Wallops Island, VA – So, what happened with that rocket that was supposed to be visible in the sky over Southern Maryland Sunday evening, Oct. 16? Nothing—the launch was scrubbed. Yes, the weather was ideal and a big full moon lit up the sky.
According to officials at Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, a faulty cable on the rocket booster’s launch pad prompted Orbital ATK launch managers to push back the liftoff, which has been rescheduled for Monday, Oct. 17.
“Today’s launch of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket is postponed 24 hours due to a ground support equipment (GSE) cable that did not perform as expected during the pre-launch check out,” Orbital ATK said in a statement. “We have spares on hand and rework procedures are in process.”
Base officials said the delay means the International Space Station crew will not receive the Cygnus supply ship mounted atop the Antares rocket until Sunday, after three new residents dock with the orbiting laboratory Friday aboard the Soyuz MS-02 spaceship.
Liftoff is now reset for 7:40:33 p.m. EDT (2340:33 GMT) Monday.
