Launch Photos: Orbital ATK's Upgraded Antares Rocket Returns to Flight
Liftoff for Antares Rocket on OA-5
An upgraded Orbital ATK Antares rocket soars into the night sky over NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Oct. 17, 2016, beginning a Cygnus cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station for NASA. It was Orbital ATK's first Antares rocket launch since a 2014 accident.
Orbital ATK Antares Rocket Launch
The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Guest Watch the Orbital ATK Antares Rocket
Guest watch the Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Orbital ATK Antares Rocket Closeup
The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Antares Rocket Launch from Pad-OA
The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Antares Launch Team
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden congratulates the Orbital ATK Antares rocket, and Cygnus spacecraft launch teams in the Range Control Center at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility after the successful launch, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 in Virginia.
Antares Rocket Launches, Oct. 17, 2016
Orbital ATK's Antares rocket lifts off from the pad on Oct. 17, 2016, on a mission to deliver the Cygnus cargo capsule to orbit.
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Antares Engines Burn Bright
The first-stage engines of Orbital ATK's Antares rocket burn bright in the skies above Virginia shortly after the booster's liftoff on Oct. 17, 2016.
Sunday's sunrise behind Antares
The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen on launch Pad-0A during sunrise, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Orbital ATK Antares on Launchpad Oct. 16
The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, stands tall on the launchpad as the sun rises behind it on Sunday (Oct. 16) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Orbital ATK Antares on the Launch Pad
Orbital ATK's first Antares rocket since a 2014 accident stands atop its Pad-0A launchpad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Saturday (Oct. 15).
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Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos.