Four tons of cargo carrying supplies, hardware, and science payloads have been released into space, and the destination is certain: the International Space Station. While this is not something new at all, the surprise lies in the fact that the rocket carrying the supplies was created by scientists from Ukraine and the US.
NASA’s ambitious plan to let robots create the next space station may be put into action in several years, but the crew currently living on the International Space Station is still composed of humans. Therefore, they need food in order to survive, and the new cargo brought them fruits, cheddar and manchego cheese, and also some candy.
The Antares rocket did the job
The Antares rocket was the one responsible for providing the supplies to the members of the International Space Station. The rocket was designed by the Pivdenne Design Bureau, while the Pivdenmash from Ukraine’s Dnipro region did the rest of the job.
The cargo spacecraft was named Cygnus, as a reference to Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., who was the first African-American person selected for becoming an astronaut. The Cygnus spacecraft belongs to the U.S. defense corporation Northrop Grumman, and it has been carried into space atop of the Antares rocket.
NASA said more about Cygnus:
The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until May 11, when it will depart the orbiting laboratory,
The liftoff was successful
The cargo has been launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility present in Virginia. It happened on Saturday, February 15. NASA itself made the big announcement on Twitter by saying:
@northropgrumman’s #Antares rocket launched from @NASA_Wallops in Virginia at 3:21pm ET. Now heading to @Space_Station, the #Cygnus cargo vehicle will deliver thousands of pounds of @ISS_Research:
It’s nice to see the members of the International Space Station getting their batteries charged since they have plenty of upcoming ambitious tasks.
