A medium-class rocket jointly developed by U.S. and Ukrainian specialists successfully launched from a NASA flight facility in Virginia on February 15, carrying nearly four tons of supplies, hardware, and science payloads to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Antares rocket, partly designed by the Pivdenne Design Bureau and made by the Pivdenmash in Ukraine’s Dnipro region, lifted off at 3:21 p.m. local time carrying U.S. defense corporation Northrop Grumman’s robotic Cygnus cargo spacecraft, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) said.
Its cylindrical 3,750-kilogram payload included fresh fruit, cheddar and manchego cheese, as well as candy for the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Its arrival is scheduled for February 18 and the crew will grab onto the spacecraft with the station’s Canadian-built robotic arm for its berthing.
The first electron microscope to fly in space, built by a Seattle company called Voxa, will conduct scientific experiments aboard the Cygnus.
The 13th Cygnus cargo spacecraft is named after Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., the first African-American ever selected as an astronaut. He was killed in a 1967 jet crash during his training mission for space.
NASA said a tissue and cell-culturing facility will be delivered to the ISS as well.
“The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until May 11, when it will depart the orbiting laboratory,” NASA said in a news release.
It will support dozens of new and existing investigations, according to a blog by NASA and Northrop Grumman.
(c) Unian
NASA obviously don’t need Muscovy anymore to reach the ISS. Well done Ukraine, NASA now have a reliable partner.
There must be suitable land in Ukraine to have a launch site, This is the ideal kickoff for development, now Ukraine could compete with Kazakhstan and India.
Russia, which is boldly reaching out to the Ukrainian space industry. In spite of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, experts from the plants in Dnipro are still involved in securing the Russian nuclear arsenal — the technical maintenance of the SS-19 Satan missiles is being carried out by engineers from Pivdenmash and the Pivdenne Design Office. Cooperation with Russia started gaining momentum in the past year. In spring, Pivdenmash signed a contract for the construction of 12 Zenit rockets with the company S7 Sea Launch Ltd., in which a 95 per cent stake is held by the Russian state-owned company RKK Energia. Sea Launch intends to provide commercial satellite launching services from a platform in the Pacific Ocean.
The management of S7, the Russian company, previously complained that the construction of rockets had been halted as Ukraine was blocking their export to Russia. In mid-October, it turned out that the Russian aggression against Ukraine does not prevent fruitful cooperation. The representatives of the Russian company S7 Space visited the Pivdenmash and the Pivdenne Design Office plants in order to conduct an on-site assessment of the work on the ordered Zenit rockets. Among other things, they viewed the production departments, which constitute Ukraine’s state secret, and which officially cannot be accessed by foreigners. Issues of Russian supervision over the production process were also discussed. According to Ukrainian sources, it is possible that as a result of these talks the Russians will establish a permanent presence at the plants.
Once again, good job, Ukraine! I’m pleased that the US chose a Ukrainian rocket instead one from the cesspool.