CRS 18 launches successfully from Wallops

Pictured: A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with the company’s Cygnus spacecraft aboard, launched at 5:32 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, from the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 18th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 8,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and spacecraft hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. This Cygnus spacecraft is named after the first American woman in space, Sally Ride. Credits: NASA/Jamie Adkins.

In a spectacular pre dawn launch,  a Cygnus capsule named for the late astronaut Sally Ride and loaded with 8200 pounds of supplies and experiments blasted toward the International Space Station from its Wallops Island pad .  The Sally Ride is expected to arrive at the ISS Wednesday morning.  The launch occurred at 5:32a.m. this morning had only af 5 minute window.

The launch was originally scheduled to blast off Sunday morning but a fire alarm at  Northrup Grumman’s  control center at Dulles, forced the evacuation of the control center resulting in the 24 hour delay.