Launch Date Set for Commercial Taurus-II

The launch campaign target date of Wednesday, December 14, 2011 has been set for the Orbital Sciences Corporation Taurus-II launch from the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops, Island, Virginia to the International Space Station with the first Cygnus visiting vehicle with cargo, [video].

A “risk-reduction” Taurus-II mission, which is still awaiting funding approval from Congress, may precede the December 14, 2011 mission from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, reports Guy Norris writing for Aviation Week.

A number of Virginia space advocates are urging Orbital Sciences Corporation and others to seek human-rated flights from the commercial spaceport at Wallops Island prior to 2015. Meanwhile, there is a friendly competition as to which of the two commercial space launch firms - SpaceX or Orbital - will place the first payload on the ISS.