Cygnus at Last Docks With Space Station

Orbital becomes 2nd private company to successfully resupply ISS
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 29, 2013 6:23 AM CDT
Cygnus at Last Docks With Space Station
The Cygnus spacecraft is shown at the 30-meter hold point from the International Space Station, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013, high above the Atlantic Ocean.   ((AP Photo/NASA-TV))

NASA's newest delivery service has finally made it to the International Space Station. After a week's delay, Orbital Science Corp.'s Cygnus cargo ship pulled up at the orbiting lab this morning. The space station astronauts used their robot arm to grab it. The capsule is making its debut on this test flight, and contains more than a half-ton of food, clothes, and other supplies for the six astronauts aboard the ISS.

It marks a major accomplishment 260 miles up. Only one other private company has ever made such a high-flying shipment. Orbital Sciences launched the Cygnus capsule from Virginia on Sept. 18. It was supposed to reach the space station four days later, but got held up by inaccurate navigation data. A software patch fixed everything. (More Cygnus stories.)

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