Cygnus CRS OA-4
- In Space: No
- Height: 6.3 m
- Diameter: 3.07 m
- Status: Single Use
The Cygnus CRS OA-4 spacecraft embarked on 1 flight(s), showcasing its capability of Cargo Earth Orbit Logistics and designed with a flight life of 1 week to 2 years design life.. Notably, it boasts a crew capacity accommodating up to Array astronauts and a payload capacity of 3750 kg.
Cygnus CRS OA-4, also known as Orbital ATK CRS-4 and CRS Orb-4, was the fourth successful flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its third flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. With the Antares rocket undergoing a redesign following its failure during the Orb-3 launch, OA-4 was launched by an Atlas V rocket. Following three launch delays due to inclement weather beginning on 3 December 2015, OA-4 was launched at 21:44 UTC on 6 December 2015. With a liftoff weight of 7,492 kilograms, OA-4 became the heaviest payload ever launched on an Atlas V. The spacecraft rendezvoused with and was berthed to the ISS on 9 December 2015. It was released on 19 February 2016 after 72 days at the station. Deorbit occurred on 20 February at approximately 16:00 UTC.
Launches
History
Cygnus is a spacecraft developed originally by Orbital ATK and then acquired by Northrup Grumman after an acquisition. It is used to transport cargo to the ISS.
The first operational mission of Cygnus to the ISS was in September 2013.
One flight on 28 October 2014 ended in a failure when the Antares launch vehicle, used to launch the Cygnus, exploded shortly after launch. This set back the Cygnus launch schedule over a year. Following the launch anomaly a new version known as ‘Cygnus Enhanced’ was flown. This extended the Cygnus length and allowed it to carry an extra 700kg to the ISS.
The Cygnus spacecraft is launched aboard Antares, Atlas V, or Falcon 9 to deliver cargo to the ISS under NASAs CRS contracts. It has no heatshield so at the end of its mission its used to dispose of waste by burning up in the Earths atmosphere.
Agency
Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Northrup Grumman Space Systems designs, builds and delivers space, defence and aviation-related systems to customers around the world. They aquired Orbital ATK in 2018 along with its launchers and ongoing missions.
