Antares Countdown Proceeding, Weather Still a Concern – UPDATE
UPDATE, 2:20 pm ET: Weather has improved to 55 percent favorable. NASA-Wallops has a Ustream video up now. NASA TV will begin coverage at 4:00 pm ET.
ORIGINAL STORY: The countdown to today’s first test launch of Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Antares rocket is underway, but the weather forecast remains iffy.
The launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA, is scheduled for 5:00 pm ET today. The launch window is open through 8:00 pm. Low clouds are still forecast, however, so whether the launch must be delayed or not is an open question.
It is difficult to follow the action other than through social media. Orbital is tweeting occasionally @orbitalsciences and NASA is tweeting occasionally @NASASocial. Perhaps they will pick up the pace and be more informative as the day progresses.
Briefing charts about the launch are available on Orbital’s website as well as a series of illustrations of where people on the East Coast from New York City to Richmond, VA should look to see it (weather permitting).
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