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Orbital ATK delays launch of cargo ship to ISS due to bad weather

Xinhua, December 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

The launch of a U.S. commercial cargo ship to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) has been delayed due to bad weather, U.S. space agency NASA said Thursday.

Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft was originally scheduled to blast off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Thursday afternoon from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the state of Florida, but the mission was called off at the last minute because of thick clouds.

"With no signs poor weather conditions would clear in time for a launch today, the launch managers scrubbed today's try," NASA said in a launch blog.

The launch is now scheduled for 5:33 p.m. EST (2233 GMT) Friday. The launch window is 30 minutes.

Orbital ATK is one of the two commercial companies hired by NASA after the space shuttles were retired to fly cargo to the ISS.

Its third cargo mission using the company's own Antares rocket was destroyed in a launch explosion in October last year.

The other company, SpaceX, was recovering from a similar launch explosion in June this year as well.

This time, the Cygnus spacecraft will deliver about 3,500 kilograms of cargo, including food and Christmas gifts to the space station. Endit