US commercial cargo spacecraft Cygnus was released from the International Space Station on Wednesday, December 6, to conduct engineering tests while in orbit.
The cargo craft, released on the command of Expedition 53 Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, left with approximately 6,200 pounds of trash and excess equipment after spending nearly a month at the orbiting laboratory, Spaceflight Now reported.
Cygnus is set to burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean at the end of its mission on December 18, NASA reported. Credit: NASA Video via Storyful
