Second Commercial Cargo Launcher Demonstrated
On April 21, 2013, U.S. space company Orbital conducted the first test flight of its Antares rocket with a simulated cargo capsule on top.
Orbital is the second of two U.S. firms to successfully demonstrate a new commercial launch vehicle capable of delivering cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. The other entered operations last year.