Cygnus OA-9 (CRS-9) - Antares-230 - MARS LP-0A - 21.05.2018 08:44 UTC

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Orbital ATK‏Подлинная учетная запись @OrbitalATK 8 мин. назад

Mission Update: In conjunction with NASA, we have moved the #OA9 launch to NET Monday, May 21st at 4:39 a.m. EDT to support further pre-launch inspections and more favorable weather conditions. See the full statement on our mission page http://bit.ly/2FbdUrz 

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https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/OA9-Mission-Page/default.aspx?prid=283

May 18, 2018 Update

Orbital ATK in conjunction with NASA, has moved the Antares and Cygnus launch to NET Monday, May 21st at 4:39 a.m. EDT to support further pre-launch inspections and more favorable weather conditions. Monday shows an 80% probability of acceptable weather for launch.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital/2018/05/18/orbital-atks-crs-9-launch-moved-to-net-monday-may-21/

Orbital ATK's CRS-9 Launch Moved to NET Monday, May 21

Rob Garner
Posted May 18, 2018 at 9:35 am

Orbital ATK in conjunction with NASA, has moved the Antares and Cygnus launch to NET Monday, May 21, at 4:39 a.m. EDT to support further pre-launch inspections and more favorable weather conditions. Monday shows an 80-percent probability of acceptable weather for launch.

On May 21, a 5-minute window opens at 4:39 a.m. EDT for the launch of Orbital ATK's CRS-9 resupply mission to the International Space Station. Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Antares rocket for the seventh time from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. Cygnus will deliver vital equipment, supplies and scientific equipment to the space station as part of Orbital ATK's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.

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Изменения в расписании трансляций НАСА

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/schedule.html

(All times Eastern)

May 21, Monday

4 a.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the Orbital/ATK Cygnus CRS-9 Mission (Launch scheduled at 4:39 a.m. EDT) (All Channels)
5:45 a.m. - Coverage of the Deployment of the Solar Arrays on the Orbital/ATK Cygnus Cargo Craft (All Channels)
7 a.m. - Orbital/ATK Cygnus Post-Launch News Conference (All Channels)

Трансляции 19 и 24 мая - без изменений

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/05/18/cygnus-rolls-out-to-pad-targeting-monday-launch/

Cygnus Rolls Out to Pad Targeting Monday Launch

Mark Garcia
Posted May 18, 2018 at 11:10 am


The Antares rocket from Orbital ATK makes its way to the launch pad at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares will launch the Cygnus spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.

The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo craft that will resupply the Expedition 55 crew on the International Space Station rolled out to its launch pad Thursday night. Cygnus is now targeted to blast off atop the Antares rocket Monday at 4:39 a.m. EDT from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. NASA TV will begin its live broadcast of the launch Monday at 4 a.m.

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Orbital ATK and NASA managers moved Cygnus' launch to no earlier than Monday to support further pre-launch inspections and more favorable weather conditions. Monday shows an 80% probability of acceptable weather for launch.

Cygnus is packed with 7,400 pounds of new science experiments, crew supplies and space station hardware. It is scheduled to arrive Thursday at the space station for its robotic capture at 5:20 a.m. NASA TV will cover the approach and rendezvous activities starting at 3:30 a.m.

Three NASA astronauts, Scott Tingle, Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel, have trained for weeks to get ready for Cygnus' arrival on Thursday. Tingle will be operating the Canadarm2 from inside the Cupola and command the robotic arm to grapple Cygnus. Arnold will back him up on the robotics controls and Feustel will monitor Cygnus and it systems during its approach. Robotics engineers on the ground will then remotely install the commercial space freighter on the Earth-facing port of the Unity module later Thursday morning.

One of the new experiments being delivered aboard Cygnus to the orbital laboratory will study atoms frozen to a temperature 10 billion times colder than deep space. The Cold Atom Lab will observe the quantum phenomena possibly leading to advanced spacecraft navigation techniques and quantum sensors that can detect gravitational and magnetic fields.

