Launch Photos: Orbital ATK's Cygnus OA-6 Lights Up the Night in Dazzling Liftoff

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Orbital ATK’s robotic Cygnus cargo vessel rises off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 22, 2016.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Orbital ATK’s uncrewed Cygnus freighter arcs into the skies above Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 22, 2016.

Orbital ATK’s robotic Cygnus cargo spaceship launches toward the International Space Station atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 22, 2016.

Orbital ATK’s robotic Cygnus cargo spacecraft blasts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 22, 2016, on a mission to resupply the International Space Station.

This Orbital ATK graphic shows the timeline for the March 22, 2016 launch of a Cygnus spacecraft and its Atlas V booster from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

An Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft launched into space atop an Atlas V rocket on March 22, 2016 to deliver 3.5 tons of supplies to the International Space Station. See dazzling photos of the nighttime launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla. here. THIS IMAGE: Cygnus sits on top of its Atlas V rocket at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station ready for launch to the International Space Station.

Sun sets behind the Atlas V rocket standing ready to launch Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft on its initial leg of the OA-6 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This image was taken on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.

An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship is packed inside its protective nose cone fairing for a planned March 22, 2016 launch atop an Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Cygnus is carrying 3.5 tons of supplies for the International Space Station.

This diagram shows NASA’s Saffire Experiment Module (top cover removed) to see how it will ignite a fire in space for science.

A view of the contents of two tubes in the Strata-1 experiment launching to the International Space Station on an Orbital ATK Cygnus.

A new 3D printe, seen here, is also hitching a ride to to space on Orbital ATK’s Cygnus courtesy of Made in Space and Lowes.

The S.S. Rick Husband Cygnus spaceship is filled with nearly 3.5 tons of supplies for Orbital ATK’s OA-6 space station resupply mission, blasting off March 22.

A team of scientists and engineers tests the components of Saffire I and Saffire II, part of a NASA-led program to test the behavior of fire in microgravity conditions.

NASA commercial provider Orbital ATK is scheduled to launch its fifth Cygnus cargo mission to the International Space Station Tuesday, March 22. The Cygnus spacecraft is shown here.

Technicians and engineers assist as a crane places the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft on a KAMAG multi-wheeled transporter. The work is taking place inside the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Wrapped in a protective cover, the spacecraft will be moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The work is in preparation for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The image was uploaded on March 22, 2016.

A crane is prepared to lift the Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft inside the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Wrapped in a protective cover, Cygnus will be placed on a KAMAG transporter for the trip to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The work is to prepare for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. This image was released on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.

Cygnus OA-6 Wrapped in a protective cover and mounted on a KAMAG transporter, an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft is moved from the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The work is to prepare for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. This image was released on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.

Wrapped in a protective cover and mounted on a KAMAG transporter, an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft arrives at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ongoing work is to prepare the spacecraft for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. The image was uploaded on March 22, 2016.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a United Launch Alliance Centaur offsite vertical integration stack is lifted for mounting atop an Atlas V first stage at Space Launch Complex 41. The stack includes the Centaur mated to the interstage adapter for mating to the Atlas V and the boat tail which will attach to the payload. Together, the rocket will boost a Cygnus spacecraft on the Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. This image was taken on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.

Preparations are underway to back the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V first stage booster into the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The first stage arrived aboard the ULA Delta Mariner barge at Port Canaveral in Florida. The booster will be prepared for the upcoming launch of the Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services OA-6 flight to the International Space Station. The Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module will carry hardware and supplies to the space station. This image was taken on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with a single-engine Centaur upper stage stands ready to boost an Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International Space Station. Science payloads include the second generation of a portable onboard printer to demonstrate three-dimensional printing, an instrument for first space-based observations of the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere and an experiment to study how fires burn in microgravity. The image was released on March 22, 2016.

An Atlas V rocket, carrying Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft, is rolled to pad at Space Launch Complex-41 in preparation for launch of the initial leg of the OA-6 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This image was taken on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.

An Atlas V rocket, carrying Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft, is rolled to pad at Space Launch Complex-41 in preparation for launch of the initial leg of the OA-6 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This image was taken on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.

The Cygnus spacecraft, encapsulated inside a 4-meter diameter payload fairing, is transported and mated to its Atlas V booster. The image was uploaded on March 22, 2016, during launch preparations.