Watch Antares Rocket Launch to Space Station

A new commercial spacecraft built to haul cargo to the International Space Station launched into space from Virginia's Eastern Shore Wednesday.

The new Cygnus spacecraft, built by the spaceflight company Orbital Sciences Corp., launched into orbit atop the firm's Antares rocket Wednesday at 10:50 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT) in a major test flight from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The rocket launch could be visible to observers as far north as New York City and as far south as South Carolina, weather permitting.

"If you're anywhere on the central East Coast there, you should be able to get a glimpse of the launch tomorrow," NASA test director Sarah Daugherty said in a press conference here. [See launch viewing maps for Orbital Science's Wednesday rocket launch] Read more...