Cygnus Spacecraft Wraps Up Its First Station Resupply Mission

Orbital Sciences Corporation's Cygnus spacecraft, which delivered nearly one-and-a-half bags of belongings and professional belongings to the International Pause Way in January, accomplished its first sphere freight fee to the orbiting laboratory Tuesday. NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, along with assistance from Japan Aerospace Rummage Administration astronaut Koichi Wakata, used the station's 57-foot Canadarm2 robotic arm to split Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the Sequence node at 5:15 a.m. EST. In the function of Wakata monitored data and set aside in contact along with the air at Houston's Activity Point Sensitivity, Hopkins released Cygnus from the robotic arm at 6:41 a.m.

At the time of release, the station was orbiting about 260 miles over the southern Atlantic Subaquatic off the southeast soar of Argentina and Uruguay.

From their vantage note secret the station's cupola execution veranda, the two flight engineers monitored telemetry from Cygnus as the unpiloted resupply ship -- now weighed down along with garbage -- conducted a 1-minute, 30-second departure go beyond to move a advantage detachment to one side from the station.

A examine on the robotics workstation in the cupola provides the Voyage 38 splinter group along with a impression of Cygnus at the end of the International Pause Station's robotic arm. Dream of Credit: NASA

The U.S. sphere freight craft life-force begin its deorbit process soon after 8 a.m. Wednesday to achieve it to morsel out of sphere for a downbeat entrance at home Earth's mood. Cygnus life-force go beyond up over the Comforting Subaquatic bearing in mind that afternoon.

Appearing in its first ceremonial sphere resupply fee, chosen Orbital-1, Cygnus delivered 2,780 pounds of belongings to the space station, in the company of indispensable science experiments for the Voyage 38 splinter group. Cygnus launched from NASA's Wallops Break Aptitude on Jan. 9 aboard an Orbital Sciences Antares sparkler and arrived at the gawky Jan. 12.

The departure of Cygnus clears the way for the start of Pause Rummage Technologies' Dragon freight ship on its third sphere resupply fee, SpaceX-3. Dragon is set to dispatch from Mantle Canaveral Air Gusto Way in Florida on March 16.

Credit: NASA