Atlas V Cargo Resupply Mission Launch Set For December 3 From Cape Canaveral
By Space Coast Daily // November 13, 2015
60th launch of the Atlas V
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 will launch the Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft on the initial leg of its cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Date/Site/Launch Time: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The mission will launch during a 30-minute window that opens at approximately 6 p.m. EST.
Mission Description: Cygnus is a low-risk design incorporating elements drawn from Orbital ATK and its partners’ existing, flight-proven spacecraft technologies. Cygnus consists of a common Service Module (SM) and a Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM).
The SM is assembled and tested at Orbital ATK’s Dulles, Virginia, satellite manufacturing facility and incorporates systems from Orbital ATK’s flight-proven LEOStar™ and GEOStar™ satellite product lines. The PCM is based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), developed and built by Thales Alenia Space of Italy.
The Cygnus spacecraft for the OA-4 mission is the first to employ the longer, “enhanced,” PCM which can carry a greater volume of cargo than the PCM flown on previous missions, and lightweight UltraFlex arrays developed and built by Orbital ATK’s Goleta, California, facility.
Launch Notes: OA-4 will mark the 60th launch of the Atlas V and the 30th launch in the 401 configuration. It also marks ULA’s first mission supporting ISS cargo resupply.
Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch,twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #Cygnus, #OA4 and #AtlasV.
