NASA Hails Private Cygnus Spacecraft's 'Picture Perfect' 1st Launch to Station

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — The mighty roar of a commercial rocket launching a brand-new private cargo ship on a stunning debut test flight from Virginia's Eastern shore today (Sept. 18) has NASA overjoyed and the spaceship's builder beaming with pride. An Antares rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corp. successfully launched into orbit from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility here at 10:58 a.m. EDT (1458 GMT), carrying the company's first robotic Cygnus spacecraft on a critical demonstration flight to the International Space Station. "Today marks a milestone in our new era of exploration as we expand the capability for making cargo launches to the International Space Station from American shores," NASA...