NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 2013-051A
This was the maiden flight of the Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft that will be used for cargo delivery services under a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement. Cygnus is designed to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). Following rendezvous maneuvers with the ISS, it docked with the Harmony module after being captured by the Remote Manipulator arm. After the transfer of supplies to the station, the spacecraft will be filled up with trash and released to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere on reentry.
The pressurized cargo vessel is based the on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) carried as Shuttle cargo and the avionics were originally developed for other satellites.
Orbital Sciences Corporation plans to use Cygnus to perform future ISS resupply flights under the Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) contract.
Launch Date: 2013-09-18
Launch Vehicle: Antares
Launch Site: Wallops Island, United States
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office