Northrop Grumman aborts Cygnus cargo launch to space station - Space.com

Northrop Grumman scrubbed the launch of a cargo capsule to the International Space Station scheduled for today (Feb. 9).

The Cygnus capsule was atop an Antares rocket and packed with 7,600 lbs. (3,400 kilograms) of supplies for the three-person crew living and working in orbit. The launch had a five-minute window and was aborted more than two minutes into that allotment. Northrop Grumman is still evaluating when it will try again.

"The launch today has been scrubbed for reasons yet to be determined," NASA spokesperson Brandi Dean said during the live broadcast immediately upon the decision to abort today's attempt.

Related: International Space Station at 20: A photo tour

An Antares rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus NG-13 cargo resupply spacecraft stands on Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Feb. 9, 2020, shortly after the launch was scrubbed. (Image credit: NASA TV)

The launch was scrubbed because of "off-nominal data from ground-support equipment at the launch pad," Dean later said; a member of the mission team later specified that it was a regulator.

During the lead-up to launch, mission personnel paused the countdown at five minutes before blastoff for reasons that were not announced. The Northrop Grumman team then resumed the countdown, then pushed launch to the end of the window before scrubbing today's attempt.

Northrop Grumman personnel are looking at rescheduling the launch for tomorrow (Feb. 10), but weather at the launch pad in Virginia is concerning, according to the launch broadcast.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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2020-02-09 23:13:00Z
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