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Orbital Set to Launch Private Resupply Mission for the ISS

Becoming the second company to have a craft dock with the ISS

Sep 17, 2013 09:27 GMT  ·  By
The Antares rocket with the Cygnus spacecraft on top, ready to launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, set for the ISS
   The Antares rocket with the Cygnus spacecraft on top, ready to launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, set for the ISS

SpaceX is soon going to lose the exclusive title of the only private company to run missions for the ISS.

Orbital Sciences Corporation is now preparing its two-stage Antares rocket which will carry the Cygnus supply capsule to space. The capsule is then set to dock with the International Space Station.

While this will be the first test resupply mission for the Cygnus capsule, it will be carrying some cargo for the ISS.

None of it is crucial, it's mostly food and clothing, but the 590 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of supplies should come in handy. Assuming, of course, that the capsule makes it to the ISS safely and without problems.

The Antares rocket is scheduled to launch on September 18, as long as the weather holds. The initial aim was for a September 13 launch which got delayed.