A flawless Cygnus launch brings eras to a close

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va.—I had been told that rocket launches are a physical experience, that the carefully controlled explosions that send payloads to space create waves of sound intense enough to be felt from over a mile away. But my first close-up experience with a launch involved the relatively small Electron rocket, and that left me wondering about whether these reports might be a bit exaggerated.

Tuesday's launch of an Antares rocket from Wallops Island made it clear there was no exaggeration. The two RD-181 engines that sent a Cygnus capsule toward a rendezvous with the International Space Station (more on those below) created a crackling noise that was at once both high-pitched and deep enough that you could feel their vibrations in your chest. The metal bleachers set up for the press rattled in sympathy.

But all that violence came as part of a completely routine launch. While there was a small delay—just long enough to allow an instant of worry—between the countdown hitting zero and flames appearing, the rocket performed exactly as expected, putting Cygnus on course for an ISS rendezvous on Friday.