Hungry astronauts aboard the International Space Station to receive pizza, fruit and cheese

skynews

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Pizza is one of the supplies heading for the International Space Station as part of an 8,200-pound delivery.

The shipment, which also includes fresh apples, tomatoes, kiwis, and a cheese smorgasbord, launched from Virginia's eastern shore in the

US

on Tuesday.

Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket is carrying a Cygnus space vessel that will deliver the goods to seven hungry astronauts currently occupying the space station on Thursday.

A mounting bracket for new solar wings, which will be sent to the orbiting lab next year, is also included in the delivery - along with a material simulating moon dust and slime mould for a French educational experiment called Blob.

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The moon dust will be used alongside dirt to create items from the station's 3D printer.

An infrared-detecting device, meant as a prototype for future tracking satellites, has been included as well.

The American aerospace and defence technology company, Northrop Grumman, has completed 15 other cargo deliveries to the station for

NASA

, but this is its biggest load to date.

NASA's other shipper, SpaceX, which is owned by

Elon Musk

, will follow with a cargo run in a few weeks.

The space station is currently home to three Americans, two Russians, one French and one Japanese astronaut.