Antares Rocket Launches Successfully In First Test Flight

Orbital Science’s Antares rocket launched successfully on Sunday afternoon in its debut test flight. The 13-story privately built rocket lifted off at 5 pm EDT from a Virginia launch pad at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

The rocket is part of a project by Orbital to fly unmanned cargo trips to the International Space Station. NASA launch commentator Kyle Herring stated, “Beautiful view,” as live video from the rocket showed the booster riding on top of a bright ball of fire.

Orbital Sciences, along with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), hold contracts with NASA to fly cargo to the ISS. The successful launch was a testament to private space operations and a hopeful sign for Orbital, whose contract is worth $1.3 billion.

The Antares rocket was initially supposed to launch on Wednesday evening. However, the attempt was called off after a vital data cable separated from the rocket earlier than was planned. The Antares rocket launch was rescheduled for Saturday, but was again delayed by bad weather.

But thankfully Mother Nature cooperated for Sunday’s launch. Ten minutes after the rocket launched successfully, it deposited its payload — a 8,380-pound dummy capsule, into orbit 158 miles above the Earth’s surface. The drop off of the rocket’s dummy cargo was the perfect end to Antares’ first test flight.

Another flight is scheduled for late June or early July. At that time, Antares will blast off again — this time with the Cygnus cargo ship aboard. The cargo ship will detach from the rocket and make its inaugural flight to the International Space Station. Orbital Sciences is slightly behind SpaceX on its schedule to deliver cargo to the $100 billion orbiting research facility.

The company was delayed in debuting Antares because of the construction of the rocket’s new launchpad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. While NASA has flown thousands of high-altitude balloons, research aircraft, and surorbital rockets. But the 130-foot-tall 740,000 pound rocket was the largest rocket to launch from Wallops Island.

The Antares rocket’s successful launch paves the way for Orbital to continue working with NASA. The group holds another contract with NASA to launch a moon probe aboard a Minotaur 5 rocket. That launch will also take place at Wallops and is scheduled for August.

[Image via Twitter]