Frida Space

T-300 s to ignition.

Less than 7,000 km from Venus now! Thanks for the link, @SaturnianBlue!

8 hours to orbital insertion! A timeline from Emily Lakdawalla: Dec 7 04:30 JST / Dec 6 19:30 UT / Dec 6 11:30 PST: Usuda Deep Space Center begins tracking Akatsuki. Dec 7 08:22 JST / Dec 6 23:22 UT / Dec 6 15:22 PST: Akatsuki enters Venus' penumbra. Dec 7 08:51 JST / Dec 6 23:51 UT / Dec 6 15:51 PST: Akatsuki fires one set of RCS thrusters for 20 minutes, 33 seconds to enter Venus orbit. After the firing, Akatsuki will automatically rotate to prepare for a second attempt at orbit insertion with its opposite set of RCS thrusters. Akatsuki will wait for instruction from Earth to find out if the second attempt is needed. Dec 7 12:00 JST / Dec 7 03:00 UT / Dec 6 19:00 PST: JAXA will hold a press briefing from Sagamihara. At the press briefing, they will only be able to say whether or not the attitude control system functioned as commanded. It will take until December 9 to confirm that the spacecraft successfully entered Venus orbit. Another press briefing is scheduled for that day. December 7, afternoon (Japan time): Canberra Deep Space Network begins tracking Akatsuki. This website looks like it will be hosting a live webcast of the event. However, it's in Japanese, so my interpretation is based on not-so-reliable-Google Translate. All the info in the main post remains valid. Fingers crossed... go Akatsuki!

From what I understand, one of the main theories is that they are sublimation pits. Or convective motions in the uppermost layer.

Apparently it's ground winds again.

NO GO again... damn

One minute to countdown resuming at T-4 minutes.

Thanks! Fingers crossed for now.

Last window of the day, isn't it? EDIT: The commentator just confirmed.

Ground winds exceeded.

NO GO again. "LC not ready".

Actually 1.2 t more than the old Antares and "only" 300 kg more than the new Antares.

LD has given permission to launch.

They chose Atlas because the Antares rocket is still being redesigned with new engines. As soon as the new Antares is ready (should be next mission), they're going to resume normal launches.

Yea, Atlas V is OP for ISS launches, at least with something like Cygnus.

10 minute hold. New T-0 at 5:48:12 EST, third of four launch opportunities for today.

Countdown has restarted at T-4 minutes and counting. All systems - weather too - remains go. UPDATE NO GO. Hold due to issue. Countdown recycled to T-4 minutes and counting.

New Horizons Returns First, Best Images of Pluto www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-returns-first-best-images-of-pluto

Animation taken by LORRI on Nov. 2 showing a 150-km-wide KBO known as 1999 JR1, 5.3 billion km from the Sun and 280 million km from New Horizons. It's also the closest-ever picture of a minor KBO by a factor of >15.

Scrub for today Next opportunity tomorrow 5:33:11 pm EST, 30-minute window. But again, 70% chances of weather violations (cumulus clouds, ground wind, showers, brocken and overcast decks at 2,000, 10,000 and 24,000 feet).

No problem, @WinkAllKerb''! Very smooth launch, apparently.

Another screenshot:

Launched!

Webcast starting right now

After NASA bailed out, partnering with the Russians was Europe's only choice, really (except cancelling ExoMars). The only thing I'm worried about are the Proton launches themselves... In the last five years, the Proton success record is of 87%, and there is at least one failure per year. What worries me the most are the very stupid reasons behind most of these failure (I recall one failure in which the engineers had loaded too much fuel on the upper stage because they were using old figures, and another one in which the rocket crashed shortly after liftoff because some angular velocity sensors had been installed upside down). But let's hope for the best! If ExoMars succeeds it could be one of the greatest missions of all time, IMHO.