Cygnus

SUCCESS! Cygnus Launches in First Mission Since Antares Rocket Explosion

The Cygnus has its wings again! After four attempts, the cargo tug is finally on its way to the International Space Station. The commercial spacecraft will deliver equipment and supplies to astronauts when it arrives at the station on December 9th. Cygnus launching at sunset over Cuba, as seen from the International Space Station. Image…

Will Cygnus Finally Fly Today? Watch LIVE!

It’s proving hard for the Cygnus spacecraft to get off the ground for its return-to-flight! After getting rained out Thursday and shoved around by gusts of wind Friday and Saturday, this is the fourth attempt for the cargo craft to deliver supplies to the space station. Watch live as we count down to the 4:44pm…

The return-to-flight launch of the Cygnus spacecraft today was preemptively scrubbed due to high winds. The next attempt is Sunday at 4:44 p.m. EST. Join us then to watch live! [NASA]

Second Attempt to Launch Cygnus to the Space Station Scrubbed by Wind [UPDATED]

After getting rained out yesterday, it’s time to start preparing for the next launch window for the Cygnus spacecraft. If it succeeds, this will be the first launch for the cargo tug since the previous one blew up in October 2014. UPDATE: Gusts of wind caused first delays and finally a scrub for the launch…

Watch NASA’s Cygnus Spacecraft Launch to the Space Station Live Right Here [UPDATED]

After a long wait, NASA’s Orbital ATK Cygnus is headed up to the space station today, carting 7,000 pounds of gear along with it. Count down with us and watch the whole thing happen right here. UPDATE 6:25 p.m. EST: The launch has been rescheduled due to weather. The new date is tomorrow, Friday December…

Watch the Cygnus Get Ready for Its First Post-Explosion Cargo Run to the Space Station

What goes into preparing a spacecraft for a cargo run to the space station? Take a peek behind the scenes with this gallery of photos from preparing the Cygnus spacecraft for its first cargo run since the last attempt ended in explosion last year. Orbital Sciences’ ATK Cygnus is an uncrewed cargo craft designed for…

Fall Science Preview: So Much Science is Headed Right for Us!

‘Tis the season for dwarf planets with an impending flood of Pluto flyby data and Dawn just about to point its spectrometer at the weird white spots on Ceres. Add in ocean floor explorations, a pair of weights in perpetual free-fall, and a rash of rocket launches and we just know this year is going…

Cygnus Restarts Cargo Runs to the Space Station After Antares Rocket Explosion

The Cygnus spacecraft is back in rotation for cargo runs to the International Space Station for the first time since the previous spacecraft was destroyed during the Antares rocket explosion in October 2014. The cargo craft will launch on an Atlas V rocket in December, resuming flights while the Antares rocket continues safety upgrades. Resuming…

The Wallops Island launch facility, viewed from the air the day after the Orbital Science Antares rocket exploded right after liftoff. The photo was taken by the Wallops Incident Response Team on Wednesday October 29th. [NASA/Terry Zaperach]

Uncrewed Antares Rocket Explodes, Crashing Into Pad Seconds After Launch

Instead of a nice, predictable cargo run to the space station, an Antares rocket exploded seconds after launch this evening. No injuries are reported and all personnel are accounted for, but the payload is lost and the launchpad damaged. Orbital Sciences and NASA are investigating the accident. Antares rocket explosion shortly after the launch of…

Here’s a 4K time lapse of a spaceship burning up in the atmosphere

We saw the stunning crystal clear photo, so now here’s a 4K time lapse of Orbital’s Cygnus cargo ship burning up in a beautiful fiery streak as it re-enters our atmosphere. The footage was shot from the ISS by German astronaut Alexander Gerst. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

The Destruction Of A Spacecraft In A High-Definition Timelapse

The astronauts on the International Space Station managed to not only photograph of the Cygnus spacecraft being tossed free of the station and burning up during destructive reentry, but also to take a timelapse of its fiery demise. https://gizmodo.com/the-space-station-has-the-most-beautiful-garbage-day-1623444197 https://gizmodo.com/garbage-disposal-is-a-thrill-ride-in-this-timelapse-vi-1624484275 The music is oddly jaunty for a video titled “Orbital Cremation,” but it is mesmerizing…

Crystal clear photo of the fiery reentry and destruction of a spaceship

German astronaut Alexander Gerst took this crystal clear photo of the Cygnus-class resupply ship Janice Voss entering the Earth’s atmosphere on August 17. I wish they could attach a thermal-safe pod with a camera inside to send along these ships—I want see video of the reentry from a close distance. SPLOID is a new blog…

The Space Station Has The Most Beautiful Garbage Day

While terrestrial humans tolerate stinky, sticky garbage trucks, our astronaut brethren opt for something much more beautiful for their disposal runs. This streak of fire across the night sky is the burning of the Cygnus spacecraft, dirty laundry, and other junk. On the flip side, garbage day is a lot less frequent. Top image: Cygnus…

Every Port On The Space Station Is Loaded With Spacecraft

If anyone else heads to the International Space Station, they’re going to need to circle until Friday waiting for a parking slot. The station is at full capacity after the successful fully-automated arrival of ATV-5. Now five spacecraft are currently docked to the station: ATV-5, Soyuz 38 (TMA-12M), Soyuz 39 (TMA-13M), Orbital Cygnus, and Progress…

NASA is WAY Too Excited About Its Next Rocket Launch

NASA exuberantly celebrated the erection of an Antares rocket today in preparation of the upcoming Orb-2 launch. Now my inner 13-year-old can’t stop snickering. Glad you’re excited for the launch, NASA! I’m just not sure it’s appropriate to show me just how excited you are… Aside from being exceedingly happy to see you, Orb-2 is…

The First Cygnus Spacecraft Successfully Docked With The ISS

The Cygnus spacecraft, which launched from Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia on September 18th, successfully docked with the International Space Station this morning after astronauts aboard the ISS nabbed it with the station’s robotic arm. Built by private aerospace group Orbital Sciences Corp., Cygnus was carrying 1,300 pounds of supplies. https://gizmodo.com/an-experimental-cargo-ship-launched-for-the-iss-today-1341570126 The spacecraft was…

Rocket Launch Never Looked As Overwhelming As This

NASA has just released this stunning photo of the latest Antares rocket launch and I am in constant awe of it. The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, was launched from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. What makes this…

See the Cosmos Through Warmer Eyes

This spring, the Spitzer Space Telescope exhausted its supply of coolant, causing its infrared camera to warm. But the Spitzer Mission goes on, capturing dying and newly forming stars with less chilly eyes. After more than five years in orbit, the Spitzer Telescope ran out of the liquid helium that cools its cameras. And, while…

The Next Space Shuttles

500 days—or thereabouts: That’s the amount of time between now and the final flight of the awesome Space Transportation System, better known to you and me as the Space Shuttle. Here’s what comes next… It’s such a short time before the skies over Florida will no longer thunder to the sound of the Space Shuttle’s…