Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on Monday after it brought approximately 7,400 pounds of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station and performed secondary space missions. The re-entry of the space vehicle, dubbed S.S. J.R. Thompson, marked the conclusion of the company’s ninth cargo delivery mission to the orbiting laboratory under the Commercial Resupply […] More

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft left the International Space Station on Friday to deploy six CubeSats into orbit. The company said Sunday the spacecraft, also known as S.S. J.R. Thompson, will use the NanoRacks deployer to field AeroCube 12A and 12B satellites from Aerospace Corp. and four other CubeSats that will join Spire Global’s constellation of weather satellites to […] More

Orbital ATK will launch its in-orbit satellite servicing platform on March 13 at the four-day Satellite 2018 conference and exhibition slated to kick off Monday in Washington, D.C. David Thompson, Orbital ATK president and CEO, will join Tom Wilson, president of SpaceLogistics, to introduce the robotic servicing system – Mission Extension Vehicle – at the event, […] More

Orbital ATK has confirmed the Al Yah 3 commercial communications satellite’s good operational status, following a launch on Thursday wherein the unit entered an unplanned route. Al Yah Satellite Communications commissioned the satellite that was initially launched from Kourou, French Guiana, on an Ariane 5 rocket, in aims to provide Ka-band coverage over Africa, Orbital ATK said Friday. “Based on […] More

An Orbital ATK-built spacecraft will begin to deploy cubesats in orbit and return to Earth’s atmosphere following the platform’s departure from the International Space Station. Orbital ATK said Thursday the Cygnus cargo delivery system dubbed as S.S. Gene Cernan supports the OA-8 mission which marks the fourth time the spacecraft dropped off NanoRacks cubesats in […] More

Orbital ATK and NASA have completed the preliminary design review of a docking component of its Mission Extension Vehicle. The Rendezvous, Proximity Operations and Docking system consists of actuators, control algorithms and sensors that work to help MEV-1 detect, monitor and move toward a client spacecraft, Orbital ATK said Tuesday. The company and NASA conducted the RPOD […] More

An Orbital ATK-built Cygnus spacecraft has departed from the International Space Station to conduct three secondary payload missions as part of its next mission phase. The company said Sunday that the S.S. John Glenn will perform NASA‘s Spacecraft Fire Experiment-III experiment which will monitor the behavior of fires in microgravity. “The experiment will intentionally ignite and record a large-scale […] More

An Orbital ATK-built Cygnus spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station to deliver approximately 7,600 pounds of crew supplies, food, clothing, spare parts, scientific experiments and laboratory equipment. The S.S. John Glenn spacecraft reached ISS Saturday and completed berthing procedures days after its April 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance-built Atlas V rocket to mark Orbital ATK’s seventh […] More

Orbital ATK has concluded its sixth cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station which also marked the company’s return to flight operations at NASA‘s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The company said Monday the Cygnus spacecraft, nicknamed S.S. Alan Poindexter, has completed its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere as part of the OA-5 mission. Cygnus arrived at the space station in […] More

NASA‘s Space Technology Mission Directorate has forged a public-private partnership with Orbital ATK to address the agency’s robotic and human exploration goals through the establishment of a commercial space infrastructure. Orbital ATK said Tuesday the Commercial Infrastructure for Robotic Assembly and Services project aims to update technologies for in-orbit manufacturing and assembly of space platforms. The company will […] More

Orbital ATK‘s cargo ship Cygnus is set to proceed with three in-orbit scientific missions after the spacecraft completed its mission to deliver around 7,900 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station. Cygnus, nicknamed S.S. Rick Husband, departed from the orbiting laboratory Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time after an 81-day stay there, Orbital ATK said Tuesday. The OA-6 mission represents the company’s fifth mission under […] More

Orbital ATK and NASA are set to launch a company-built Cygnus spacecraft on Tuesday to transport approximately 7,900 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies to the International Space Station. The cargo spaceship, nicknamed S.S. Rick Husband, is scheduled to take off Tuesday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, NASA said […] More