spacetoday.net: Weather delays Atlas launch of Cygnus

Weather delays Atlas launch of Cygnus

Posted: Sun, Dec 6, 2015, 10:04 AM ET (1504 GMT)
Atlas 5 on pad during Cygnus scrub, Dec 2015 (NASA)

Poor weather at Cape Canaveral has kept an Atlas 5 carrying a Cygnus cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station grounded for three straight days. The Atlas 5 was scheduled to launch Thursday, but was scrubbed because of clouds and rain; launch attempts Friday and Saturday were also postponed because of gusty winds. The launch is now scheduled for 4:44 pm EST (2144 GMT) Sunday, with a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather. The Cygnus is loaded with more than 3,500 kilograms of cargo for the ISS. The launch is the first time the Cygnus has flown on an Atlas, and the first Cygnus mission since an Antares launch failure in October 2014.