A rocket headed to the International Space Station (ISS) from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore is one step closer to its inaugural flight.
NASA reported the Space technology company Orbital Sciences rolled out the first fully integrated Antares rocket to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad early Saturday (April 6).
The company is getting ready for flight demonstrations of its Antares medium-class launch vehicle and Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft as part of a 1.9 billion NASA contract to deliver essential cargo to the ISS.
The Antares medium-class launch system will provide a major increase in the payload launch capability that Orbital can provide to NASA, the U.S. Air Force and other customers. The Antares rocket will launch spacecraft weighing up to 14,000 lbs. into low-Earth orbit, as well as lighter-weight payloads into higher-energy orbits.
NASA says the launch window for the test flight is between April 17 and 19.
Orbital Sciences conducted a 29-second "hot fire" test of the rocket engine back on Feb. 25 to demonstrate the readiness of the rocket's first stage and launch pad fueling systems.
That test, which involved not only the checking out of the Antares twin AJ26 engines, but also the launch pad’s fueling systems, helped validate the readiness of the Antares first stage and was the last major milestone that had to be completed in preparation for the rocket’s upcoming flight.
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