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http://nanoracks.com/wp-content/uploads/NanoRacks-Payloads-on-OA-9-1.pdf

NANORACKS CUBESAT DEPLOYER (INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION)
NASA ELaNa 23, CubeRRT – Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 6U   
NASA ELaNa 23, EQUiSat – Brown University, Providence, RI 1U
NASA ELaNa 23, HaloSat – University of Iowa 6U
NASA ELaNa 23, MemSat – Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 1U
NASA ELaNa 23, RadSat-g – Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 3U
NASA ELaNa 23, RainCube – JPL, Pasadena, CA 6U
NASA ELaNa 23, TEMPEST-D,1 – Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 6U
EnduroSat – EnduroSat 1U
Radix – Analytical Space 6U

NANORACKS EXTERNAL CYGNUS SATELLITE DEPLOYMENTS
Spire Lemurs (4 satellites) – (3U each)
AeroCube 12A & B (Two Satellites) – Aerospace Corp 3U (each) 

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 4 мин. назад

FEATURE ARTICLE: Antares/Cygnus in final pre-launch processing, Range aims for improved launch security -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/05/antares-cygnus-pre-launch-processing-range-improved-launch-security/ ...

- By Chris Gebhardt (@ChrisG_NSF)

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/05/18/antares-rocket-rolls-to-virginia-launch-pad-liftoff-delayed-to-monday/

Antares rocket rolls to Virginia launch pad, liftoff delayed to Monday
May 18, 2018 Stephen Clark


The Antares rocket arrives at launch pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport ahead of Monday's planned liftoff. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Orbital ATK transferred an Antares rocket and Cygnus supply ship to their launch pad on Virginia's Eastern Shore late Thursday for a liftoff now targeted for Monday with more than 7,200 pounds of cargo heading for the International Space Station.

Riding a self-propelled transporter, the two-stage booster rolled out of Orbital ATK's Horizontal Integration Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, after nightfall Thursday for the mile-long journey south to pad 0A, where crews planned to hoist the 139-foot-tall (42.5-meter) launcher vertical for final preflight checkouts.

Liftoff of the OA-9 resupply mission is scheduled for 4:39 a.m. EDT (0839 GMT) Monday, a day later than previously planned. Orbital ATK, the prime contractor and operator of the Antares launcher and Cygnus supply ship, said in a statement Friday that the one-day delay was ordered "to support further pre-launch inspections and more favorable weather conditions."

There is an 80 percent probability of acceptable weather during Monday's five-minute launch window, officials said.

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Technicians finished packing 7,205 pounds (3,268 kilograms) of equipment, experiments and provisions inside the Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized compartment Wednesday, then installed the Antares rocket's payload shroud over the cargo craft ahead of Thursday night's rollout.

The Cygnus spacecraft will reach the space station a few days after launch, and astronauts will begin unpacking supplies delivered inside the ship's internal cabin.

The cargo awaiting delivery to the space station next week includes high-definition cameras that will be installed on the forward end of the complex during a spacewalk in June, high-pressure tanks of oxygen to recharge the space station's internal atmosphere, and a self-contained quantum physics research facility developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory called the Cold Atom Laboratory, which will chill its contents to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero for analysis by researchers.


Ground crews load final time-critical cargo into the Cygnus spacecraft's pressurized cabin. Credit: Orbital ATK

There are 16 CubeSats traveling into space aboard the Cygnus supply ship, including 10 that will be moved by astronauts into the space station for release from a deployer outside the Japanese Kibo laboratory module. Another six CubeSats will be ejected from the Cygnus spacecraft itself after it departs the station in July.

Counting the CubeSats and their NanoRacks deployer mounted outside the Cygnus spacecraft, the OA-9 mission's total cargo manifest comes to 7,385 pounds (3,350 kilometers).

The Cygnus spacecraft is named for J.R. Thompson, the former chief operating officer at Orbital Sciences Corp. who died last year. Thompson served in multiple management positions at Orbital, overseeing development of the Antares rocket and other vehicles in the company's launcher family.

