United Launch Alliance (ULA) on Tuesday successfully launched an Orbital ATK [OA] Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Launch took place at 11:11 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard an Atlas V rocket. This launch, called OA-7, is Orbital ATK’s seventh operational cargo mission under the CRS-1 contract.
Following a 21-minute ascent, Cygnus was successfully deployed into its intended orbit, according to an Orbital ATK statement. The company said reliable communications have been established and that the vehicle’s solar arrays are fully deployed, providing the necessary electrical power to operate the spacecraft.
Cygnus will be grappled Saturday morning and will remain attached to ISS for approximately three months before departing. Pending NASA’s specific cargo needs, Orbital ATK is prepared to launch two additional CRS missions scheduled this year that will launch aboard the company’s Antares rockets from NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Va. Orbital ATK Space Systems Group President Frank Culbertson said Tuesday the next mission is planned for September, but the company could be available earlier if NASA needs the cargo.
ULA Program Manager for Commercial Missions Vern Thorp said the mission was the company’s first under its RapidLaunch program. The launch, which he said took five months to go from contract to launch, is part of ULA’s effort to provide customers the fastest schedule from initial order to launch. RapidLaunch aims to take customers from contract to launch in as few as three months. The company also moved customization for any particular launch to the last three months of production.
Beginning in 2019, Orbital ATK will conduct a minimum of six initial cargo missions under NASA’s CRS-2 contract. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA].