The device will stay in orbit for a little less than a month, and on December 15 it will head to Earth
NEW YORK, November 20. /tass/. The American Cygnus cargo ship of Northrop Grumman Corporation undocked on Saturday from the International Space Station (ISS) after three months in orbit. The broadcast was conducted on the website of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The undocking of the device took place according to plan at 11:01 on the time of the east coast of the USA (19:01 Moscow time). The operation was carried out by specialists from Earth, with European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer watching it from the ISS.
After separation from the station, the device will remain in orbit for a little less than a month and with the help of special sensors will transmit information about the thermal protection of the ship, after which on December 15 it will activate the engine and head to Earth, where, together with the garbage and waste loaded into it from the ISS, it will burn up in the dense layers of the atmosphere.
This Cygnus, which was given the name of the first American astronaut with Asian roots to go into space, Allison Onizuki (1946-1986), docked to the station on August 12. On board were a 3D printer, which uses a material simulating the Moon's soil to test the possibility of its use in the construction of various structures in future space missions, an apparatus for air purification from carbon dioxide on spacecraft using new technologies, a mounting bracket, as well as supplies for the station crew and consumables.
