Russians deliver space station cargo after US flop

Russians deliver space station cargo after US flop
An unmanned Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket headed for the International Space Station lifts off from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 shortly before exploding. No injuries were reported following the first catastrophic launch in NASA's commercial spaceflight effort. (AP Photo/Eastern Shore News, Jay Diem)

Just hours after an American cargo run to the International Space Station ended in flames, a Russian supply ship has arrived at the station with a load of fresh supplies.

The Russian supply ship launched early Wednesday from Kazakhstan and arrived at the orbiting lab six hours later with 3 tons of food, fuel and other items. The smooth flight was in stark contrast to Tuesday evening's explosion of a commercially provided .

Orbital Sciences Corp.'s unmanned Antares rocket had just lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, when it exploded. The rocket was carrying a Cygnus capsule loaded with 2½ tons of station experiments and equipment for NASA. Ground teams were finally getting access Wednesday morning to the damaged pad and fire-stricken area. No one was injured.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Russians deliver space station cargo after US flop (2014, October 29) retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2014-10-russians-space-station-cargo-flop.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Russia offers US space station help after rocket explodes

0 shares

Feedback to editors