He had a lengthy career at NASA before joining Orbital Sciences, including stints as the space agency's deputy administrator and as director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Thompson was manager of the space shuttle main engine development project at Marshall in the 1970s, and he previously served as a liquid propulsion systems engineer on the J-2 engine that flew on the Saturn 5 moon rocket.

The mission set for launch Monday is the ninth of 11 cargo deliveries assigned to Orbital ATK by NASA under a contract valued at nearly $2.9 billion. An additional Cygnus test mission also flew to the space station in 2013 with supplies, before the start of operational trips in 2014.

One of Orbital ATK's eight previous operational resupply missions suffered a launch failure.

SpaceX has a similar contract with NASA for 20 missions worth more than $3 billion, with 14 of those missions completed, including one launch failure.


Technicians installed the Antares rocket's payload fairing over the Cygnus spacecraft Wednesday. Credit: Orbital ATK

Monday's flight will be the eighth launch of an Antares rocket, and the third Antares launch using new Russian-built RD-181 main engines, which replaced decades-old Russian engines of the type blamed for an explosive Antares launch failure in October 2014.

Orbital ATK reserved rides for three Cygnus cargo missions on United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets in 2015, 2016 and 2017, while engineers modified the Antares booster for the new engines.

Before departing the space station in July, the Cygnus spacecraft will conduct a brief maneuver to reboost the research lab's orbit. It will be the first time a commercial U.S. cargo vehicle has attempted a space station reboost, a capability currently only provided by Russian spacecraft.

Visiting space shuttles and Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle also provided reboost services before their retirement.

At the end of its mission, the Cygnus supply ship will release its final set of CubeSats, then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up during re-entry over the Pacific Ocean, disposing of several tons of trash packed by the space station's crew.

Additional photos of the Antares rocket's rollout Thursday night are posted below.


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

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NASA JPL‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASAJPL 18 ч. назад

Tiny but mighty! Three cereal box-sized #CubeSats, set to launch on May 20, are the next generation of Earth-observing technology: https://go.nasa.gov/2KvqeWY 


(video 0:08 )

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https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7130

MAY 17, 2018
Small Packages to Test Big Space Technology Advances

This weekend, when the next cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station lifts off fr om NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, it will be carrying among its supplies and experiments three cereal box-sized satellites that will be used to test and demonstrate the next generation of Earth-observing technology.

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NASA has been increasing its use of CubeSats -- small satellites based on several configurations of approximately 4 x 4 x 4-inch cubes -- to put new technologies in orbit where they can be tested in the harsh environment of space before being used as part of larger satellite missions or constellations of spacecraft.

The three CubeSat missions launching on Orbital ATK's ninth commercial resupply mission represent a broad range of cutting-edge technologies housed in very small packages.

RainCube -- a Radar in a CubeSat -- is just that: a miniaturized precipitation-studying radar instrument that weighs just over 26 pounds. RainCube is smaller, has fewer components, and uses less power than traditional radar instruments. NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program sel ected the project to demonstrate that such a diminutive radar can be operated successfully on a CubeSat platform.


The RainCube 6U CubeSat with fully-deployed antenna. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
› Larger view

This mission marks the first time an active radar instrument has been flown on a CubeSat.

If successful, RainCube could open the door for lower-cost, quick-turnaround constellation missions, in which multiple CubeSats work together to provide more frequent observations than a single satellite.

"A constellation of RainCube radars would be able to observe the internal structure of weather systems as they evolve according to processes that need to be better characterized in weather and climate forecasting models," said RainCube Principal Investigator Eva Peral of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

RainCube will use wavelengths in the high-frequency Ka-band of the electromagnetic spectrum. Ka wavelengths work with smaller antennas (RainCube's deployable antenna measures at just half a yard, or meter, across) and allow an exponential increase in data transfer over long distances -- making RainCube a demonstration in improved communications as well. JPL developed the RainCube instrument, while Tyvak Inc. developed the spacecraft.

