"On August 11 at 1:01 Kyiv time (August 10 at 18:01 North American Eastern Time) from the Space Flight Center on Wallops Island (Virginia, USA) the second launch of the Antares medium-range launch vehicle took place in 2021. The rocket launched a Cygnus automatic cargo transport ship with 3724 kg of NASA payload for the International space station onboard," the statement said.
It should be noted that the Antares launch vehicle was developed with the participation of the Ukrainian side. The technology consists of two stages. The construction of the first stage was developed and produced by the following organizations: SE CB Southern, SE production association Southern Machine-Building Plant. OM Makarov in cooperation with Ukrainian enterprises, Hartron-ARKOS, Kyivprilad, Hartron-YUKOM, Chezara, Rapid, and others. All this became real thanks to the order of the American corporation Northrop Grumman.
“According to the contract, the Pivdenne design bureau provided real-time technical support for the start-up, reception, and processing of telemetry information. Ukrainian specialists have fully ensured the implementation of all operations in their sector of responsibility," the CB noted.
Among the main tasks of the mission:
- delivery of provisions and things for the crew;
- removal from the ISS and subsequent disposal in the dense atmosphere of spent cargo;
- delivery of materials for scientific research.
