NASA resupply mission to space station postponed

Washington, Oct 12: The US space agency and its partner Orbital ATK have postponed the launch of the companys next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station to no earlier than October 16, as the agency prepares for tropical storm Nicole at its tracking site in Bermuda.

The new date of the arrival of the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft to the space station is to be determined, NASA said in a statement.

The mission was earlier scheduled for launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on October 13.

Cygnus will carry approximately 2,313 kg of cargo, including crew supplies and vehicle hardware, to the orbiting laboratory to support dozens of science and research investigations, NASA said.

Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to reach Bermuda as a hurricane on October 13.

"The tracking station at Bermuda is required to conduct the Antares launch from Wallops," said Steven Kremer, chief of the Wallops Range and Mission Management Office.

"The ability to support a launch will depend on the impact the storm has on not only our systems, but also the overall Bermuda infrastructure," Kremer noted.

After the storm system has passed Bermuda, the Wallops team will conduct a damage assessment, perform mission readiness testing, and bring the site back up to operational status.

IANS