Mary-Louise Hoffman
Orbital ATK has shipped to NASA a service module for Cygnus OA-4, the company-built cargo spacecraft planned for a Dec. 3 launch at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The company said Monday that Cygnus will undergo final assembly at KSC before the agency launches the spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket to deliver crew supplies, technologies and scientific experiments to the International Space Station.
Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK’s space systems group, said the company is working to accelerate the timeline for meeting agency requirements under the Commercial Resupply Services program.
The Cygnus service module is comprised of avionics, communication, electrical and propulsion systems and ready for integration with a pressurized cargo module.
Orbital ATK designed the spacecraft to employ a lightweight power generation technology and solar arrays as well as to operate with multiple launch vehicle platforms.
NASA plans to conduct three more ISS cargo transport missions with Cygnus next year.