CubeSats can also be used to test new subsystems and techniques for improving data collection from space. Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a growing problem for space-based microwave radiometers, instruments important for studying soil moisture, meteorology, climate and other Earth properties. As the number of RFI-causing devices -- including cell phones, radios, and televisions -- increases, it will be even more difficult for NASA's satellite microwave radiometers to collect high-quality data.


The CubeRRT satellite and Blue Canyon Technologies team members with Principal Investigator Joel Johnson (far left) of The Ohio State University. Credit: Blue Canyon Technologies
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To address this issue, NASA's InVEST program funded a team led by Joel Johnson of The Ohio State University to develop CubeRRT, the CubeSat Radiometer Radio Frequency Interference Technology Validation mission. "Our technology," said Johnson, "will make it so that our Earth-observing radiometers can still continue to operate in the presence of this interference."

RFI already affects data collected by Earth-observing satellites. To mitigate this problem, measurements are transmitted to the ground wh ere they are then processed to remove any RFI-corrupted data. It is a complicated process and requires more data to be transmitted to Earth. With future satellites encountering even more RFI, more data could be corrupted and missions might not be able to meet their science goals.

Johnson collaborated with technologists at JPL and Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, to develop the CubeRRT satellite to demonstrate the ability to detect RFI and filter out RFI-corrupted data in real time aboard the spacecraft. The spacecraft was developed by Blue Canyon Technologies, Boulder, Colorado.

One of the radiometer-collected weather measurements important to researchers involves cloud processes, specifically storm development and the identification of the time when rain begins to fall. Currently, weather satellites pass over storms just once every three hours, not frequently enough to identify many of the changes in dynamic storm systems. But the development of a new, extremely-compact radiometer system could change that.

NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program selected Steven Reising of Colorado State University and partners at JPL to develop, build, and demonstrate a five-frequency radiometer based on newly available low-noise amplifier technologies developed with support fr om ESTO. The TEMPEST-D (Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems Demonstration) mission will validate the miniaturized radiometer technology and demonstrate the spacecraft's ability to perform drag maneuvers to control TEMPEST-D's low-Earth altitude and its position in orbit. The instrument fits into a Blue Canyon Technologies 6U CubeSat -- the same size CubeSat as RainCube and CubeRRT.


The complete TEMPEST-D spacecraft shown with the solar panels deployed. Credit: Blue Canyon Technologies
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"With a train-like constellation of TEMPEST-like CubeSats, we'd be able to take time samples every five to 10 minutes to see how a storm develops," said Reising. This would improve upon the three-hour satellite revisit time, especially when collecting data on tropical storms like hurricanes that can quickly intensify and change.

RainCube, CubeRRT and TEMPEST-D are currently integrated aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft and are awaiting launch on an Antares rocket. After the CubeSats have arrived at the station, they will be deployed into low-Earth orbit and will begin their missions to test these new technologies useful for predicting weather, ensuring data quality, and helping researchers better understand storms.

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2018-105

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Внимание!
Обзорный пресс-брифинг перенесён с 19-го на 20-е мая

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/update-nasa-orbital-atk-now-targeting-may-21-for-next-resupply-mission-to-space

May 18, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY M18-084

UPDATE: NASA, Orbital ATK Now Targeting May 21 for Next Resupply Mission to Space Station

Orbital ATK, in conjunction with NASA, has moved the launch of its ninth contracted mission to the International Space Station to no earlier than 4:39 a.m. EDT Monday, May 21, to support further prelaunch inspections and more favorable weather conditions.

May 21 currently shows an 80-percent probability of acceptable weather for launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo spacecraft will launch on the company's Antares rocket from Pad 0A of Virginia Space's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops.

NASA TV coverage of launch activities is as follows:

Saturday, May 19

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• 1 p.m. – What's On Board briefing: Scientists and researchers discuss some of the investigations heading to the station on Cygnus.
  

Sunday, May 20

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• 11 a.m. – Prelaunch Briefing: Mission managers will provide an overview and status of launch operations.
  

