Thales Alenia Space builds third space station cargo module

CANNES, France, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The third of nine pressurized cargo modules to ship items to the International Space Station has been produced by French-Italian aerospace firm Thales Alenia Space.

The module, completed at the company's facility in Turin, Italy, has been transported to a NASA launch facility on Wallops Island, Va., where Orbital Sciences Corp. will integrate it with the service module of a Cygnus spacecraft.

"Thales Alenia Space will provide Orbital with six more pressurized cargo modules, which will ferry crew supplies, spare parts and scientific experiments to the International Space Station," Thales Alenia Space said. "The company is providing a total of nine units under the commercial resupply service contract awarded to Orbital by NASA.

"The PCM unit delivered ... will be followed by one more unit in the standard configuration, capable of transporting up to 2,000 kg (about 4,409 pounds) of cargo, and by five enhanced units, offering cargo capacity of up to 2,700 kg (5,952 pounds)."

Details as to when the cargo will be delivered were not disclosed.

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Thales Alenia Space builds third space station cargo module