Northrop Grumman and NASA sent the Cygnus spacecraft to the ISS - it will be attached to the Unity module using the Canadarm-2 robot

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported the successful launch of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Here's What We Know

The launch was scheduled for Nov. 6, but due to problems at the Mission Control Center, the launch was delayed by a day. As a result, the Antares launch vehicle with the Cygnus spacecraft lifted off from the Wallops Island launch site on Nov. 7 at 1:32 p.m. (EET).

For Cygnus, the flight to the ISS is a one-way ticket. The spacecraft carries 3,500 kilograms of cargo, including food and equipment needed for specialists on the station. Docking with the ISS is scheduled for November 9, taking into account the postponement of the launch.

Cygnus will be captured by a robotic arm Canadarm-2 and docked to the U.S. module Unity. The spacecraft will remain on the ISS until January 2023, after which it will return to Earth, taking the station's accumulated debris.

Delivery of cargo and garbage removal is not the only task of Cygnus. The spacecraft will help to correct the station's orbit. The spacecraft successfully completed a similar procedure a few months ago. When returning to Earth, Cygnus will burn up in the dense layers of the atmosphere.

Source: NASA