NG16 blasts off from Wallops Flight Facility

The Cygnus spacecraft was lifted into orbit by an Antares rocket Tuesday from the Wallops Flight Facility.  The launch was routine with the Antares blasting off on time at 6:01 p.m from pad 0A at the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport.  While Antares launches have become somewhat routine, it doesn’t diminish the excitement and majesty of the lift off from Wallops.

Northrup Grumman 16 will carry 8000 lbs. of experiments and supplies to the International Space Station.  Also included were fresh apples, and tomatoes and even pizza kits for the astronauts.

It is dubbed the SS Ellison Onizuka, in honor of the first Asian American astronaut and will arrive at the ISS on Thursday.