Virginia delivered its first shipment to the International Space Station in more than two years Sunday after a spectacular nighttime launch witnessed 250 miles up and down the East Coast.
Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi admired the vehicle as he used the station’s big robot arm to take hold the vessel. The capture happened as the spacecraft flew 250 miles above Kyrgyzstan; Onishi compared it to the last 195 meters of a marathon.
First Antares launch in 2 years
NASA has commissioned SpaceX and Orbital ATK to supply the station, but SpaceX is currently grounded. The California company is investigating the explosion of one of its Falcon rockets during launch pad testing on Sept. 1.
After liftoff, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus capsule circled solo for twice the usual amount of time. NASA would like the Cygnus to wait for three astronauts to launch from Kazakhstan. They arrived Friday, doubling the size of the crew. Aside from Onishi, the crew consists of three Russians and two Americans.
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins helped Onishi with the Cygnus on Sunday morning. Their four-month mission will conclude next weekend.
Meanwhile, this specific Cygnus is formally known as the S.S. Alan Poindexter. It was named after a former space shuttle commander who assisted in building the station. He died in a jet ski accident in 2012.
The Cygnus will be filled with trash and set loose to burn up in the atmosphere in mid-November once it is unloaded.
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