Antares : Cygnus NG-13 : February 15, 2020

[Steven Pietrobon]

Carrying the RED-EYE satellite for DARPA.

https://www.issnationallab.org/press-releases/northrop-grumman-crs-13-mission-overview/

"This investigation aims to develop and demonstrate technologies that increase the utility of low-cost microsatellites. RED-EYE will demonstrate lightweight, low-power, gimballed inter-satellite communications links appropriate for the class of satellites approximately 100 kg in size. RED-EYE will also demonstrate new attitude control components, onboard processors, and software-defined radios. The RED-EYE satellite will deploy from the ISS via the Japanese Experiment Module Airlock using the NanoRacks Kaber MicroSat Deployer."

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7530

[Olaf]

Carrying the RED-EYE satellite for DARPA.

One or two satellites?
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/iss_nac_oct_2019_final.pdf page 19 Mr. Scimemi mentioned RedEye#2 and RedEye#3.

[joseph.a.navin]

Do we have any idea to when the Cygnus payload left the fueling "barn" and arrived at the HIF?

[Rondaz]

A Cygnus cargo spacecraft 🛰️ is headed to the @Space_Station on Feb. 9! In addition to food and supplies for the crew, science experiments are launching too!

https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops/status/1224452140497657859

[Targeteer]

February 04, 2020
MEDIA ADVISORY M20-020
NASA TV Coverage Set for Cygnus Launch to International Space Station

Northrop Grumman’s next NASA resupply services mission to the International Space Station is targeted for launch at 5:39 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 9. Live coverage of the launch and briefings will begin at 5 p.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

The company’s 13th commercial resupply services mission using its Cygnus cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch on its Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Loaded with approximately 8,000 pounds of research, crew supplies, and hardware,  the Cygnus spacecraft, dubbed the SS Robert H. Lawrence, will arrive at the space station Tuesday, Feb. 11 at about 4:30 a.m. NASA Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan will grapple Cygnus and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will be acting as a backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.

The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until May 11, when it will depart the orbiting laboratory. The Saffire-IV experiment will be conducted within Cygnus after it departs the station, and prior to deorbit, when it also will dispose of several tons of trash during a fiery reentry into Earth’s atmosphere May 25.

Media registration for the launch and associated activities is closed. Media can submit questions during the prelaunch news conference and the What’s on Board briefing using #askNASA.

Complete coverage of launch activities is as follows (all time Eastern):

Saturday, Feb. 8:

11 a.m. – Prelaunch News Conference

·      Ven Feng, manager, International Space Station Transportation Integration Office, NASA’s International Space Station program

·      Heidi Parris, assistant program scientist, International Space Station Program Science Office 

·      Jeff Reddish, project manager, Wallops Range Antares

·      Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager, Tactical Space Systems, Northrop Grumman

·      Kurt Eberly, Antares vice president, Launch and Missile Defense Systems, Northrop Grumman

3 p.m. – What’s on Board Briefing

·      Heidi Parris, assistant program scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program Science Office 

·      Patrick O’Neill, marketing and communications senior manager, International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory

·      Caitlin O’Connell, principal investigator, and Devin Ridgely, chief biologist, Mobile Space Lab, Scorpio-V, HNu Photonics

·      Bruce Hammer, principal investigator, and Louis Kidder, co-investigator, OsteoOmics, University of Minnesota

·      Christopher Own, facility manager and chief executive officer, and Lawrence Own, co-facility manager, Mochii, Voxa

·      Gary Ruff, project manager, Saffire-IV, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland

Sunday, Feb. 9:

5 p.m. – Launch coverage begins

Tuesday, Feb. 11

3 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus with the space station’s robotic arm

6 a.m. – Cygnus installation operations coverage

Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA's ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space.

Learn more about the Northrop Grumman mission by going to the mission webpage at:

https://www.nasa.gov/northropgrumman

-end-

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasa_wallops/status/1225119935363461121

Rolling into the weekend like 🚀

This morning, Antares and Cygnus traveled from the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch pad 0A. Launch is scheduled for 5:39 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasa_wallops/status/1225174017839108098

The Antares rocket lifting off on Sunday is going vertical on launch pad 0A. Check out our live views: facebook.com/nasawff.

Have a question about launch or the rocket? Send us your Q's and we'll try to answer live on the broadcast.

More images from NASA HQ flickr

[Olaf]

https://twitter.com/OrbitalVel/status/1225299311346569217
This image shows a Slingshot deployer and a NRCSD-External deployer on NG-13.

[lrk]

From the recent article: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/01/nasa-fcc-approve-cygnus-ng-12-extension/

It was not possible for the NG-12 Cygnus to remain on the International Space Station as it needs to vacate its berthing port to make room for the NG-13 Cygnus.

Why can't there be more than one Cygnus berthed on the station at a time?  Aren't there still 2 CBM ports available for CRS missions?

[joseph.a.navin]

From the recent article: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/01/nasa-fcc-approve-cygnus-ng-12-extension/

It was not possible for the NG-12 Cygnus to remain on the International Space Station as it needs to vacate its berthing port to make room for the NG-13 Cygnus.

Why can't there be more than one Cygnus berthed on the station at a time?  Aren't there still 2 CBM ports available for CRS missions?

I don't know exactly why, but the large circular solar arrays may be the issue since they are too big most likely for two Cygnuses together.

