ATK

Aerospace and defence technology solution provider Orbital ATK has delivered the Cygnus spacecraft’s service module for Nasa’s next International Space Station (ISS) cargo delivery mission, scheduled to be launched by next December.

Under commercial resupply services (CRS) contract, Orbital ATK has been providing cargo delivery services to Nasa.

The Cygnus spacecraft will be assembled at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center and a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch it.

This will be the first flight of the improved variant of the Cygnus spacecraft that is capable of delivering more than 7,700lb of crew supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to astronauts onboard the ISS.

Orbital ATK space systems group president Frank Culbertson said: "These are exciting times for the Cygnus team at Orbital ATK.

"With OA-4 set to launch in December and at least three additional missions to the Space Station planned in 2016, we remain solidly on schedule to meet our CRS cargo requirements for Nasa.

"Our team’s performance in meeting milestones on an accelerated timeline demonstrates the company’s flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs."

"These are exciting times for the Cygnus team at Orbital ATK."

The service module of Cygnus spacecraft hold its avionics, electrical, propulsion and communications systems, which will be integrated with an extended pressurised cargo module placed at the Kennedy Space Center.

The spacecraft is powered by Orbital ATK’s Ultraflex solar arrays, as well as the latest lightweight space-qualified power system technology.

Nasa has scheduled three commercial resupply services (CRS) missions of Cygnus for next year to support cargo supply to the ISS.

The missions will be led by a second Atlas V launch mission.

Last September, Nasa has awarded a research and technologies for aerospace propulsion systems 2 (RTAPS2) contract to Orbital ATK.

The contract aims to provide advanced space propulsion system technologies to Nasa.

Image: The OA-4 service module at Orbital ATK’s satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. Photo: courtesy of Business Wire.