United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Orbital ATK [OA] late Tuesday successfully launched Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft toward the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission for NASA, according to company statements.
Launch took place at 11:05 p.m. EDT at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on a ULA Atlas V. ULA said Cygnus, at more than 16,000 pounds, was the heaviest payload to launch on an Atlas V to date.
Cygnus is set to grapple with ISS Saturday at around 6 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will remain at ISS for approximately two months.
ULA’s next launch is a fifth Mobile User Objective System satellite (MUOS-5), slated for May 5 at Cape Canaveral. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA]. Lockheed Martin develops MUOS, a communications satellite.