Rocket launch reignites space station deliveries in Virginia

Cape Canaveral (US) : One of NASA’s main delivery companies made a triumphant comeback seen up and down the East Coast, launching its first space station shipment from Virginia since a rocket explosion two years ago. It was the first flight of Orbital ATK’s unmanned Antares rocket since the October 28, 2014, blast that wrecked the pad and destroyed everything on the space station supply run. The launch provided a show for sky gazers along much of the East Coast.
Reports poured in via Twitter from observers in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and even Raleigh, North Carolina. For Antares’ long-awaited return, the pad underwent a $15 million restoration, and the rocket got new Russian engines to replace the vintage ones from a half-century earlier. As the Antares streaked through the night sky from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, it appeared as though all the work had paid off. Launch controllers applauded when the supply ship reached orbit and victory was declared. “It is great to be back,” said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK’s space systems group. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden described the launch as “magnificent” and personally thanked the Orbital ATK team. “It’s been a very difficult two years, and I can’t imagine what those of you in the Orbital team went through. I can’t imagine how long you were holding your breath tonight,” Bolden told the launch control crowd. “But you know, we made it and that’s what’s all important.”