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New Scientist: This week Orbital Sciences, based in Dulles, Virginia, plans to send its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. The craft will be launched from Wallops, Virginia, aboard the company's Antares rocket. If the launch and docking are successful, Orbital Sciences will join SpaceX as the only private companies capable of providing resupply missions to the ISS. There are several major differences between Cygnus and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Dragon has a larger overall lift capacity, but Cygnus has a larger pressurized storage cabin, meaning astronauts on the station can unload cargo directly instead of relying on a complex robot system. The larger capacity also allows for more research equipment, food, and even luxury items to be shipped to the station. Also, Cygnus is not a reusable craft, so on the return trip, it will be filled with waste items that will be burned up in Earth's atmosphere upon re-entry. Dragon, on the other hand, is reusable, and a variant on the design is in the process of being certified to carry astronauts. The expansion of private access to space will be increasingly important for supplying and maintaining the ISS.
Update: The Antares launch occurred at 11:17am this morning and the Cygnus capsule successfully deployed. The capsule will be evaluated for the next five days as it approaches the ISS.
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Second private company plans to launch cargo to ISS Free
18 September 2013