Miami (AFP) – An unmanned cargo ship operated by the US company Orbital ATK left the International Space Station Monday, packed with 1.5 tons of garbage that will burn up on re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere.
“We have confirmed departure,” a NASA spokesman said on the US space agency’s live broadcast as the barrel-shaped spaceship was released from the orbiting outpost at 8:22 am (1322 GMT).
The spacecraft and its contents will burn up at 6:30 pm (2330 GMT) Sunday, and there will be no live coverage of the fiery re-entry, he added.
Cygnus launched from Wallops Island, Virginia and arrived at the ISS on October 23, carrying 5,100 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of food, supplies and science experiments for the team of global astronauts living in orbit.
Orbital ATK and SpaceX have each been awarded NASA contracts worth more than one billion dollars to supply the space station.