Orbital Sciences launches its Cygnus capsule to the ISS

NASA’s commercial partner Orbital Sciences Corporation launched its Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard the Antares rocket on Thursday from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for the Orbital-1 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus capsule is now on its way to the International Space Station to deliver a hefty payload, nearly 3000 pounds of supplies and scientific equipment. Using its new Antares launch system, Cygnus successfully launched on Thursday, and will reach the ISS this weekend. Cygnus is bringing some new scientific experiments to the ISS, including the first ants in space. This experiment will be recorded for elementary and high school students to discover how ants perform in space, while giving students the opportunity to study ants in their own classrooms.