Live coverage: Atlas 5 countdown and launch journal

A nearly three-month stoppage of on-site work due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus at NASA’s Marshall Space Fight Center in Alabama is expected to push back the launch of the IXPE X-ray astronomy satellite from May 2021 until some time later next year, a senior space agency official said.

The International Space Station crew releases the Cygnus OA-7 commercial cargo ship from the Canadian robotic arm to begin free-flight away from the lab complex, completing 43-day visit that delivered supplies, food and science gear.

Loaded with over 7,300 pounds of goods for the International Space Station, a commercial Cygnus cargo vessel was mounted atop its Atlas 5 rocket booster Friday for launch Dec. 3.