Cygnus Enhanced

Active Cargo Cargo Resupply Payload Capacity: 3750 kg Diameter: 3.07 m Height: 6.3 m

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Dec. 6, 2015

Cargo Earth Orbit Logistics

Flight Life

1 week to 2 years design life.

Description

The Cygnus spacecraft is launched aboard Antares, Atlas V, or Falcon 9 to deliver cargo to the ISS under NASAs CRS contracts. It has no heatshield so at the end of its mission its used to dispose of waste by burning up in the Earths atmosphere.

History

Cygnus is a spacecraft developed originally by Orbital ATK and then acquired by Northrup Grumman after an acquisition. It is used to transport cargo to the ISS. The first operational mission of Cygnus to the ISS was in September 2013. One flight on 28 October 2014 ended in a failure when the Antares launch vehicle, used to launch the Cygnus, exploded shortly after launch. This set back the Cygnus launch schedule over a year. Following the launch anomaly a new version known as 'Cygnus Enhanced' was flown. This extended the Cygnus length and allowed it to carry an extra 700kg to the ISS.



Long March 6C
Success
1 day, 13 hours ago
Maiden Flight
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Carried 4 Earth observation satellites to orbit: * Haiwangxing-01, 239 kg X-band SAR satellite built by SAST for Zhihui Space Tech * Zhixing-1C, X-…


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 22 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-57
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 5
Success
5 days, 7 hours ago
Chang'e 6
101 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Chang'e 6/CE-6 is scheduled to launch in 2024 to return samples from the Far Side of the Moon (near southern edge of the Apollo Basin) for the first …


SR75
Success
5 days, 11 hours ago
Maiden Flight
Pad 1 - Koonibba Test Range, South Australia

Test flight of HyImpulse's SR75 sounding rocket


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 14 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-55
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 22 hours ago
WorldView Legion 1 & 2
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

WorldView Legion is a constellation of Earth observation satellites built and operated by Maxar. Constellation is planned to consist of 6 satellites …


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 6-54
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Galileo L12 (FOC FM25 & FM27)
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Two satellites for Europe's Galileo navigation system. Originally planned for launch on Soyuz-ST and then Ariane 6 but both were unavailable. Gali…


Long March 2
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
Shenzhou 18
Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Seventh crewed flight to the Chinese space station.


Electron
Success
2 weeks ago
Beginning Of The Swarm (ACS3 & NeonSat-1)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) is a technology demonstration mission tasked with deploying a composite boom solar sail. NeonSa…