Replace: August 2, 8:45 a.m. ET: Northrop Grumman efficiently executed its nineteenth resupply mission (NG-19) to the ISS underneath NASA’s Industrial Resupply Companies-2 contract, utilizing the company’s Antares 230+ rocket. The launch automobile blasted off at 8:31 p.m. ET, sending the Cygnus cargo housecraft, named S.S. Laurel Clark, on a journey to the orbital lab.
Unique article follows.
The newest cargo mission by Northrop Grumman is ready for tonight, marking the ultimate flight of this rocket in its present configuration. You’ll be able to catch the motion stay proper right here, or in case you stay alongside a lot of the U.S. East Coast, you possibly can merely lookup.
Launch of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the Worldwide House Station (ISS) is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1, at 8:31 p.m. ET. The mission, generally known as NG-19, is slated to take off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. Climate consultants are predicting an 80% probability of favorable climate for the launch. Because the title of the mission suggests, this can be Northrop Grumman’s nineteenth resupply mission to the ISS.
Reside protection of the launch will start at 8:00 p.m. ET and can be broadcast on NASA’s website, the NASA app, and on the stay feed offered above. Individuals residing close to the mid-Atlantic area could possibly witness the rocket after liftoff, climate allowing after all. NASA Wallops offered a map exhibiting the place and when the Antares rocket could be seen.
For many who are native, the Wallops Customer Middle is scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m. ET. NASA Wallops recommends viewing places on Chincoteague Island, together with Robert Reed Park on Major Road and Seashore Highway, which spans the realm between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. No matter the place you’re at, you possibly can take a look at tonight’s Sturgeon Moon supermoon as soon as the launch is full.
In the present day’s launch try is noteworthy because it marks the ultimate flight of this specific model of Antares, as it’s outfitted with Russian and Ukrainian parts, as reported in SpaceNews. Following this, Northrop Grumman, working with Firefly Aerospace will transition to the brand new Antares 330, which is anticipated to be launched by summer time 2025. It’s the top of the road for the Antares 230+, however the Antares 330 can be constructed from all-American-built parts, along with that includes a extra highly effective first stage.
Packed on prime of Antares is the Cygnus capsule, which is able to carry almost 8,267 kilos (3,750 kilograms) of cargo, together with essential experiments, {hardware}, and provides for the ISS crew. The scheduled launch would see Cygnus arrive on the ISS in the course of the morning of August 4, with NASA’s protection starting at 4:30 a.m. ET. The capsule will keep connected to the orbital lab for no less than three months.
NG-19 is the primary Cygnus mission since NG-18 in November 2022, throughout which one photo voltaic array did not deploy resulting from particles lodging in “one of many Cygnus photo voltaic array mechanisms,” the corporate defined on the time. The capsule still managed to reach the space station, however corrective actions have been applied for NG-19 to hopefully forestall a recurrence.
Northrop Grumman has named the Cygnus spacecraft the S.S. Laurel Clark, honoring the late NASA astronaut Laurel Clark, who was a part of NASA’s STS-107 mission and tragically misplaced her life on February 1, 2003, throughout House Shuttle Columbia’s catastrophic reentry into Earth’s ambiance.
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“It’s the firm’s custom to call every Cygnus spacecraft in honor of a person who has made substantial contributions to human spaceflight,” Northrop Grumman explained on its web site. “Dr. Clark was an achieved undersea medical officer and naval flight surgeon previous to her NASA profession.” The corporate beforehand honored Sally Journey, the primary U.S. lady in house.
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