Cygnus Deploys Solar Arrays, Arriving at Station on Thursday
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Credit: SpaceX
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft has successfully deployed its two solar arrays after launching earlier today, Jan. 30, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival beginning at 2:45 a.m.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will capture Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will be acting as a backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
Cygnus Lifts Off Atop SpaceX Rocket to Deliver Station Cargo
The Cygnus cargo craft from Northrop Grumman launches atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from its launch pad in Florida. Credit: NASA TV
A fresh supply of more than 8,200 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo is on its way to the International Space Station on a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft after launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 12:07 p.m. EST Tuesday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA Television and the agency’s website continue to provide live coverage of the ascent. About 15 minutes after launch, Cygnus will reach its preliminary orbit and is expected to complete its solar arrays deployment about two hours after launch.
Cygnus is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 4:15 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 1.
NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival beginning at 2:45 a.m.
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will capture Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will be acting as a backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
This is Northrop Grumman’s 20th contracted resupply mission for NASA.
Cygnus Cargo Ship Launching on SpaceX Rocket Live on NASA TV
The Cygnus cargo craft from Northrop Grumman sits atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at its launch pad in Florida. Credit: SpaceX
NASA Television coverage is underway for the launch of Northrop Live NASA coverage is underway for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for the agency. The launch of the company’s Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for 12:07 p.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Loaded with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, the spacecraft will arrive at the orbiting outpost Thursday, Feb. 1. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will capture Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will be acting as a backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
Mission Teams Target Tuesday for Launch of Cygnus Cargo Mission
The Cygnus cargo craft approaches the International Space Station on Aug. 4 while orbiting 261 miles above the coast of the Garabogazköl Basin in Turkmenistan.
Today, NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX confirmed joint teams are targeting 12:07 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 30 for Falcon 9 to launch the 20th Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus resupply spacecraft will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to deliver more than 8,200 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the orbiting laboratory. Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron are currently predicting an 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch. The primary weather concerns for the launch area are the cumulus cloud rule.
Cygnus Counts Down to Launch, Station Crews Keep Up Research
NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will carry more than 8,200 pounds (3,720 kilograms) of cargo to the International Space Station.
Cargo mission preparations and space research kept the Expedition 70 and Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crews busy at the beginning of the week. The 11 residents working together aboard the International Space Station also continued their ongoing biomedical science and lab maintenance activities.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is sitting atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket counting down to a lift off no earlier than 12:07 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Cygnus is packed with more than 8,200 pounds of science and supplies scheduled for delivery to the orbital outpost on Thursday, Feb. 1. Among the new science experiments being delivered are the Metal 3D Printer that tests the 3D printing of small metal parts in space and the Robotic Surgery Tech Demo that tests remotely controlled surgical techniques.
NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara trained on a computer Monday afternoon for Cygnus’ arrival. Moghbeli will be at the robotics workstation on Thursday commanding the Canadarm 2 robotic arm to capture Cygnus at 4:20 a.m. O’Hara will also be on duty monitoring Cygnus’ automated approach and rendezvous early Thursday.
The duo along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa started the day with blood, saliva, and urine sample collections. The samples were processed first then stowed in a science freezer for later analysis to understand how living in weightlessness affects the human body. Furukawa later assisted Ax-3 crewmates Michael López-Alegría and Alper Gezeravcı as they studied how to use the CRISPR method to genetically modify plants promoting space agriculture and sustainable life support systems.
Station Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) started his day with a cognition test measuring his spatial orientation, visual tracking, and decision-making abilities in microgravity. Afterward, he supported the Ax-3 crew throughout the day, prepared the station for Cygnus cargo transfers, and recorded video messages for European students.
Ax-3 Pilot Walter Villadei documented his meals on Monday and answered a few questions about his dining experience. Villadei then videotaped a simple space physics experiment using a yo-yo then recorded a video message for future Italian pilots. Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt from ESA also recorded a video message using 360-degree virtual reality gear to promote science for Swedish audiences. He later documented his sleep experiences, took a cognition test, then uninstalled a high speed camera that photographed Earth’s thunderstorms.
Over in the orbiting lab’s Roscosmos segment, veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko repressurized thermal control system components then swapped batteries inside hardware designed to inspect difficult to reach areas on the station. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub spent his day inventorying tools and equipment inside the Poisk module and photographing windows on the Zvezda service module. Cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov started his day disconnecting a student-controlled Earth observation camera then serviced ventilation systems in Zvezda and the Nauka science module.
The space station is orbiting a few miles higher after the Roscosmos Progress 85 cargo craft fired its engines for over 13 minutes on Saturday. The orbital reboost lifted the station to the correct altitude for an upcoming Progress cargo launch in February and the next Soyuz crew swap planned for early spring.
