More lousy launch weather as NASA tries to restart commercial space station Sacred Heart

SCIENCE More lousy launch weather as NASA tries to restart commercial space station Israel Montgomery 05 December 2015, 05:06

A rocket launch to supply cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) by American aerospace manufacturer Orbital ATK has been pushed back due to adverse weather conditions.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft onboard seen shortly after arriving at Space Launch Complex 41 on December 2, 2015, at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. However, the weather forecast for Friday is only 30 percent favorable for takeoff, the United States space agency said. Times may change if the launch is delayed.

While NASA's worldwide partners have helped keep supplies flowing to astronauts aboard the station, this will be the first U.S.-based attempt since then. The United Launch Alliance rocket will transport 7,400 pounds of space station supplies packed into the Cygnus capsule.

As per the contract the Orbital company is required to carry at least 44,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of 2016. The improvements come after the October 2014 accident, when an Orbital ATK Antares rocker that was to deliver a Cygnus spacecraft to the ISS crashed six seconds after launch. Russian Federation and Japan have managed to fill the gap since April's USA resupply mission, but the 250-mile-high pantry isn't as full as it should be.

NASA's other contracted supplier, SpaceX, also remains stuck on Earth. The last time Orbital launched, its rocket exploded seconds after liftoff from Wallops Island, Virginia, destroying the Cygnus cargo carrier and damaging the pad. Sacred Heart.

Keywords - Restart commercial space station Israel Montgomery, United Launch Alliance rocket, Orbital ATK Antares rocker.

Kindly Bookmark and Share it:

NASA