Virginia Spaceport Gears Up For Launches To International Space Station And Moon In 2013

Image of the Cygnus spacecraft touch on the ISS in April 2013.

The Virginia Mercantile Rest Route Expert organization pads at the MID-ATLANTIC Resident SPACEPORT on Wallops Atoll, Virginia are anticipating a Assiduous Meeting OF ORBITAL Rest LAUNCHES in 2013 as the contract set ORBITAL SCIENCES Authorization begins its first contract operations to the Transnational Rest Conduct and the first sociable lunar mission from the spaceport.

Image of hot spurt test.

Next this month, the ANTARES Introduction Rocket essence hold on a hot spurt test of mount engines to the same extent outstanding sedentary on the organization pad to test the pad and sports car. If the hot spurt test is a rap, Orbital Sciences Authorization essence heave the Antares mount to space on its first test flight from Pad 0-A not up to scratch the Cygnus.

Antares on Pad 0-A.

On 5 April 2013, Orbital Sciences is due to organization inexperienced Antares mount from Wallops Atoll, this time moving their Cygnus spacecraft on a dispute flight, attempting to get-together and wharf in the company of the ISS. The spacecraft may hold up the first Student SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIMENTS Schedule (SSEP) from the spaceport aboard the new mount for Meticulous Area Community Schools to the orbiting station. NASA may possibly appropriate a burst Antares-Cygnus commodities reserve mission to the Transnational Rest Conduct from "'SPACE ISLAND'" in 2013, if pleasing by the national space agency under contract shipper agreement.

LADEE depicted at the Moon in 2013.

On 12 Pompous 2013, Orbital Sciences essence use the first five-stage "MINOTAUR V" Rocket to heave the NASA Solar ATMOSPHERIC Feel Migrant ("LADEE") to discover supplementary about the Moon. The Minotaur-V LADEE essence liftoff from Pad 0-B. The NASA sociable space mission is expected to answer unusual strict questions connecting to lunar refresh. The Virginia Mercantile Rest Route Expert executive regulator, and its power of directors, essence moreover be seeking even more contract space organization customers to get the Virginia spaceport A MULTI-USER Speedboat Workings in 2013.