A medium-class rocket jointly developed by U.S. and Ukrainian specialists successfully launched from a NASA flight facility in Virginia on February 15, carrying nearly four tons of supplies, hardware, and science payloads to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Antares rocket, partly designed by the Pivdenne Design Bureau and made by the Pivdenmash in Ukraine’s Dnipro region, lifted off at 3:21 p.m. local time carrying U.S. defense corporation Northrop Grumman’s robotic Cygnus cargo spacecraft.
Its cylindrical 3,750-kilogram payload included fresh fruit, cheddar and manchego cheese, as well as candy for the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Its arrival is scheduled for February 18 and the crew will grab onto the spacecraft with the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm for its berthing.
The first electron microscope to fly in space, built by a Seattle company called Voxa, will conduct scientific experiments aboard the Cygnus.
The 13th Cygnus cargo spacecraft is named after Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., the first African-American ever selected as an astronaut. He was killed in a 1967 jet crash during his training mission for space.
NASA said a tissue and cell-culturing facility will be delivered to the ISS as well.
"The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until May 11, when it will depart the orbiting laboratory,” NASA said in a news release.
It will support dozens of new and existing investigations, according to a blog by NASA and Northrop Grumman.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
The Rebuilding Of Kyiv's Navy, Far From Ukraine
2Ukrainian Artillery Unit Pounds Russian Forces Despite Ammunition Shortages
3Putin's Foils: The Other Three Names On The Russian Ballot
4Amid 'Repression And Intimidation,' Putin Posts 'Record' Election Win
5Michael Clarke: If Ukraine Can Survive The Year, 'Pendulum Could Shift' Against Russia
6The Azadi Briefing: Taliban's Investment In Iranian Port Signals Shift Away From Pakistan
7Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
8Europe To Use Frozen Russian Profits To Buy Arms For Ukraine
9In A Whirlwind Of War And Repression, Putin Set To Secure Six More Years In Power
10Six More Years For Putin. Five Things To Watch For.
Subscribe