OA-5 Schedule and Coverage Plans

Jeff Foust for SpaceNews:

Orbital ATK said in a statement that it set the launch date after completing a flight readiness review, but didn’t disclose why they were now targeting the end of the original window versus the beginning. One potential factor, regardless of the technical readiness of the launch vehicle and spacecraft, is the weather: forecasts project Hurricane Matthew will travel up the East Coast in the next several days, passing Wallops Island Oct. 8.

The new launch window extends through Oct. 19, NASA Wallops spokesman Keith Koehler said Oct. 4. That window could be extended if needed.

Scheduling the launch for the last slot in the initial window without a comment doesn’t express a lot of confidence. Rollout is scheduled for Tuesday (October 11), at which point the storm should be well out of the way.

Selfishly, I’m really hoping the date holds for the 13th, or gets pushed past the weekend. That weekend is the only time I wouldn’t be able to make it down to Wallops for the launch. Otherwise, I’ll be there.

I was planning on doing a lot of tweeting and live streaming (probably with Periscope) from Wallops throughout the days surrounding OA-5, so be sure to follow @WeHaveMECO. I’ll probably release a mini-episode or two in the podcast feed—hopefully with an interview or some audio clips from the tours I’ll be on. Other than that, let me know what you want to see, hear, and find out about Antares and Cygnus.

If you’ll be in the area for the launch, let me know. I know a few of you out there will be in attendance, so maybe we’ll plan a meet up of some sort pending how the launch schedule falls.