Cargo Module Arrives At Wallops Island

WALLOPS -- NASA and the private sector Orbital Sciences Corporation last week delivered the Cygnus spacecraft’s cargo module to the Wallops Island Flight Facility, marking another major milestone in the effort to develop transportation to the International Space Station.

The Cygnus spacecraft will launch on Orbital’s Taurus II space launch vehicle from Wallops later this year and will be used to resupply the International Space Station. During the next several months, Orbital’s engineering team will integrate the cargo module with the Cygnus service module already at Wallops. The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for a demonstration flight this winter.

“The cargo module’s arrival brings us one step closer to making the Eastern Shore the new space coast,” said Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski. “Wallops Island houses a world-class, international space flight facility, poised to launch not only critical supplies to our astronauts in space, but also new jobs and sustainable economic growth on the Eastern Shore. This is an example of government and industry working together to keep America competitive and creating new jobs.”