Washington: Orbital Sciences, one of two private US firms chosen by NASA to shuttle cargo to the International Space Station, will make a new attempt to launch a first test flight of its Antares rocket.
The new planned launch, which the company announced yesterday, came after an attempt was scrubbed on Wednesday because of technical problems.
The new launch time is set for 5 pm (2100 GMT) today from the Wallops flight facility on an island off the coast of the state of Virginia, some 270 kilometers from Washington.
If for some reason it is not possible to carry out Saturday`s launch, the company could make an attempt Sunday at the same time, officials at Orbital Sciences said.
The Antares rocket, a two-stage launch vehicle 40 meters tall and 3.9 meters in diameter, is set to hit an orbit of 249 kilometers some 10 minutes after take-off.
A USD 1.9 billion contract requires Orbital Sciences to deliver freight to the ISS over the course of eight flights by the beginning of 2016.
AFP
