Expedition 45 Commander Scott Kelly, from his vantage point aboard the International Space Station, captured the Dec. 6, 2015 launch of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Kelly wrote, “Caught something good on the horizon. Cygnus at sunset on its way to the International Space Station! #YearInSpace”
With its solar arrays deployed for power production, the Cygnus will fly autonomously to catch up to the space station as ground controllers maintain a close watch from Earth. Cygnus, loaded with 7,380 pounds of equipment and supplies, will move to within reach of the 57-foot-long space station arm. Cygnus will be grappled at approximately 6:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9, by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, using the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft and connect it to the Earth-facing port on the Unity module so it can be unpacked and the gear inside put to use.
Image Credit: NASA