Posted: Thu, Apr 12, 2012, 9:24 AM ET (1324 GMT)
Orbital Sciences Corporation rolled out the first stage of its Antares rocket to its new launch pad in Virginia on Wednesday in preparation for tests leading up to an inaugural launch later this year. Orbital workers moved the Antares rocket stage from its Horizontal Integration Facility at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia, to Pad 0A at Wallops to begin a series of fit tests. These "pathfinder" operations are designed to test rolling out and erecting the rocket on the pad. Orbital plans to conduct a static fire test of the rocket on the pad, which is not yet complete, this summer, with a demonstration launch to follow. Delays in completing the launch pad have pushed back Orbital's plans for launching Antares, which will carry the company's Cygnus spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
