After a series of delays, including a 24-hour slip prompted by a solar flare,Orbital Science's robotic Cygnus spacecraft is en route to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
The commercial spaceflight company Orbital Sciences Corp. launched a robotic spacecraft from Virginia's Eastern Shore Thursday (Jan. 9) on a milestone flight: the company's first official cargo delivery to the International Space Station. <\/p>\n
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An Orbital-built Cygnus spacecraft launched into space atop the company's Antares rocket from a seaside pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. Liftoff occurred at 1:07 p.m. EST (1807 GMT) after a series of delays, including a 24-hour slip due to ahuge solar flare on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
The Cygnus spacecraft is hauling about 2,780 lbs. (1,260 kilograms) of fresh food, clothing, scientific equipment and other gear for astronauts on the International Space Station. The mission, called Orb-1, is the first of at least eight cargo missions Orbital will fly for NASA under a $1.9 billion contract. [See more launch photos of Orbital's 1st Cygnus cargo mission] <\/p>\n
\"We are really looking forward to thisfirst Orbital cargo mission,\" Dan Hartman, NASA's deputy space station program manager, said in a prelaunch briefing this week. <\/p>\n
The Cygnus spacecraft is due to arrive at the space station early Sunday (Jan. 12), where it will be captured by astronauts using a robotic arm and attached to a station docking port. <\/p>\n
Orbital'sCygnus spacecraftare bus-size cylindrical vehicles designed to haul payloads of up to 4,400 lbs. (2,000 kg) to the International Space Station. They include an Orbital-built service module for power and propulsion and a 17-foot-long (5 meters) pressurized compartment built by Italy's Thales Alenia Space. <\/p>\n
In April 2013, Orbital launched itsfirst Antares rocket test flightfrom Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. A second demonstration flight in September launched the first Cygnus vehicle to the space station. Pad-0A at Wallops is managed by Virginia's commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. <\/p>\n
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Cygnus headed to space station with food, clothing, and other supplies<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After a series of delays, including a 24-hour slip prompted by a solar flare,Orbital Science's robotic Cygnus spacecraft is en route to the International Space Station. The commercial spaceflight company Orbital Sciences Corp Continue reading