Monday, May 21

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• 4 a.m. – Live coverage of the launch begins
• 5:45 a.m. – Deployment of the Cygnus spacecraft's solar arrays
• 7 a.m. – Postlaunch news conference
  

Thursday, May 24

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• 3:45 a.m. – Rendezvous and capture of the Cygnus spacecraft at the International Space Station, scheduled for 5:20 a.m.
• 7:30 a.m. – Installation of the spacecraft to the space station.
  

Three NASA astronauts aboard the station will manage the spacecraft's arrival. Expedition 55 Flight Engineer Scott Tingle will grapple the spacecraft, backed by Ricky Arnold, and Drew Feustel will monitor Cygnus systems during its approach. They will use the space station's robotic Canadarm2 to grab the spacecraft and ground controllers will command the robotic arm to rotate and install Cygnus onto the station's Unity module.

Cygnus will remain at the space station until July 15.

Last Updated: May 18, 2018
Editor: Karen Northon

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https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163968.jpg

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NASA Wallops‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_Wallops 7 ч. назад

Antares and Cygnus are going vertical on Launch Pad 0A on Wallops Island in preparation for launch.

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Orbital ATK‏Подлинная учетная запись @OrbitalATK 6 ч. назад

And we're up! #Antares sits vertical on @VCSFA_MARS Pad 0A at @NASA_Wallops. Launch is set for Monday, May 21 at 4:39am EDT/8:39am UTC

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NanoRacks‏Подлинная учетная запись @NanoRacks 11 ч. назад

We've got a full #CubeSat mission on #OA9. @Space_Station CubeSats are: CubeRRT, EQUiSat, HaloSat, MemSat, RadSat-g, RainCube, TEMPEST-D, EnduroSat, and Radix. External #Cygnus satellites include Spire Lemurs (4), and AeroCube 12A & B. http://nanoracks.com/wp-content/uploads/NanoRacks-Payloads-on-OA-9-1.pdf ...

NanoRacks-Payloads-on-OA-9-1.pdf - 105.3 KB, 5 стр, 2018-05-18 20:39:26 UTC

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital/2018/05/19/antares-raised-at-launchpad/

Antares Raised at Launchpad

Rob Garner
Posted May 19, 2018 at 9:15 am

Orbital ATK's Antares rocket was raised at the launch pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore the evening of May 18.


Time-lapse of Antares rocket being raised at launchpad.  Credit: NASA's Wallops Flight Facility/Patrick Black

Спойлер

The Antares rocket, with Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft aboard is scheduled to launch no earlier than May 21 at 4:39 a.m. EDT from Pad 0A of Virginia Space's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops.

The mission, CRS-9, is Orbital ATK's ninth contracted cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station for NASA. Among the 7,400 pounds of cargo aboard Cygnus are science experiments, crew supplies and vehicle hardware.


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani


Credit: NASA's Wallops Flight Facility/Patrick Black

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/orbital/2018/05/19/latest-launch-forecast-puts-weather-at-70-percent-favorable/

Latest Launch Forecast Puts Weather at 70 Percent Favorable

Rob Garner
Posted May 19, 2018 at 10:13 am

The Range Control Center at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility has forecast 70-percent favorable weather for the May 21 launch of Orbital ATK's Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The main weather concern for Monday's launch attempt is sky screen (essentially local visibility conditions).

A weak cold front looks to drop into the region late Sunday afternoon, May 20, providing a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms through that evening. Shower chances diminish by early Monday, but a weak upper-level impulse drops over the Eastern Shore during the overnight hours Sunday into Monday, providing increased cloud cover and a slight chance for an isolated shower leading up to the projected launch.

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The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft on board, is raised at launch Pad-0A, Friday, May 18, 2018, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Antares rocket, with Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft aboard is scheduled to launch no earlier than May 21 at 4:39 a.m. EDT on the company's CRS-9 resupply mission to the International Space Station.

The mission is the company's ninth contracted cargo delivery flight to the space station for NASA. Among the 7,400 pounds of cargo aboard Cygnus are science experiments, crew supplies and vehicle hardware.

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