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NASA and Orbital ATK successfully launched the S.S. Gene Cernan Cygnus spacecraft atop an Antares 230 rocket on the OA-8 mission to the International Space Station. The flight, conducted by Orbital ATK, is one of 11 that the Dulles, Virginia-based company is contracted to carry out for NASA under the $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services agreement Orbital ATK has inked with the space agency. The flight got underway at 7:19 a.m. EST (12:19 GMT) from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0A sending an estimated 7,385 lbs (3,350 kg) worth of experiments, cargo and crew supplies to the orbiting lab. The Antares 230 rocket uses two RD-181 rocket engines in its first stage and a Castor 30 XL rocket motor in its second stage. Photos courtesy: Mike Deep, Steve Hammer, Mark Usciak, Jason Rhian, Charles Twine
