Nasa Rocket Explodes During Launch In Virginia, Video

Wallops Island (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WALLOPS ISLAND, VA,  The unmanned rocket originally scheduled to launch last night was scrapped due to a vessel in the waters near the island that would not move.  The mission rescheduled for tonight at 6:22 PM resulted in a complete disaster.

The Antares rocket was carrying a Cygnus cargo capsule, loaded with 5,000 pounds of gear for the six people living on the International Space Station. It was initially scheduled to launch Monday, and Orbital Sciences Corp. got within the 10-minute mark for liftoff, but a sailboat ended up in the restricted danger zone, and controllers halted the evening countdown.

Wavy TV 10 has great coverage on this issue.  

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Duke Energy Approves 80 MW Solar Farm in North Carolina

Have a sunny day! (Photo credit: Activ Solar)

An Asheville, NC based solar farm developer, Innovative Solar Systems has just recently received approvals by Duke Energy for an 80MW solar farm project in NC.

Asheville, NC (PRWEB) 

June 26, 2014

Innovative Solar 37, LLC is an 80MW solar farm project that will be located in the middle of the state to be built on approximately five hundred acres of leased land and will supply enough electricity to power approximately 20,000 small to medium size homes. The CEO of Innovative Solar Systems, John Green states that this is the largest solar farm approved to be built to date in the state of North Carolina. This project is a ground mounted type solar farm system and will employ roughly 300,000 solar photovoltaic panels and eighty inverters that will feed the energy to the Duke grid.

Innovative Solar Systems has been a pioneer in the field of large scale solar farms in NC with almost 1GW of projects to be built out in 2014 through 2015. Many of the company’s large portfolio consist of 35MW to 80MW size projects. Investors have an affinity for these larger projects states Green of ISS as both hard and soft costs are reduced by economy of scale when building large projects. These larger type solar farm projects are much harder projects to develop as the approval process is longer, more tedious and requirements are usually more strict due to size and complexity of the projects.

ISS has a proven track record developing large scale solar farm projects and has many strategic relationships with credit worthy utility companies like Duke Energy. Investors and buyers of solar farm projects have come to appreciate the efforts of ISS and many in the industry believe the company offers the gold standard where bankable solar farm deals are concerned. The managing partners at ISS state that the company is excited to finish up the projects in NC as the company has already moved development operations into five other key states that offer clients great solar projects with solid returns. To learn more about this North Carolina solar farm project or for investor relations please call (828)-215-9064.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/06/prweb11979337.htm

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U.S. Air Force Successfully Launches The ORS-3 Mission to Orbit from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia

English: The integrated NuSTAR observatory, including the instrument and spacecraft, at Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) in Dulles, Virginia on June 29, 2011. The observatory is being prepared for environmental testing, including testing in a thermal vacuum chamber and vibration testing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell tonight congratulated the Department of Defense and Orbital Sciences Corporation on launch of the ORS-3 Mission from Virginia’s spaceport, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), at Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch took place at 8:15 p.m. on November 19, 2013, from MARS Pad 0B.

Speaking about the launch, Governor McDonnell said, “Virginia is honored to have played a role in another successful launch. I commend the Department of Defense and the Orbital Sciences Corporation for their efforts. The Commonwealth stands ready to continue its support of future missions.”

The Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Sean Connaughton, said, “Virginia continues to strongly support the aerospace industry and is proud to have played a key role in launching this important mission for the Nation.”

Dale Nash is the Executive Director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, or ‘Virginia Space,’ which owns and operates MARS.  After launch, from the Range Control Center on Wallops, Dale commented, “Virginia Space is proud to be part of the ORS-3 team.  This was the 6th Minotaur launched from MARS, and the 2nd Minotaur that we’ve launched in just over two months.  I am pleased with the exceptional performance of the MARS personnel and facilities.”

29 total satellites were launched in the mission (the most ever aboard a single U.S. rocket).  The primary payload for the ORS-3 Mission is the U.S. Air Force STPSat-3 satellite.  In addition, the rocket deployed 28 cubesats.  Among them is TJ3Sat, the first satellite built by high school students. 

Additionally, at their other pad, Virginia Space has a manifest to launch eight cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard the new Antares launch vehicle built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, a Virginia corporation.  Antares launches from the new MARS Pad 0A, which has already launched two Antares missions earlier this year.  The next Antares to launch from Virginia’s spaceport to the space station is scheduled for December 2013.

Virginia plays a key role in National Security, as one of only four states in the United States that is licensed by the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation to launch to orbit.  Virginia will continue to strongly support the aerospace industry throughout the Commonwealth. 

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Orbital Successfully Launches the Antares Space Launch Vehicle from Virginia to the International Space Station

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today congratulated Orbital Sciences Corporation for the launch of their Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft on its maiden voyage to the International Space Station. The launch occurred at the new Virginia Space launch facility at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia.

