A United States Air Force four-stage, 70-foot tall Minotaur 1 rocket carrying the ORS-1 satellite for the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 11:09 p.m on Wednesday. Ten minutes after its launch, the device was traveling at 14,000 miles per hour. Officials confirmed space station separation at 11:21 p.m. The launch was scheduled for 10:05 p.m., but the crew had issues with the flight termination system's battery.
The ORS-1 launch from Wallops Island. Photo courtesy of NASA.
According to the Wallops Flight Facility webcast, the launch did not occur as scheduled because crews were "unable to switch flight temination system from external power to internal power." The launch was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed due to thunderstorms in the area. The backup launch days are June 30 through July 10.