Gallery: Antares rocket explodes

NASA has ordered four additional launches to deliver cargo to the International Space Station in 2017 — three from SpaceX and one from Orbital ATK — to cover the research lab’s logistics needs until a new set of resupply contracts take effect.

The Cygnus commercial logistics vehicle departed the International Space Station Sunday morning for a week-long free-flight filled with autonomous science tasks before re-entry.

The first pair of new Russian main engines for Orbital ATK’s modernized Antares rocket has arrived at the company’s Virginia launch base as engineers prepare to return the commercial booster to flight after a catastrophic failure last year.