            The launch took place on September 18, 2013, from MARS Pad 0A, which was designed and built to accommodate medium-class liquid-fuel space launch vehicles.  The goal of the ORB-D1 COTS Demo mission is to demonstrate the operational Antares launch system to deliver the Cygnus space vehicle to the International Space Station with cargo.

            Speaking about the launch, Governor McDonnell remarked, “In just over a week, Virginia has witnessed two historic launches from the Mid-Altantic Regional Spaceport.  The first was the LADEE mission to the moon.  Today, Orbital Sciences Corporation launched their Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station.  These historic launches are sure to put Virginia on the map as a leader in space exploration.  We are well on our way to making Wallops Island the top commercial spaceport in the country.  I congratulate everyone who helped to make today’s launch successful.”

            Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Sean Connaughton, said, “This has been a long time coming, with the full support of Governor McDonnell and multiple Virginia Governors before him.  Space is a key part of the transportation infrastructure.  Virginia Transportation is not just roads, rails and ports – we are space too.”

            Dale Nash, Executive Director of VCSFA, commented from the Wallops Range Control Center, “The ORB-D1 COTS Demo Mission confirms full operational capability of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's (MARS) Pad-0A.  This is the second Antares launch with eight more currently on the manifest, and it follows the successful NASA LADEE mission launched on an Orbital Minotaur V rocket off MARS Pad-0B by less than two-weeks.  In addition to LADEE and the COTS Demo, two more missions are scheduled to be launched out of MARS before the end of the year.  It has become a very good partnership between NASA, MARS and Orbital and one that benefits the Nation and Virginia.”

            Orbital, a northern Virginia corporation, is next scheduled to conduct a Demonstration Mission of cargo delivery to the International Space Station (ISS).  The Demonstration Mission is the final operational milestone under the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) agreement.  Following the successful completion of the COTS research and development program, Orbital is slated to deliver up to 20,000 kgs (44,000 lbs) of supplies to the ISS under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.  The Demonstration Mission and CRS flights will continue to launch from MARS Pad 0A, located on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia, which is ideally suited for ISS missions, and can also accommodate launches to other orbits of interest.

            Virginia plays a key role in national security and assured access to space as one of only four states in the United States that is licensed by the FAA to launch spacecraft into orbit.  Virginia stands ready to continue supporting Orbital in launching Antares on cargo resupply missions to the ISS as well as any other future missions.

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NASA Successfully Launches the LADEE Mission to the Moon from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia

English: LADEE lunar orbiter Deutsch: LADEE Mondorbiter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND - Governor McDonnell tonight congratulated NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation on the launch of the LADEE Mission to the Moon from Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island.  The launch took place on September 6, 2013, from MARS Pad 0B, on the first Minotaur V launch vehicle built by Orbital Sciences, a northern Virginia corporation.  LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) is a robotic mission that will orbit the Moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface, and environmental influences on lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well.

            “Tonight the nation witnessed a tremendous event at Wallops Island,” said Governor McDonnell. “Virginia is honored to have played a role in this historic achievement and I commend the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), Orbital Sciences Corporation, and MARS for their efforts. The Commonwealth stands ready to continue its support of future missions.”

            Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton said, “Virginia strongly supports the aerospace industry and is very proud to have launched this historic mission to the Moon for the nation.”

            Dale Nash, Executive Director of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), which owns and operates MARS, commented from the Range Control Center (RCC) at Wallops, “We are very proud to be part of the LADEE team, and I am pleased with the exceptional performance of the MARS personnel and facilities in supporting the first lunar mission launched from Virginia.”

            The LADEE spacecraft has a modular common spacecraft bus, or body.  This is an innovative way of transitioning away from custom designs to multi-use designs and assembly-line type production, which aims to dramatically reduce the cost of spacecraft development.  The LADEE Mission is the 24th overall launch of the Minotaur family of vehicles and the fifth Minotaur launch from MARS. The Minotaur V will boost the LADEE Spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit of 200 km x 278,000 km around the Earth.  Over the next 23 days, as LADEE orbits Earth 3.5 times, the Moon's gravitational field will increase the perigee of its orbit.  The spacecraft will fire its on-board thrusters to alter its trajectory to allow it to enter orbit around the Moon.  The spacecraft is designed to conduct a 100-day mission to measure lunar dust and examine the lunar atmosphere from an orbit of 50 km above the surface of the Moon.

            Virginia plays a key role in National security, as one of only four states in the United States that is licensed by the FAA to launch to orbit.  Virginia will continue to strongly support the aerospace industry throughout the Commonwealth.  The next scheduled launch from MARS is on September 17, 2013 at 11:16 AM EDT for Orbital Sciences’ Antares COTS Demo Mission, which is scheduled to deliver their Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) for critical cargo delivery.

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