The launch of BIRDS-5, a constellation of CubeSats: PEARLAFRICASAT-1, the first satellite developed by Uganda; ZIMSAT-1, Zimbabwe’s first satellite; and TAKA from Japan, has been postponed to Monday, November 7, 2022.
The launch was supposed to happen at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility aboard the Northrop Grumman (NG-18 Cygnus) commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station (ISS) on behalf of NASA.
However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a statement on Sunday afternoon saying the launch attempt of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore has been postponed.
According to NASA, the launch was scrubbed due to a fire alarm at Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft control center in Dulles, Virginia.
Update: Today's planned #CRS18 launch has been scrubbed due to a fire alarm at the mission operations control center in Dulles, Virginia. Liftoff of the Cygnus spacecraft is now set for Nov. 7 at 5:27am ET (10:27 UTC). We'll go live at 5am: https://t.co/Lxw6lLfGZ2 https://t.co/7iOGLi0yoB
— NASA (@NASA) November 6, 2022
“Launch was scrubbed due to a fire alarm in the Northrop Grumman mission control building. The next attempt is tomorrow, Monday 7th 2022 at 05:27 Eastern, 10:27 UTC,” NASA tweeted.
It added: “The next launch attempt will be Monday, Nov. 7, in a five-minute window that opens at 5:27 a.m. EST. Weather for that window is currently forecast as 75% favourable: High pressure looks to continue to provide tranquil weather to the Mid-Atlantic before breezy conditions impact the Wallops area Tuesday. Live coverage will begin on NASA TV and nasa.gov/live at 5 a.m. EST.”
The Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket remain healthy at the Wallops launch site.
Antares is carrying the unmanned Cygnus spacecraft full of cargo for the International Space Station. It will arrive at the ISS on Tuesday, November 8th at around 05:50 Eastern, 10:50 UTC.
Hon. Monica Musenero Masanza, the Minister for Science Technology and Innovation, said Uganda’s first satellite PearlAfricaSat-1 has a multispectral camera payload which will provide research and observation high-resolution image data to support weather forecasting; land, water, and mineral mapping; agriculture monitoring; infrastructure planning; border security, and disaster prevention.
“With our own data, analysis and prediction of weather, water quality, soil fertility, landslides, and drought will be more efficient,” she said in a statement on Saturday.
“The satellite will also play a vital role in planning, resource management, and environmental impact assessment in our oil and gas industry,” added Dr Musenero.
Uganda is also setting up an Earth Station at Mpoma, Mukono for command, control, and management of the satellite here in Uganda, by Ugandans.
https://youtu.be/aixl3HMhe5M