AFP/Washington
Orbital Sciences, one of two private US firms chosen by Nasa to shuttle cargo to the International Space Station, launched its first Antares rocket on Sunday.
Liftoff of the two-stage launch vehicle – 131ft (40m) tall and 12.8ft in diameter - took place at 5pm (2100 GMT) at the Wallops Flight Facility on an island off the coast of the US state of Virginia, some 170 miles (270km) from Washington.
As this is a test mission, Antares was not transporting the company’s Cygnus capsule but rather a simulation of an equivalent payload of 3.8 tonnes that was placed into orbit at an altitude of roughly 160 miles (256km) 10 minutes after takeoff.
The control room erupted in applause after the separation of the simulator payload from the rocket.
“Congratulations to Orbital Sciences and the Nasa team that worked alongside them for the picture-perfect launch of the Antares rocket,” Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement.
“In addition to providing further evidence that our strategic space exploration plan is moving forward, this test also inaugurates America’s newest spaceport capable of launching to the space station, opening up additional opportunities for commercial and government users.”
