Orbital Sciences successfully launched its first spacecraft on a mission to the International Space Station this morning. The company's Antares rocket lifted off from the Wallops Island launch site on Virginia's Atlantic coast, boosting the Cygnus spacecraft into orbit where it will spend a few days before a rendezvous with the ISS this weekend. The mission is the final qualification for Orbital Sciences' contract with NASA to begin flying cargo to the ISS as early as the end of the year. Both SpaceX and Orbital have contracts to be the first private companies to haul cargo to the space station. Before the companies begin work operating the orbital delivery trucks, they must first demonstrate the capability of safely operating around, and docking with, the ISS. SpaceX completed its demonstration flight last year and has completed two contracted cargo flights. Today's launch begins Orbital Sciences' demonstration flight, which will follow roughly the same procedure as the SpaceX demonstration flight. After a few days in orbit, the Cygnus spacecraft will begin a series of maneuvers to bring it close to the space station. Once these initial maneuvers are complete, it will then make its final approach and dock with the ISS on Sunday. Once at the station, the astronauts and cosmonauts living there will unload about 1,600 pounds of cargo, including clothes, food and other supplies. It is expected to take 25 hours for the three ISS crew members to fully unload the Cygnus spacecraft. Unlike the reusable Dragon spacecraft from SpaceX, the Cygnus spacecraft is only used once. After spending a scheduled 30 days at the station, the vehicle will be released and will burn up as it encounters the atmosphere during reentry. The Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft are built by several companies around the world, compared to SpaceX, which builds most of its rocket and spacecraft at its own Hawthorne, California facility. The first stage of the Antares rocket is built in the Ukraine, and uses a pair of Soviet-era liquid-fueled rocket engines. The second stage is powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor from Utah-based ATK. The Cygnus spacecraft that will be delivered to orbit is comprised of two separate modules. The unmanned cargo container -- basically the empty part of the cargo van -- is built by Alenia Space of Italy. The service and propulsion module -- the equivalent of the wheels, engine and driver of the van -- is built by Orbital Sciences at its facility outside Washington, D.C., where the company is based. Orbital Sciences has been in the space-launch business for more than 30 years and has dozens of successful launches under its belt. Last week it successfully launched a NASA probe into orbit that will eventually fly to the moon for survey work. The Antares rocket was first launched back in April with a simulated payload that was delivered to orbit, but did not go to the ISS. It has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA for eight cargo missions to the ISS through 2016. Photo: Orbital Sciences

Long before today's launch, the Cygnus spacecraft was assembled and tested at Orbital Sciences' Dulles, Virginia facility. Here two of the service and propulsion modules that are the brains and power of the spacecraft await delivery to the Wallops Island launch site. The module on the left is the vehicle that was launched today, the vehicle on the right is scheduled to be on the first contracted cargo flight to the ISS. The folded solar panels can be seen on the sides of the modules. These modules will be joined with the cargo module before being attached to the rocket before launch. Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

An Orbital Sciences technician inspects a solar panel that will be paired with a future Cygnus spacecraft. Like most spacecraft or satellites in orbit, the Cygnus will use solar power to operate the computers on board that control the maneuvers during the approach to the ISS. Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

The other half of Cygnus is the cargo module. The empty container was delivered to the Wallops Island Flight Facility on the Virginia coast, where it waits to be joined with the service and propulsion module and filled with supplies for the ISS. The person in the picture is looking at the cargo door at the end where the spacecraft will be attached to the ISS. Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Inside the module is the empty area where the cargo will be loaded. More than 1,600 pounds of food and clothes, including some "treats" for the astronauts will be loaded inside. Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

At the other end of the cargo module are the connections for the service and propulsion module. Both parts of the Cygnus spacecraft are disposable and will be destroyed during reentry. Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

Here both modules of the completed Cygnus spacecraft are being attached to the Antares rocket. The spacecraft is housed in a fairing that splits in half and falls away once the vehicle has reached space. It is then boosted into orbit by the second stage of the rocket. Photo: Orbital Sciences

While the various pieces of the rocket and spacecraft are being assembled, the Orbital Sciences launch team, along with NASA, spend countless hours at the company's mission control center in Dulles rehearsing the launch and rendezvous with the ISS. During this simulation, the Cygnus spacecraft is already in orbit and is preparing to make its approach to the station. Photo: Jason Paur/Wired.com

The Cygnus spacecraft will perform a series of maneuvers using its 32 thrusters to approach the ISS. As part of the mission, it must perform several different demonstrations of its capabilities to safely approach, and even abort the approach to the station. Image: NASA

Once the spacecraft is within the KOS (keep-out sphere), a 200 meter safety zone around the ISS, it will complete its approach and retreat demonstrations before finally docking with the station on Sunday. Photo: NASA

Last week the complete Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft were transported to the launch facility on the Virginia coast. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Wallops Island Flight Facility has been used to launch thousands of rockets, mostly smaller weather probes, since the 1950s. Showing a good geeky sense of humor, signs were added to the launch pad making sure everybody knows the way to the Minotaur V pad used last week for the lunar survey probe launch, and the pad used for today's Antares launch. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Antares rocket being moved to the vertical launch position earlier this week. Photo: Orbital Scienes

Like Cape Canaveral in Florida, the launch facility is very close to the Atlantic. Here the Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft sit quietly before today's launch. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls