Cygnus ORB-2 (SS Janice Voss, CRS-2)

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  40084 / 14039A Launch date  13 Jul 2014 - 16:52 UT Launch site  WI, LA-0A Launch vehicle  Antares-120 Mission  ISS cargo Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee   km Eccentricity   Inclination   deg Period   min

Orb-2 patch

Description:

• CYGNUS CRS ORB-2, also known as Orbital Sciences CRS Flight 2, is the third flight of the Orbital Sciences' unmanned resupply spacecraft Cygnus, its third flight to the International Space Station, and the fourth launch of the company's Antares launch vehicle. The mission launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on July 13, 2014. Cygnus is planned to remain berthed at the ISS for approximately 30 days during which time the station crew will unload cargo from Cygnus and subsequently load it with materials for disposal. At the end of the mission Cygnus will depart the station and reenter the Earth's atmosphere.

Mission details:

• On Jul 13, 2014 the third Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo ship, SS Janice Voss, was launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island on an Antares 120 rocket. The 5000 kg Voss carries supplies for the ISS, as well as two Nanoracks bags containing a total of 29 3U cubesats - 1 Techedsat-4 exobrake technology test for NASA-Ames and San Jose State U, and 28 Flock-1b imaging satellites for PlanetLabs. They are intended to be deployed from the Kibo airlock over the coming months.
• The SSRMS arm grappled it at 1036 UTC on Jul 16 and berthed it on the Harmony module at 1253 UTC.
  
  

  Cygnus Orb-2 arrival at ISS

  
  
• The SS Janice Voss cargo freighter was unberthed from the Harmony nadir port at 0914 UTC Aug 15, 2014 and released by Canadarm-2 at 1040 UTC. It was deorbited around 1233 UTC Aug 17 and reentered at 1315 UTC over the S Pacific.

External links:

• Cygnus fact sheet
• Cygnus 2

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Wallops Island. Credit: #421