September 16-22, 2013 / Vol 32, No 37 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Orbital Sciences Corp To Launch 1st Resupply Mission To ISS
The 1st Cygnus cargo freighter is set to launch aboard an Antares rocket at 11:16 EDT on September 17 from launch pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The 40m-high Antares will release the Cygnus craft from its 4m-diameter payload fairing 10 minutes after launch. Cygnus will then extend its solar arrays, activate its propulsion, and test several of its systems and capabilities as it journeys toward a Sep 22 rendezvous with the ISS. Astronaut Luca Parmitano will use the Station’s Canadarm2 to grapple Cygnus and move it to a berthing port on the bottom of the Harmony module. As this is its first demonstration mission, Cygnus will be carrying a light load (589 kg) of low-priority supplies such as food and clothing. After a 30-day stay at the ISS the freighter, filled with trash, will burn up during reentry into Earth atmosphere. If all goes well with this mission, Orbital Sciences is scheduled to make 8 more flights to the ISS over the next 4 years. Executive VP / General Manager of Orbital’s advanced programs group Frank Culbertson has reported the Cygnus ...