Cygnus Spacecraft on Deck after Successful Antares Debut

摘要

With the inaugural launch of its Antares medium-lift rocket in the books, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., is now preparing for another maiden flight: that of the Cygnus space freighter the company developed with help from NASA. The first Cygnus mission is tentatively scheduled for June or July, and its successful completion would clear the way for Orbital to start flying 20,000 tons of cargo to the international space station for NASA under an eight-flight, $1.9 billion contract signed in 2008.