With the NG-12 launch behind us, preparations are already well underway for @NASA’s NG-13 mission launching early next year. Our #Antares rocket is being prepped and our #Cygnus pressurized cargo module has been delivered to the @NASA_Wallops launch site. #NorthropGrumman
Here is the NASA logo for Northrop Grumman's lucky number NG-13 Cygnus, the second Commercial Resupply Services (CRS)-2 mission, currently scheduled for February 2020:
Cygnus NG-13 launch date moved forward to February 7, 2020.From SFN Launch Schedule, updated September 12
Our NG-13 #Cygnus spacecraft honors Major Robert Lawrence Jr., who began #DefiningPossible as the first African American astronaut. Learn more: http://ms.spr.ly/6018Tk5qw
Jan. 16, 2020Get a front row seat to a rocket launch and go behind the scenes at NASA!We are inviting social media users to apply for credentials to cover the launch of Northrop Grumman's CRS-13 mission to the International Space Station. An Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo spacecraft will liftoff no earlier than 5:39 p.m. EST on Feb. 9, 2020 from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. A maximum of 40 active social media users will be selected to attend the two-day event Feb. 8-9, 2020 and will be given the same access as news media. Participants should keep in mind that due to the complexity of these launches, it is possible the Antares rocket could launch at a later date beyond its scheduled launch window.NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:Get an up-close view of the launch from the Wallops Island media viewing siteMeet with rocket experts from NASA and Northrop GrummanGo on a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA’s Wallops Flight FacilityMeet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social mediaMeet members of NASA's social media teamsRegistration opens on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Social media users must apply by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, January. 23, 2020. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Cygnus spacecraft will carry crew supplies, scientific research and hardware to the orbiting laboratory to support the Expedition 61 and 62 crews for the 13th mission under Northrop Grumman’s Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract with NASA....
Northrop Grumman’s 13th Cargo Resupply Mission to Carry Multiple R&D Payloads Sponsored by the ISS National LabJANUARY 30, 2020KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), January 30, 2020 – Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will be packed with a wide variety of research investigations for its 13th commercial resupply services mission (contracted by NASA) to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch—which is slated for no earlier than Sunday, February 9 at 5:39 p.m. EST from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia—will carry a diverse set of research and technology development projects sponsored by the U.S. National Laboratory. This launch represents the first commercial resupply services mission to the ISS in 2020.Investigations on this mission sponsored by the ISS National Lab include several life sciences payloads, a new commercial hardware facility for researchers, CubeSats (small satellites) to deploy from the space station, and multiple student experiments intended to engage the next generation of scientists and engineers.HNu Photonics, an engineering company based in Hawaii, has developed the Mobile SpaceLab facility, which offers investigators a quick-turnaround platform to perform sophisticated microgravity biology experiments. With a successful validation of this facility, the Mobile SpaceLab will provide investigators with another avenue to conduct life sciences and biomedical research onboard the orbiting laboratory.Multiple life sciences investigations sponsored by the ISS National Lab are part of this mission, including two investigations making a return trip to station. In 2016, a team from the University of Minnesota sent a bone loss experiment to station focused on evaluating magnetic levitation to simulate the microgravity environment and assist in biomedical research to improve the recovery of patients with bone loss conditions back on Earth. Based on initial results from that investigation, the research team is launching a second experiment on this mission to further that research. Additionally, a team from the University of Alaska will send a return investigation to the ISS to examine genetically engineered E. coli bacteria in microgravity to increase the bacteria’s bioproduction rates of isobutene (a key precursor for several industrial products including plastics and rubber).Several student experiments will launch on this mission in collaboration with Quest for Space, a program in which students design a custom experiment that fits in a miniaturized laboratory to be launched to the space station. Through Quest for Space, student projects can evaluate concepts such as plant health, bacterial growth, radiation effects, and many others.“The ISS National Lab is excited to build on the tremendous research successes of 2019 with this launch from our partners at Northrop Grumman,” said ISS National Lab Interim Chief Scientist Dr. Michael Roberts. “With this launch, a new year and the next decade of space station research is upon us, and we look forward to communicating the progress of ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations for the benefit of life on Earth.”To learn about all ISS National Lab investigations flying on Northrop Grumman’s 13th commercial resupply services mission, please visit our Mission Overview.
The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen a few hours after arriving at launch Pad-0A, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.MEDIA CREDIT: Image courtesy of NASA
