Aerospace company Orbital ATK launched its sixth resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by Antares rocket.
The two-stage booster, powered by new engines from Russia and carrying a Cygnus cargo ship, blasted off from USA Virginia’s Wallops Flight Facility.
Under NASA’s commercial resupply services contract, Cygnus carried about 2,400 kg of supplies and science experiments for the ISS.
Cygnus was also carrying a new station research facility that will enable a new range of research experiments by allowing precise control of motion aboard the ISS.
One of the experiments is Saffire II, which studies how flames grow in space.
Also onboard were lighting systems studying the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, a tablet app collecting health-related data and a new way to measure neutrons as a part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight.