Orbital Sciences Corp. Rolls Out First Antares Rocket

Yesterday, October 1, engineers at the Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) rolled out the first stage of their new Antares delivery system, which will be used in conjunction with the Cygnus spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station under the terms of a NASA contract.

The first Antares mission will launch from the newest spaceport in the United States, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, in Wallops Island, Virginia. The maiden flight for the new rocket is scheduled to occur sometime later this year.

“Today's rollout of Orbital's Antares test vehicle and the upcoming SpaceX mission are significant milestones in our effort to return space station resupply activities to the United States and insource the jobs associated with this important work,” NASA associate administrator for communications, David Weaver, said.

Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is also scheduled to launch a new Falcon 9/Dragon resupply mission to the ISS, on October 7.