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Derek Richardson
December thirteenth, 2023
The service module for Northrop Grumman’s subsequent Cygnus resupply spacecraft is en path to Florida for launch atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The NG-20 Cygnus service module is being shipped from Virginia to Kennedy Space Center in Florida the place will probably be hooked up to the pressurized cargo module, already in Florida, and ready for launch to the Worldwide Area Station. Liftoff is presently scheduled for Jan. 29, 2024, from Area Launch Advanced 40 at close by Cape Canaveral Area Power Station.
That is the primary Cygnus spacecraft to fly atop a Falcon 9 for the reason that last Antares 230+ rocket launched in August 2023. The primary stage of the Antares rocket was being constructed by a provider in Ukraine. Due to Russia’s invasion of that nation in 2022, there aren’t any extra boosters obtainable.
Northrop Grumman is now presently working with Texas-based Firefly Aerospace to construct a substitute first stage, which isn’t anticipated to be prepared till no less than mid-2025. Till then, no less than three Cygnus spacecraft are anticipated to fly atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Earlier this month, Northrop Grumman introduced Cygnus NG-20 could be named after NASA astronaut Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson, who died in 2001 at age 38 from accidents sustained in a personal aircraft crash. Her first flight to area was anticipated to be a mission to the ISS in 2002.
As soon as NG-20 Cygnus launches, it’s scheduled to take about two days to achieve the area station earlier than being captured by the outpost’s robotic Canadarm2 and berthed to the Unity module. Cygnus sometimes carries round 8,400 kilos (3,800 kilograms) of provides for ISS crews to unload over the spacecraft’s multi-month keep aboard the outpost.
That is the ninth Cygnus spacecraft beneath NASA’s second Industrial Resupply Providers contract and the fifteenth within the “enhanced” configuration.
NG-19 Cygnus, which was launched in August, remains to be hooked up to the ISS. It’s anticipated to be unberthed from the outpost later this month for an eventual damaging reentry into Earth’s environment with trash and unneeded tools.
Video courtesy of Northrop Grumman
Derek Richardson
Derek Richardson has a level in mass media, with an emphasis in up to date journalism, from Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas. Whereas at Washburn, he was the managing editor of the coed run newspaper, the Washburn Evaluation. He additionally has an internet site about human spaceflight referred to as Orbital Velocity. You’ll find him on twitter @TheSpaceWriter.
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