Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station

Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station

After chasing the International Space Station for more than two days, a spacecraft that looks like a huge flying barrel caught up with it Wednesday on a resupply mission.

U.S. astronaut Kjell Lindgren used a robotic arm to grapple the unmanned Cygnus spacecraft, carrying more than 7,000 pounds of cargo, at 6:19 a.m. while over the Arabian Sea near the coast of Oman.

Orbital ATK, a Dulles-based company, launched Cygnus into orbit on Sunday evening in its first flight since its rocket exploded in October 2014. The launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket went flawlessly, as did the rendezvous with the space station, officials said.

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