Jay Clemens
Thales Alenia Space will provide nine more pressurized cargo modules for future International Space Station resupply missions onboard Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft under a new contract between the two companies.
The companies inked the contract at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K. for the transportation of crew supplies and science experiments to ISS, Orbital ATK said Monday.
David Thompson, president and CEO of Orbital ATK, said the pressurized cargo modules helped to establish Cygnus as a research platform for science studies related to deep space exploration.
The updated modules feature a lighter structure to store cargo inside, a new design to accommodate cargo bags and increased number of middeck lockers.
Orbital ATK plans to complete 10 CRS-1 missions to ISS under NASA‘s Commercial Resupply Services program before the company moves to launch cargo logistics missions under the CRS-2 contract in 2019.
