NASA Confirms Plans To Launch Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft To ISS In October

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2019) NASA said on Tuesday that US cargo spacecraft Cygnus will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) not earlier that on October 21.

In August, a source in the rocket and space sphere told Sputnik that the launch of Cygnus spacecraft was planned for October 21.

"Northrop Grumman is targeting liftoff of its Antares rocket for no earlier than 2:39 p.m. EDT Oct. 21 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia. This is the first mission under Northrop's Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract with NASA," NASA said in a statement.

The spacecraft is set to deliver to the orbit the basic necessities and materials for scientific experiments, including a special vest for protection from solar radiation AstroRad Vest. According to NASA, the ISS crew will test it to identify whether it is user-friendly.

Moreover, Cygnus will deliver to the ISS Zero-G Oven, designed for cooking under microgravity conditions. The statement noted that the oven could also be subsequently used in long-term space missions.