Video credit: NASA TV
Watch a replay of the launch Monday of an Orbital ATK Antares rocket carrying a commercial cargo craft destined for the International Space Station.
The 139-foot-tall (42.5-meter) Antares rocket lifted off at 4:44 a.m. EDT (0844 GMT) from pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Soaring to the southeast from the launch base on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, the Antares rocket shed its liquid-fueled first stage around three-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, then ignited a solid-fueled Castor 30XL second stage motor to place a Cygnus supply ship into orbit, beginning a three-day pursuit of the space station.
The Cygnus spacecraft is loaded with nearly 7,400 pounds (3,350 kilograms) of supplies and experiments for the orbiting laboratory. It’s the ninth operational resupply launch under a contract with NASA for 11 cargo flights valued at $2.89 billion.
See our Mission Status Center for details on the resupply flight.
Email the author.
Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.