Orbital

Orbital ATK has launched its Cygnus spacecraft with nearly 3,600kg of cargo and small satellites, which will be deployed directly from the spacecraft, into the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, US.

During the company’s fifth cargo delivery mission for Nasa, Cygnus has been carried aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and will conduct scientific experiments onboard the spacecraft for the first time.

Orbital is conducting the mission under a commercial resupply services-1 (CRS-1) contract with Nasa, in which Cygnus will provide vital equipment, supplies and experiments to astronauts stationed aboard the ISS.

After a 21min flight, the spacecraft was successfully deployed into its intended orbit, which is around 144 miles above Earth and established communications with Orbital ATK’s team on ground.

"The satellite will be deployed into orbit from the ISS by the end of April."

In addition, the spacecraft’s solar arrays are fully deployed and is providing electrical power required to operate the vehicle.

After remaining attached to the ISS for nearly two months, Cygnus will return with around 2,000kg of disposable cargo for a safe, destructive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

As part of Nasa’s CRS contract, Orbital ATK will deliver around 26,800kg of cargo, including food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts, laboratory equipment and scientific experiments, to the ISS over ten missions through 2018.

In the latest mission, Cygnus also carried Philippines’ first microsatellite, Diwata-1, which is expected to be in orbit for nearly 20 months and will be imaging the country twice a day, reports Sun Star.

The satellite will be deployed into orbit from the ISS by the end of April.

Image: An Atlas V launch vehicle lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft. Photo: courtesy of Nasa.