ramping up to a maximum power of 120,000 pounds of thrust during a 166-second burn.
T+0:07:27: Second Stage Burnout
The Castor 30XL second stage burns out after reaching a target orbit with a perigee of 128 miles, an apogee of 183 miles, and an inclination of 51.64 degrees.
T+0:09:27: Cygnus Separation
The Antares rocket’s second stage deploys the Cygnus spacecraft in orbit.
Ground crews transferred an Antares rocket out of an assembly building to a launch pad on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in a major step before liftoff on Orbital Sciences’ third flight to resupply the International Space Station.
Skywatchers along the U.S. East Coast have a chance of getting a unique light show from Monday evening’s launch of an Antares rocket from Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
The first pair of new Russian main engines for Orbital ATK’s modernized Antares rocket has arrived at the company’s Virginia launch base as engineers prepare to return the commercial booster to flight after a catastrophic failure last year.
