Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket is slated to launch on Friday for the first time in two years. The company said Monday the launch was rescheduled from Thursday to Friday to iron out minor glitches for the Cygnus cargo spacecraft. The launch date is Orbital ATK’s first Antares mission after the unmanned rocket exploded at a commercial launch site in Virginia on Oct. 28, 2014. If weather conditions are favorable, the rocket will launch Cygnus and about 5,100 pounds of cargo into orbitjust before 9 p.m. Eastern.
NASA said this week that preparations are on schedule and Antares will roll out on Wednesday for a launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Backup dates, if needed, are scheduled through Oct. 19. The 2014 explosion occurred when the launch crew deliberately destroyed the rocket about 15 seconds after liftoff after detecting a malfunction. After a lengthy review, investigators found that flaws in the rocket engine’s turbopump, which caused a fire, along with possible foreign object debris, led to the malfunction. The rocket is now equipped with upgraded RD-181 engines that NASA and Orbital ATK integrated into the Antares rocket in 2015.
