On Saturday, February 19, 2022, at 17:40 UTC, the Antares 230+ launch vehicle with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft blasted off from the Wallops Space Center. The successful launch was ensured by the RD-181 engines on the rocket's first stage, developed and manufactured at NPO Energomash (a part of Roscosmos).
The Cygnus spacecraft will deliver over 3.7 tons of cargo to the International Space Station to support the crew, as well as equipment and materials for scientific research. The freighter is to arrive at the station on February 21.
The RD-181 is a single-chamber liquid-propelled rocket engine with a vertically mounted turbo-pump unit.











