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The International Space Station received its first shipment from a private, Virginia-based company in more than two years Sunday following a sensational nighttime launch observed 250 miles up and down the East Coast.
Orbital ATK's cargo ship pulled up at the space station bearing 5,000 pounds of food, equipment and research.
"What a beautiful vehicle," said Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, who used the station's big robot arm to grab the vessel. The capture occurred as the spacecraft soared 250 miles above Kyrgyzstan; Onishi likened it to the last 195 meters of a marathon.
Last Monday's liftoff from Wallops Island was the first by an Antares rocket since a 2014 launch explosion. Orbital ATK redesigned its Antares rocket and rebuilt the pad. While the Antares was grounded, Virginia-based Orbital ATK kept the NASA supply chain open with deliveries from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using another company's rocket.
NASA is paying Orbital ATK and SpaceX to stock the station, but now SpaceX is grounded. The California company is investigating why one of its Falcon rockets exploded in a massive fireball during launch pad testing on Sept. 1.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 26 2016, @05:16AM
The thing I find odd is its all rumor and innuendo and they're gonna launch again soon but no official report on this incident.
If you afford a long, honest look at SpaceX it will become apparent to you that it is a hoax. Robbers these days not only wear suits and a tie, but they also smile for the camera.
Lots of CGI. Launchpads and testing sites "somewhere at the Atlantic". No independent verification of claims, which is something NASA can stop (a bit) worrying about once it "transfers" space responsibilities into "the private sector": this will be very convenient, as independent verification will become impossible because of "private sector secret stuff". This is hilarious, as there is zero independent verification now, where "space projects" are on taxpayer dollar.
Exactly how many people has SpaceX "sent to space"? Much talk, zero results. I smell a very, very big scam here.
(Score: 2) by Bogsnoticus on Wednesday October 26 2016, @05:55AM
With the way your is head buried so far up your arse, it's not a scam you're smelling.
Genius by birth. Evil by choice.