On its way...

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet snapped this image of the Cygnus NG-15 cargo vehicle over Earth during his second long-duration mission known as Alpha. He posted it on social media saying: "So long Cygnus! Thanks for all the supplies you brought up here and thanks for clearing out the trash as you leave. Cygnus NG-15 arrived at the Station long before me on 22 February and has served as an extra module since then. Yesterday we said goodbye but packed it with waste first that will burn up on reentry, clearing some space inside the Space Station. The distinctive solar panels you might have seen in many previous images, they are now gone."

Thomas was launched to the International Space Station for his second mission, Alpha, on 23 April 2021. He will spend six months living and working on the orbital outpost where he will support more than 200 international experiments in space.

Follow Thomas and his Mission Alpha on his blog.