Private Cygnus Spacecraft Launches on Maiden Space Station Voyage

Cygnus is the second commercial spacecraft to launch toward the space station for NASA. The first private spaceship to visit the ISS was SpaceX's robotic Dragon space capsule

By SPACE.com and Tariq Malik

ROCKET Orbital Sciences Corp. launched its Cygnus cargo capsule aboard an Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility on Sept. 18, 2013. Image: NASA TV

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. An untested commercial spacecraft blasted off on its first trek to the International Space Station today (Sept. 18), kicking off a major demonstration mision for its Virginia-based builders and NASA.

The unmanned Cygnus spacecraft and its Antares rocket soared into orbit with a tremendous roar at 10:58 a.m. EDT (1458 GMT) today from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility here a huge success for the commercial spaceflight company Orbital Sciences Corp., which built both vehicles. The spacecraft is now chasing the space station and is due to arrive early Sunday (Sept. 22), when it will be captured by astronauts using the outpost's robotic arm.

"Antares is the largest rocket that we've ever developed, and this will be the first payload that we've ever developed to rendezvous directly and autonomously of this size," said Frank Culbertson, Orbital's executive vice president. "It's been a long road to get to this point." [See photos of the Cygnus spacecraft's first launch]

The launch was delayed one day due to a technical glitch during the rocket's trip to its seaside pad. But the Wednesday liftoff appeared to go off smoothly, and Cygnus and Antares climbed into a clear blue sky.

During the countdown, NASA had to evacuate four homes around the launch area as a safety precaution in the unlikely chance the Antares rocket exploded during liftoff and blew out their windows.

A private spaceship rises

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Private Cygnus Spacecraft Launches on Maiden Space Station Voyage