The International Space Station is getting some more supplies.
Aerospace company Orbital ATK said Friday that it plans to launch a rocket on Saturday that will help carry cargo to the International Space Station.
Orbital’s Antares rocket is expected to launch at 7:37 am ET from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va. It will be Orbital’s eighth cargo-delivery mission to the International Space Station as part of the company’s contract with NASA.
The rocket will send aloft the cargo-carrying Cygnus spacecraft, which is expected to reach the space station on Nov. 13. The spacecraft will bring 7,400 pounds of supplies and scientific equipment, including a high-school student science experiment for studying how peanut plants grow in space.
We are set to launch our #OA8 #Antares carrying #Cygnus tomorrow morning! The 5-minute launch window will open at 7:37 am EST. Https://t.co/A3W8PBbViO pic.twitter.com/EcGR93lO1X
— Orbital ATK (@OrbitalATK) November 10, 2017
The Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the International Space Station for one month, during which the cargo will help researchers conduct studies on how space’s microgravity affects the E.coli bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics. Another research experiment will test new technologies to allow for faster communications between people in space and on earth, according to NASA.
After debarking from the space station in December, the Cygnus spacecraft will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, thus disposing of several tons of trash, NASA said.
People can watch a live broadcast of the rocket launch from NASA’s online video streaming website.
Orbital isn’t the only aerospace company helping NASA send cargo to the International Space Station. The Elon Musk-led SpaceX also has a NASA contract, and in August, it launched a Falcon 9 rocket to help bring 6,400 pounds of equipment, including a Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) supercomputer, to the space station.
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In September, defense contractor giant Northrop Grumman (NOC) said it plans to buy Orbital ATK for roughly $7.8 billion.