[Sesquipedalian]

SpaceX-20 will need the other berthing port in March.  They would have had to release NG-12 while NG-13 was berthed, then move NG-13 to NG-12's port, and that requires crew time.  Additionally, it may not be possible (clearance issues?) to release a spacecraft from the arm while Node 2 nadir is occupied.

[Rondaz]

Latest Weather Forecast for Northrop Grumman’s CRS-13 Launch: 90% Favorable

AuthorIsabelle Yan Posted on February 6, 2020

The latest weather forecast stands at 90% favorable for the Feb. 9 launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. At this time, cumulus clouds are the only weather concern being tracked for a launch attempt on Sunday afternoon.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its 13th commercial resupply services mission, carrying more than 8,000 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware to the International Space Station, at 5:39 p.m. EDT on Feb. 9.

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The latest weather forecast stands at 90% favorable for the Feb. 9 launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. At this time, cumulus clouds are the only weather concern being tracked for a launch attempt on Sunday afternoon.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its 13th commercial resupply services mission, carrying more than 8,000 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware to the International Space Station, at 5:39 p.m. EDT on Feb. 9.

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen just after being raised into a vertical position on Pad-0A, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Low pressure will continue to slowly move northeastward across the Mid-Atlantic tonight, bringing periods of rain and gusty winds through Friday. There is an uptick in cloudiness and a slight chance of an isolated shower or snow flurry early Sunday morning, but high pressure will build back into the Mid-Atlantic by Sunday afternoon, allowing for dry conditions, decreasing cloudiness, and light winds.

Follow launch activities at the launch blog and @NASA_Wallops. Learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/northropgrumman/2020/02/06/latest-weather-forecast-for-northrop-grummans-crs-13-launch-90-favorable/

[russianhalo117]

From the recent article: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/01/nasa-fcc-approve-cygnus-ng-12-extension/

It was not possible for the NG-12 Cygnus to remain on the International Space Station as it needs to vacate its berthing port to make room for the NG-13 Cygnus.

Why can't there be more than one Cygnus berthed on the station at a time?  Aren't there still 2 CBM ports available for CRS missions?

I don't know exactly why, but the large circular solar arrays may be the issue since they are too big most likely for two Cygnuses together.

Not my the case. NASA has configured the ports to handle certain vehicles although they used to be capable of any nadir port. HTV for instance was configured inside N2 to use Only N2Z and N2N.  This has all been discussed before I  just can't point you there at the present time.

[zubenelgenubi]

If all goes as currently scheduled, this will be the first US East Coast launch in approximately 5.5 hours--the Solar Orbiter launch from Cape Canaveral goes second.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1225867994586374144

#DYK you can see a rocket launch along the East Coast on Sunday? Watch our NG-13 #Antares head to the @Space_Station at 5:39 pm ET.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasa_wallops/status/1225867850184826881

Only 2 days remain until Northrop Grumman's CRS-13 mission launches to the International Space Station. In the mean time, take a look back at Antares and Cygnus' journey to launch pad 0A. The rocket and spacecraft traveled 1 mile per hour to get there!

[SMS]

https://twitter.com/NGCNews/status/1225869300109627392

[Rondaz]

Latest Weather Forecast 95% Favorable for Northrup Grumman CRS-13 Launch

Author Isabelle Yan Posted on February 7, 2020

The latest weather forecast stands at 95% favorable for the scheduled launch Sunday, Feb. 9 of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. As of this time, cumulus clouds and thick clouds are the primary weather concerns being tracked for a launch attempt at 5:39 p.m. EST Sunday.

Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA will send the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station to deliver approximately 8,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

Blustery conditions will continue today as a deep area of low pressure continues to move off to our northeast. Winds will subside overnight tonight, providing for a calm, uneventful Saturday. A weak upper level shortwave trough will then move across the Mid-Atlantic Saturday night, producing an uptick in cloudiness into early Sunday morning. High pressure will build back into the local area by Sunday afternoon, leading to another seasonable day under partly cloudy skies. Clouds begin to increase in the mid and upper- levels Sunday evening as another cold front approaches the region.

Follow launch activities at the launch blog and @NASA_Wallops and learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/northropgrumman/2020/02/07/latest-weather-forecast-95-favorable-for-northrup-grumman-crs-13-launch/

[Rondaz]

Launching to the ISS National Lab onboard @northropgrumman #CRS13 is a new facility called the Mobile SpaceLab that aims to pave the way for cutting-edge biomedical research in space.

https://twitter.com/ISS_CASIS/status/1225879664499003392

[Rondaz]

NG-13 Cygnus Named for Maj. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr.

Sarah Loff Posted on February 7, 2020

In honor of the first African American to be selected as an astronaut, Northrop Grumman named the Cygnus spacecraft for the NG-13 cargo launch to the International Space Station “S.S. Robert H. Lawrence.”

The US Air Force (USAF) selected Maj. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., on June 30, 1967, as a member of the third group of aerospace research pilots for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) Program, making him the first African-American to be selected as an astronaut by any national space program. Maj. Lawrence perished in a training flight in late 1967.

The MOL was a joint project of the USAF and the National Reconnaissance Office to obtain high-resolution photographic imagery of America’s Cold War adversaries. After the 1969 cancellation of the MOL program, NASA invited the younger (under 35) MOL astronauts to join its astronaut corps – seven of them transferred to NASA on August 14, 1969, as the Group 7 astronaut class and all of them went on to fly on the space shuttle in the 1980s.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/northropgrumman/2020/02/07/ng-13-cygnus-named-for-maj-robert-h-lawrence-jr/