Cygnus Spacecraft Docks With Intl. Space Station Bringing New Supplies - Northrop Grumman

Cygnus Spacecraft Docks With Intl. Space Station Bringing New Supplies - Northrop Grumman

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2018) An unmanned Cygnus spacecraft has successfully rendezvoused with the International Space Station (ISS) bringing 7,400 Pounds (3,350 kilograms) of new supplies and scientific experiments to its crew, Northrop Grumman said in a press release on Monday.

"Northrop Grumman Corporation today announced that the SS John Young Cygnus spacecraft successfully completed its rendezvous and berthing maneuvers with the... ISS earlier this morning," the release said.

Cygnus launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket on November 17 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A on Wallops Island, Virginia and the ISS crew established direct contact with it using a robotic arm this morning, the company said.

Cygnus will remain docked at the station for approximately two months before departing on secondary missions and will then re-position to deploy three CubeSats via the NanoRacks External Cygnus Deployment Program from both above and below the space station, the release explained.

The CubeSat known as MYSat-1 is among NanoRacks' customers to be deployed and marks the first satellite developed by Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Northrop Grumman said.