Photos: Orbital Sciences' 1st Antares Rocket Test Flight

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Antares Rocket Takes Off in Test Launch

NASA/Bill Ingalls

The third try was the charm for the private Antares rocket, which launched into space from a new pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, its twin engines roaring to life at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) on April 21, 2013 to carry a mock cargo ship out over the Atlantic Ocean and into orbit. The successful liftoff came after two delays caused by a minor mechanical glitch and bad weather.

Antares Rocket Begins Maiden Voyage

NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket soars from NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Sunday, April 21, 2013. The Antares rocket is a two-stage booster designed to launch tons of supplies to the International Space Station aboard a new unmanned cargo ship called Cygnus. Orbital has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to provide at least eight resupply flights to the station using Antares and Cygnus.

Antares Rocket Soars in Critical Test Flight

NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it takes off from NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Sunday, April 21, 2013. Orbital had much riding on the liftoff, which marked a critical test flight of a new commercial launch system.

Antares Liftoff Sets Record for Wallops Flight Facility

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Antares is the largest rocket ever to launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. It lifted off from the new Pad 0A on April 21, 2013, which is at Wallops but managed by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) and overseen by the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority. Altogether, the Commonwealth of Virginia and MARS officials spent about $140 million to build the new launch pad complex.

Antares Takes Off from Wallops

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Antares rocket is seen as it took off from NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Sunday, April 21, 2013. During the test launch, the rocket launched on a southeast trajectory over the Atlantic and took 10 minutes to reach its target orbit 155 miles (250 kilometers) above Earth.

Antares Lifts Off in Successful Maiden Voyage

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Antares rocket is seen as it took off from NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Sunday, April 21, 2013. The rocket carried an 8,377-pound (3,800 kilograms) dummy payload to mimic the weight of an actual Cygnus spacecraft. The mockup was packed with 70 sensors to record how the Antares rocket launch would affect a Cygnus vehicle.

Space.com Staff
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