Updates Orbital Sciences' Cygnus CRS Flight 1 through Flight 8 updates.

[Kyle]

NASA TV will have coverage.

 

[Alexrey]

Great! Will it be broadcast on this page: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#.UswaoNJdU8k or are there multiple streaming pages (sorry for the stupid question, but I get back from work JUST before the launch takes place, so I don't want to be frantically searching 2 seconds before launch)?

 

[Kyle]

Yes, it will be there.

NWS forecast for Wallops tomorrow is showing a cold 29F around launch time, but with clear skies and calm winds.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

BTW the Cygnus will break yet another record - the most number of satellites carried on a spacecraft! 33 (yes, thirty-three) cubesats will be carried to the ISS to be deployed from the station's experimental airlock at the Japanese Laboratory Module on the Cygnus. 28 of them (!) are from the California company Planet Labs - named the Flock-1 series, these cubesats will provide frequent and high-resolution Earth imagery available for purchase. These 28 cubesats follows the experimental Dove 1-4 series launched on American and Russian rockets last year.

The other 5 are cubesats that will be operated by students around the world. These includes the first satellites from Lithuania - Lituanica SAT-1 and LitSat-1.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

These includes the first satellites from Lituanica - Lituanica SAT-1 and LitSat-1.

Don't you mean Lithuania?

 

[MattBaker]

Don't you mean Lithuania?

It's Lithuania, yeah. Probably a lost in translation since countrys' names aren't the same in every language.

 

[Kyle]

95% chance of acceptable weather conditions tomorrow.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

95% chance of acceptable weather conditions tomorrow.

Unfortunately this is not the case for space weather - today's launch has been delayed due to a huge solar storm that formed yesterday that pushed up radiation levels in LEO!

 

[Kyle]

I can't blame them, there's a rather massive and fast moving CME heading towards Earth as a result of an X1.2 solar flare.

 

[RGClark]

Unfortunately this is not the case for space weather - today's launch has been delayed due to a huge solar storm that formed yesterday that pushed up radiation levels in LEO!

Aack! Right after I sent a twitter notice the launch would be visible locally.

Bob Clark

 

[Ripley]

From Spaceflight Now Mission Status Center:

"Following a comprehensive review of data related to the radiation environment in space, further reviews and modeling of the rocket's avionics systems, and the forecast for favorable terrestrial weather conditions at the Wallops Island launch facility, the Antares launch team has decided to proceed forward with a launch attempt of the Orbital-1 CRS mission to the International Space Station tomorrow, January 9.

"Upon a deeper examination of the current space weather environment, Orbital's engineering team, in consultation with NASA, has determined that the risk to launch success is within acceptable limits established at the outset of the Antares program."

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Oh dear.....

Just over 2.5 hours to liftoff!

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Less than 1 hour to liftoff - in the meantime take a look at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tv-wallops

 

[Kyle]

Going to watch it on the TV, godspeed Cygnus.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Launch has gone well... coasting prior to Cygnus seperation.

 

[Codz]

Cygnus is now in orbit! Congratulations to Orbital Sciences and NASA!

 

[Kyle]

A pretty impressive week for commercial space, congratulations OSC & Cygnus. Looking forward to see you on the ISS.

 

[RGClark]

Congratulations to Orbital Sciences and NASA's commercial space program. With two successful launches this week this gives support to the low cost approach of commercial space.

Bob Clark

 

[MaverickSawyer]

LOTS of people are breathing again in Sacramento... Good job to Aerojet Rocketdyne on a flawless pair of engines for the first stage.

 

[IronRain]