Antares, a commercial rocket is set to launch to space Tuesday night after it was called off Monday when the Orbital Sciences located a stray boat within the danger zone.
A stray boat in the launch range caused the space delivery mission to halt just 10 minutes before its Virginia launch on Monday. The sail boat was said to be in the restricted danger zone and controllers had to shut the evening's countdown rescheduling it on Tuesday night.
The lift off is now set Tuesday at 6:22 p.m. EDT and spectators can watch it live with NASA's live webcast which will begin at 5:30 p.m EDT.
Antares' rocket launch marks Orbital Science's third of eight official cargo missions to the International Space Station under a $1.9 billion contract. The mission is called Orb-3, will launch an unmanned Cygnus capsule blast atop the Antares rocket. This capsule is packed with 5,000 lbs. of food, water, experiments and other gear for the astronauts living aboard the space station.
Each of the missions is named to honor a deceased person linked to the company or commercial spaceflight, ABC News reported.
The rocket launch today will mark the first time an Antares rocket will launch from the Virginia launch pad at night. The launch pad is located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. It is managed by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
At Sunday's prelaunch news conference, Frank Culbertson, an astronaut who previously who lived in the space station more than a decade ago, said that Orbital Sciences have sneaked in some post-Halloween treats for the two Americans, three Russians and one German currently on board. But Culbertson kept it as a surprise, "They might be watching," he said.
The rocket launch will be visible for people who live along the US East Coast.
