Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft has successfully docked with the International Space Station as of Sunday September 29 at around 7 a.m. EDT.. Cygnus was launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., on Sept. 18, and it was grabbed by the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm controlled by European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, with NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg acting as his backup.
Orbital signed a $1.8 billion contract with NASA that will run through 2016. During that time, Orbital will conduct eight resupply missions to the ISS, sending 44,093 pounds of net cargo. NASA is also aiming at its commercial partners to deliver personnel as well, drastically reducing operational costs.
This now doubles the commercial delivery systems being used on the ISS. Elton Musk's Space X
full article at International Business Times
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