Orbital ATK spacecraft docks at International Space Station – Loudoun Times-Mirror

A spacecraft manufactured by Dulles-based Orbital ATK successfully docked at NASA'S International Space Station Saturday.

The S.S. John Glenn which keeps with Orbital ATKs tradition of naming its Cygnus spacecraft in honor of those who made significant contributions to human spaceflight -- delivered approximately 7,600 pounds of cargo, including supplies and scientific experiments.

The Cygnus spacecraft launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station April 18. Orbital ATK said the spacecraft executed a series of thruster burns to raise its orbit and reach the space station.

Just after 6 a.m. on April 22 crew members aboard the International Space Station used a robotic arm to grapple the spacecraft. It was then guided to a berthing port on the stations unity module. The installation concluded at 8:39 a.m.

Known as OA-7, the mission marks Orbital ATK's seventh cargo delivery mission under NASAs Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract.

This is our fourth successful trip to the space station in little over a year and the third time we will use Cygnus as a platform for conducting scientific experiments, Frank Culbertson, Orbital ATK space systems group president, said in a statement.

Cygnus' cargo includes a NanoRacks cubesat deployer, food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts, packaging materials and lockers that resemble freezers. Each locker carried critical science samples, experiments and laboratory equipment for the crew.

The crew planned to open the hatch this week and begin unloading the pressurized cargo. The spacecraft will remain berthed with the orbiting laboratory for three months before departing with close to 3,300 pounds of disposable cargo.

During its time in space, Cygnus will be used as a scientific platform, executing a series of secondary payload missions, according to company officials. Cygnus will carry the Saffire-III payload experiment to study the behavior of a large scale fire in microgravity and release. In addition, a NanoRacks deployer will release four cubesats used for weather monitoring and global ship tracking. For the final experiment, Cygnus will use three reentry data collection flight recorders to provide crucial data about the extreme conditions a spacecraft encounters when reentering the Earths atmosphere.

Once these missions are complete, Cygnus will conduct a safe, destructive reentry into Earths atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

Orbital ATK is viewed as a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. Although headquartered in Dulles, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,500 people in 18 states across the U.S., and in several international locations.

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Orbital ATK spacecraft docks at International Space Station - Loudoun Times-Mirror