Cygnus Mounted Atop Atlas V

A crane lifts the Cygnus spacecraft, fitted inside a payload fairing, into the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 so the spacecraft can bolted to the top of the waiting United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Built by Orbital ATK, the Cygnus is a cargo-only spacecraft that will take about 7,300 pounds of experiments, equipment and supplies to the International Space Station. The version launching on OA-4, the fourth operational cargo resupply flight for Orbital ATK, is an enhanced Cygnus that is capable of carrying 25 percent more mass than its predecessor.

Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis