[SatNews] United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch a second Cygnus cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under a contract with Orbital ATK to support NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program.

ULA will use an Atlas V to launch a second Cygnus cargo mission to ISS.

The first ULA Atlas launch of a Cygnus cargo mission, OA-4, is set to lift off in early December 2015. The second cargo mission is scheduled to launch in 2016 aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. ULA’s Atlas V launch vehicle has launched 55 times with 100 percent mission success. Atlas continues to be the cost-effective, proven choice for commercial and government customers to deliver vital payloads to orbit.

Executive Comments

Tory Bruno, ULA president and CEO, said, “Our reliable Atlas V offers the performance needed for our customer’s Cygnus spacecraft to carry the maximum cargo load to service the space station—3,500 kg. of pressurized cargo.”

“Our team and our partners are devoting maximum efforts to ensuring the success of NASA’s ISS commercial cargo program,” said David W. Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orbital ATK. “We are committed to meeting all CRS mission requirements, and we are prepared to continue to supply the Space Station.”