Monica Jackson
Orbital ATK has set May 20 as target date to launch its ninth cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station as part of the company’s Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.
The space agency said Monday Orbital ATK moved Cygnus from a payload processing facility to a spacecraft fueling facility Monday at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
After the fueling process, the company will transfer Cygnus to the Horizontal Integration Facility for integration with the Antares rocket and loading of supplies and scientific equipment bound for ISS.
Orbital ATK began to deliver cargo to the space station for NASA in 2014.
The company funded an Antares risk reduction mission and demonstration of ISS resupply services under a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services agreement in 2013.
