Cygnus Spacecraft Successfully Arrived At The ISS

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft has arrived safely at the International Space Station despite problems shortly after launch.

After separating from the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster, the critical moment for the ship’s own engine to start was missed, leaving Cygnus hanging in an intermediate orbit. An attempt to start the engine 50 minutes later was rejected due to low pressure in the system, as Northrop Grumman engineers explained. But soon the pressure in the system was considered sufficient to try to start the engine and deliver the cargo ship to the ISS. To complete the approach maneuver to the station, the cargo ship’s engines were fired twice. At 10:11 (03:11 local Mission Control time), a robotic arm on the station captured the cargo ship and ensured its docking with an available airlock. The valuable cargo safely arrived at the station, which, by chance, had two more crew members than usual.

Cygnus launched on August 4, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Cygnus successfully separated from the Falcon 9’s upper stage and entered low Earth orbit.