NASA launches Cygnus spacecraft named after late astronaut Kalpana Chawla to International Space Station

An American cargo Cygnus spacecraft made by Northrop Grumman bound for the International Space Station that is named after fallen NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first woman of Indian origin to enter space, was launched today at 2116 hours Eastern Time.

The spacecraft is carrying nearly 8,000 pounds of scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, commercial products, cancer treatments, a crop of radishes to cultivate, a virtual reality camera, a new space toilet among other cargo.

A new toilet is one of the other pieces of cargo headed to the space station. Its features are an improvement on the current toilet and it can help NASA prepare for future missions, including those to the Moon and Mars.

The Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the space station until mid-December before it disposes of several thousand pounds of trash as it burns up during a safe re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.