The Canadarm2 robotic arm, guided by NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, captures Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft. Credit: NASA TV
NASA Television’s live coverage of installation of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft is underway.
At 4:59 a.m. EST, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli acting as backup, captured Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft using the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. Cygnus is carrying 8,200 pounds of supplies, hardware, and science experiments.
This is Northrop Grumman’s 20th commercial resupply mission to the space station for NASA. The spacecraft is named the S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson in honor of the former NASA astronaut.
Cygnus will remain at the space station until May when it will depart the orbiting laboratory at which point it will harmlessly burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Cygnus Approaching Station for Capture Live on NASA TV
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft is pictured from the International Space Station as it approaches while orbiting 261 miles above the coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia on Aug. 4, 2023.
NASA television coverage is underway for the capture of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft. At about 4:20 a.m., NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will capture Cygnus using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli 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 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The Cygnus spacecraft is carrying a supply of 8,200 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory.
The spacecraft is named the S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson in honor of the former NASA astronaut. The mission launched at 12:07 p.m. EST Jan. 30 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and agency’s website will continue to provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s installation beginning at 5:45 a.m.
Cygnus Orbits Toward Station as Crews Focus on Space Science
The Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman approaches the space station on Feb, 22, 2021, as both spacecraft were orbiting 262 miles above the Middle East.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is orbiting Earth today carrying science and supplies to the International Space Station for delivery on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the Expedition 70 and Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crews continued working together on Wednesday with a full schedule of biomedical science, physics research, and lab maintenance.
More than 8,200 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and station hardware are headed for the orbital lab where NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli will be on duty awaiting the arrival of Cygnus. O’Hara will command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture Cygnus at 4:20 a.m. EST on Thursday as Moghbeli monitors the spacecraft’s automated approach and rendezvous. After Cygnus is captured, robotics controllers on the ground will take over command of the Canadarm2 and remotely install Cygnus on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
Several hours later, O’Hara and Moghbeli will open Cygnus’ hatch beginning several months of cargo activities. Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) and Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) will then enter and start unloading cargo. The duo will first remove frozen science samples from Cygnus and stow them inside science freezers aboard the station for later analysis.
Meanwhile, the four Expedition 70 astronauts continued ongoing research benefitting humans living on and off the Earth. The quartet also assisted the Ax-3 crewmates as they continued their science-packed agenda in their final week aboard the station.
O’Hara collected tools and set up the Life Science Glovebox for the GMETAL physics investigation that Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría and Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı worked on. The Axiom Space duo used the glovebox to study two-phase mixing between solid particles and a gasses under various gravity levels possibly impacting future spacecraft propulsion systems. O’Hara then joined Mogensen at the end of the day for eye exams using standard medical imaging gear found in a doctor’s office on Earth.
Earlier in the day, López-Alegría partnered with Ax-3 Pilot Walter Villadei for blood pressure checks and ultrasound scans observing their blood flow. Ax-3 Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt had a busy day starting with servicing a life support rack in the Tranquility module and training to use the station’s virtual reality hardware and software. Next, he cleaned the Biolab research facility then documented his sleep patterns while wearing a sensor-packed helmet.
Mogensen had a couple of hours blocked off on Wednesday to assist the Ax-3 crew and help the private astronauts continue their familiarization with station systems and life in weightlessness. The two-time ESA astronaut also cleaned the Dragon hatch on the forward port of the Harmony module, tested using virtual reality gear to improve crew mental health, then closed the windows on the cupola.
Moghbeli spent her day photographing and inspecting spacewalk gear and portable safety hardware. Furukawa joined Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov and swapped fuel bottles inside the Combustion Integrated Rack. The pair then split up as Furukawa set up the Mochii microscope for imaging metal samples while Borisov worked on an oxygen generator in the station’s Roscosmos segment.
Veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko was back on inspection duty checking structures and photographing windows in the Zvezda and Nauka modules. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub began his day with a urine sample collection then recorded his food, drink, and medicine intake. Next, he worked on radio communications gear and orbital plumbing hardware throughout the day.
Cygnus Deploys Solar Arrays, Arrives 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 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.
