Remote cameras launch of first Cygnus flight to space station

The second Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket lifted off Wednesday at 10:58 a.m. EDT (1458 GMT) from launch pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the Virginia coast.

The 131-foot-tall rocket, powered by two Russian engines built for the Soviet moon program in the 1970s, made an Earth-rattling ascent into a clear, topaz sky, disappearing in the glare of the morning sun as it accelerated southeast from U.S. East Coast.

The rocket deployed the Orbital Sciences Cygnus spacecraft to begin a four-day chase of the International Space Station on a demo run for NASA's commercial cargo resupply program.

These photos were taken with remote cameras placed near the launch pad by Orbital Sciences and NASA photographers.

See our Mission Status Center for the latest news on the mission.

Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp./Thom Baur