CRS Award Information Center

On December 23, 2008, Orbital was awarded a contract by NASA, under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, to provide commercial cargo transportation services to the International Space Station. The contract is valued at approximately $1.9 billion, making it the largest initial contract award in the company's 27-year history.

Read the Orbital News Release

To carry out the cargo services missions, Orbital will use the integrated system it is currently developing under a cooperative research and development program with NASA based on Orbital’s Cygnus™ maneuvering space vehicle and will be the anchor customer for the new Taurus II™ medium-lift launch vehicle, now under development. Cygnus is made up of a service module,containing the vehicle’s propulsion, power systems and avionics, and one of three types of specialized cargo modules. Orbital’s design accommodates pressurized, unpressurized and return cargo modules, offering NASA flexibility in its cargo planning.


Images & Fact Sheets:

Artist rendering of Taurus II at the Wallops Flight Facility (hi-resolution)

Artist rendering of Cygnus spacecraft approaching the International Space Station (hi-resolution)

Taurus II fact sheet

Cygnus fact sheet

Mission Animation:

View cargo delivery mission employing a pressurized cargo container (download .mpg here)
View cargo delivery mission employing an unpressurized cargo container (download .mov here)

Animation courtesy NASA