Northrop Grumman spacecraft launches to resupply I.S.S.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A Northrop Grumman spacecraft, carried on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is on its way to the International Space Station (I.S.S.).

The Cygnus spacecraft, named the S.S. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, after the former NASA astronaut, got the weather it needed, and lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Sunday in Florida just after 11:00am Eastern.

Sunday's launch marks the 21st Northrop Grumman resupply mission that will deliver nearly 8,200 pounds of food, science experiments, supplies and other equipment to astronauts on-board the I.S.S.

The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the I.S.S. in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 6, and remain there until January when it will be detached and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

A little more than eight minutes into the flight, the Falcon 9 first stage booster successfully returned to its landing zone at Cape Canaveral.