Private cargo ship Cygnus arrives at International Space Station carrying 8,200 pounds of supplies

Private cargo ship Cygnus arrives at International Space Station carrying 8,200 pounds of supplies

February 1, 2024

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on February 1, 2024, carrying 8,200 pounds of supplies for seven astronauts and astronauts.

The Cygnus spacecraft launched on January 29, 2024, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. It was captured by the Canadaarm2 robotic arm at 6:45 a.m. ET on February 1 and docked on the International Space Station's Unity module at 8:05 a.m. ET.

The Cygnus spacecraft is named after the constellation Cygnus. This is Cygnus' 18th mission to the International Space Station.

Cargo aboard the Cygnus spacecraft includes food, water and other supplies for the International Space Station crew. It also includes scientific experiments and equipment.

One of the scientific experiments on board the Cygnus spacecraft is the Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) experiment. The BEST experiment will test a new technology for extracting DNA from biological samples and sequencing it.

Another science experiment onboard the Cygnus spacecraft is the Spacecraft Fire Experiment (Saffire-III). The Saffire III experiment will study fire behavior in weightlessness.

The Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the International Space Station for approximately three months. It is then dumped and released into the Earth's atmosphere to burn.

The arrival of the Cygnus spacecraft is an important milestone in the International Space Station program. It ensures that the International Space Station crew has the supplies they need to continue working in space.