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The Orbital ATK Antares rocket blasts off with Cygnus OA-9
spacecraft from Pad 0A at 4:44 a.m. EDT Monday, May 21, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in
Virginia to deliver 3.7
tons of research, food and gear – in this
remote camera view from the launch pad. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, VA – The Antares
rocket aimed for space overnight Monday morning (May 21) and put on an awesome display
of fiery fury as it soared for the Space Station from NASA’s mid-Atlantic
launch base on the eastern Virginia shore.
UPDATED with additional imagery
UPDATED with additional imagery
The two stage Orbital ATK Antares rocket came
to life with a crackling thunder as it slowly liftoff off pad 0A at 4:44 a.m. EDT
May 21 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and lit up the nighttime
sky with a spectacular launch to orbit.
Antares was carrying the Orbital ATK Cygnus
cargo freighter loaded with some 7400 pounds (3,350 kg) of critical NASA cargo
bound for the six person crew living and working aboard the International Space
Station (ISS).
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The Orbital ATK Antares rocket blasts off with Cygnus OA-9
spacecraft from Pad 0A at 4:44 a.m. EDT Monday, May 21, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in
Virginia to deliver 3.7
tons of research, food and gear – in this
remote camera view from the launch pad. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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Check out our
SpaceUpClose launch photo and video gallery
Click back as
the gallery grows.
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Orbital ATK Antares rocket blasts off with Cygnus OA-9 spacecraft from Pad 0A Monday, May 21, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in
Virginia on ninth contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA to the
International Space Station to deliver over
7,400 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the
orbital laboratory and its crew. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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Orbital ATK Antares rocket carrying Cygnus OA-9
spacecraft blasts off from Pad 0A at 4:44 a.m. EDT Monday, May 21, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in
Virginia loaded with 3.7
tons of research, food and gear – in this
remote camera view from the launch pad. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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Orbital ATK Antares rocket carrying Cygnus OA-9
spacecraft blasts off from Pad 0A at 4:44 a.m. EDT Monday, May 21, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in
Virginia loaded with 3.7
tons of research, food and gear – in this
remote camera view from the launch pad. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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| Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com |
Cygnus separated
from the second stage as planned about 9 minutes after liftoff.
The solar arrays deployment starting some 75 minutes after launch or about
6 a.m. The life giving maneuver took
about 30m minutes to fully unfurl the Cygnus cymbal-like UltraFlex solar arrays.
Cygnus then began
a three day orbital chase to reach the ISS.
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| Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com |
The mission,
alternatively named CRS-9 or OA-9, is Orbital ATK’s ninth contracted cargo
delivery flight to the International Space Station for NASA.
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Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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| Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com |
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Orbital ATK Antares rocket blasts off with Cygnus OA-9
spacecraft from Pad 0A at 4:44 a.m. EDT Monday, May 21, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in
Virginia to deliver 3.7
tons of research, food and gear – in this
remote camera view from the launch pad. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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On board Cygnus
are 7,400 pounds (3,350 kg) of cargo including science experiments, research
gear, food, water, spare parts, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to support the Expedition 55
and 56 crews.
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Orbital ATK Antares rocket streaks to orbit punching
in and out of low, thick cloud layer in the long exposure image of the Cygnus OA-9
cargo freighter launch at 4:44 a.m. May 21, 2018 from NASA’s Wallops Flight
Facility in Virginia with 3.7 tons of science and hardware bound for the International
Space Station (ISS). Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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Watch this
launch video:
Video
Caption: Launch of Orbital ATK Antares rocket on May 21, 2018 from NASA Wallops
Flight Facility oceanside pad 0A in Virginia carrying S.S. J.R. Thompson OA-9
resupply ship to the ISS - as seen in this remote camera video taken at the
pad. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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| Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com |
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| Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com |
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| Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com |
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of Orbital ATK,
SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and more space and mission reports direct from the Wallops
Flight Facility, Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
Florida.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing
Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com –
twitter @ken_kremer - ken
at kenkremer.com
Photos
for sale – contact Ken if interested
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Orbital ATK Antares glistens
at night raised erect with Cygnus OA-9 cargo spacecraft
on Pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia prior to May
21, 2018 launch for NASA to the ISS. Credit:
Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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Orbital ATK Antares glistens
at night raised erect with Cygnus OA-9 cargo spacecraft
on Pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia prior to May
21, 2018 launch for NASA to the ISS. Credit:
Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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Orbital ATK Antares glistens
at night raised erect with Cygnus OA-9 cargo spacecraft
on Pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia prior to May
21, 2018 launch for NASA to the ISS. Credit:
Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/SpaceUpClose.com
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