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Atlas V to Launch OA-4 Mission for Orbital ATK and NASA


Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2015, 2:15 p.m. EST)
 – The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the OA-4 mission was scrubbed today due to forecasted high winds.

The launch is rescheduled for Sunday, Dec. 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The preliminary launch time is 4:44 p.m. EST at the opening of a 30-minute window. The forecast for Dec. 6 shows a 40 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch tomorrow.

Atlas V OA-4 Mission OverviewOA4_SupportImage

Rocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 will launch Orbital ATK's Cygnus™ spacecraft on the initial leg of its cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Date/Site/Launch Time: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The 30-minute launch window opens at 4:44 p.m. EST.

Viewing the Launch by Webcast: The live webcast will begin at 3:45 p.m. EST.

Mission Description: Cygnus is a low-risk design incorporating elements drawn from Orbital ATK and its partners’ existing, flight-proven spacecraft technologies. Cygnus consists of a common Service Module (SM) and a Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM). The SM is assembled and tested at Orbital ATK’s Dulles, Virginia, satellite manufacturing facility and incorporates systems from Orbital ATK’s flight-proven LEOStar™ and GEOStar™ satellite product lines. The PCM is based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), developed and built by Thales Alenia Space of Italy.

The Cygnus spacecraft for the OA-4 mission is the first to employ the longer, “enhanced,” PCM which can carry a greater volume of cargo than the PCM flown on previous missions, and lightweight UltraFlex arrays developed and built by Orbital ATK’s Goleta, California, facility.

Launch Notes: OA-4 will mark the 60th launch of the Atlas V and the 30th launch in the 401 configuration. It also marks ULA’s first mission supporting ISS cargo resupply.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunchtwitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #Cygnus, #OA4 and #AtlasV

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Atlas V to Launch OA-4 Mission for Orbital ATK and NASA


Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2015, 2:15 p.m. EST)
 – The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the OA-4 mission was scrubbed today due to forecasted high winds.

The launch is rescheduled for Sunday, Dec. 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The preliminary launch time is 4:44 p.m. EST at the opening of a 30-minute window. The forecast for Dec. 6 shows a 40 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch tomorrow.

Atlas V OA-4 Mission OverviewOA4_SupportImage

Rocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 will launch Orbital ATK's Cygnus™ spacecraft on the initial leg of its cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Date/Site/Launch Time: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The 30-minute launch window opens at 4:44 p.m. EST.

Viewing the Launch by Webcast: The live webcast will begin at 3:45 p.m. EST.

Mission Description: Cygnus is a low-risk design incorporating elements drawn from Orbital ATK and its partners’ existing, flight-proven spacecraft technologies. Cygnus consists of a common Service Module (SM) and a Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM). The SM is assembled and tested at Orbital ATK’s Dulles, Virginia, satellite manufacturing facility and incorporates systems from Orbital ATK’s flight-proven LEOStar™ and GEOStar™ satellite product lines. The PCM is based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), developed and built by Thales Alenia Space of Italy.

The Cygnus spacecraft for the OA-4 mission is the first to employ the longer, “enhanced,” PCM which can carry a greater volume of cargo than the PCM flown on previous missions, and lightweight UltraFlex arrays developed and built by Orbital ATK’s Goleta, California, facility.

Launch Notes: OA-4 will mark the 60th launch of the Atlas V and the 30th launch in the 401 configuration. It also marks ULA’s first mission supporting ISS cargo resupply.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunchtwitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #Cygnus, #OA4 and #AtlasV