spacetoday.net: Cygnus cargo spacecraft launched to ISS

Cygnus cargo spacecraft launched to ISS

Posted: Sun, Nov 3, 2019, 8:28 AM ET (1328 GMT)
Antares launch of Cygnus on NG-12 mission (J. Foust)

An Antares rocket successfully launched a Cygnus cargo spacecraft carrying several tons of cargo for the International Space Station. The Northrop Grumman Antares 230+ rocket lifted off at 9:59 am EDT (1359 GMT) from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia and released the NG-12 Cygnus spacecraft into orbit eight and a half minutes later. The spacecraft, carrying about 3,700 kilograms of cargo, will arrive at the ISS early Monday. The Cygnus is carrying a wide range of scientific experiments as well as equipment that astronauts will use to repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. The launch was the first under the new CRS-2 cargo contract, a follow-on to the original CRS cargo contracts awarded more than a decade ago.