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Spectacular Blastoff of Atlas Cygnus Ignites Restart of American Cargo Missions to ISS
Orbital ATK’s Cygnus Spacecraft carrying vital cargo to resupply the International Space Station lifts-off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Today’s spectacular blastoff of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying an Orbital ATK Cygnus commercial resupply spacecraft ignited the restart of critically needed American cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) following a pair of launch failures over the past year.
The ULA Atlas V rocket roared off the launch pad at 4:44 p.m. EST at the opening of a 30 minute launch window from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The launch took place under gloomy Florida skies on the fourth try following of trio of scrubs forced by heavy downpours and blustery winds sweeping through the ‘sunshine state.
Cygnus was loaded with approximately 7,700 pounds (3,500 kilograms) of vital cargo and science experiments for the crew of six astronauts and cosmonauts currently serving aboard the ISS.
The launch of the privately developed Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft began the company’s fourth operational cargo resupply mission, named CRS-4, under a commercial resupply services (CRS) contract to NASA. (…)
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© Ken Kremer for Universe Today, 2015. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Atlas V rocket, cape canaveral, Cygnus cargo vessel, International Space Station (ISS), ISS, kennedy space center, NASA, Orbital ATK, Orbital ATK CRS-4, SLC-41, ULA
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Source: http://www.universetoday.com/123734/spectacular-blastoff-of-atlas-cygnus-ignites-restart-of-american-cargo-missions-to-iss/
