Orbital ATK Ships Service Module for Cyqnus Mission

摘要

Orbital ATK shipped the service module for a Cygnus cargo capsule to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the start of final assembly on the first such vehicle bound for the International Space Station since the last one was destroyed in a launch failure nearly one year ago, the company announced Oct. 12. The Orbital ATK-made service module now will be mated with its pressurized cargo vessel, manufactured by Europe's Thales Alenia Space, in preparation for a scheduled Dec. 3 launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, Orbital ATK said in a press release. The service module provides propulsion, electrical power, avionics and communications for the cargo carrier. This upgraded Cygnus will be the largest ever launched, carrying about 3.5 metric tons of cargo to ISS - nearly a ton more than the ill-fated Cygnus that was destroyed shortly after liftoff from Virginia last October. The latest Cygnus will also be the first to use Orbital ATK's in-house Ultraflex solar arrays; the craft previously used arrays provided by Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands.