NASASpaceFlight.com Forum
Commercial and US Government Launch Vehicles => NGIS (Formerly Orbital ATK) - Antares/Cygnus Section => Topic started by: gongora on 09/30/2020 06:03 pm
-
Thread for the Cygnus NG-15 mission.
Northrop Grumman is targeting liftoff of its Antares rocket for no earlier than 12:36 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 20, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.
The overall goal of theThinSat-2mission, is to orbit small experiment payloads to advance STEM education,and promote space science research and systems engineering for grades 4 –12 and universities, from a number of states and the District of Columbia. The student teams will analyze the data collected by their experiment and submit a report detailing their findings. The students will track their experiment and receive data in near real time through the Globalstar network and the Space Data Dashboard website. Online content and resources will enhance the educational experience.
The experiments will be deployed aboard 9 satellites,ThinSat-2A through ThinSat-2I, launched as a secondary payload aboard the NG15 on the Antares second stage, from the mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, Virginia, Q1 2021. The satellites will be inserted into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), at 260km apogee and 180km perigee, on an inclination from the equator of 51.6degrees. They are deployed from 2 Canisterized Satellite Dispensers (CSDs) mounted on the second stage of the launch vehicle. The ThinSats unfold accordion style as they exit the CSD. Transmission will begin upon deployment, and cease within about a week, when de-orbiting occurs.See the Orbital Debris Assessment Report for details
https://fcc.report/ELS/Near-Space-Launch-Inc/1478-EX-ST-2020
-
http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum18/HTML/001589.html
Here is the NASA logo for Northrop Grumman's NG-15 Cygnus, the fourth mission under the agency's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS)-2 program, scheduled for February 2021:
-
I noticed to date Cygnus has not been named after any of the Challenger 51L crew members.
Any chance that will change with NG-15?
-
Attached is a pdf describing the results of a prior ThinSat depolyment (from NG 11). Is there a description somewhere of the ThinSats that will fly on NG-15?
-
https://twitter.com/genejm29/status/1334968187771891716
-
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/10/01/northrop-grumman-optimistic-to-receive-more-nasa-cargo-mission-orders/
The Antares core stages for the NG-14 launch Thursday and the NG-15 mission in February are currently at the Wallops launch site.
NG-15 core has been onsite since Oct 1, more than four months early.
-
https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
Launch date now confirmed as 01 February 2021.
-
https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1338880249728299008
We're gearing up for our next #Cygnus launch aboard our #Antares rocket currently scheduled for Feb. 20 from @NASA_Wallops.
-
https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops/status/1338914229362061317
-
https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops/status/1338954942271221760
Correction: The launch time is 12:36 p.m. EST on February 20, 2021.
-
1898-EX-ST-2020
For the Cygnus vehicle itself, there is no planned object or debris release from Cygnus during
the mission, with exception of CubeSats or so call microsats. For the NG-15 mission, Cygnus
will deploy a number of CubeSats following departure from ISS. The external CubeSat Satellite
Deployer will be installed while berthed to ISS prior to departure from ISS by the NASA
Astronauts. Also a SEOPS SlingShot CubeSat deployer will be installed. The exact number of
CubeSats will be provided to the FCC when it becomes available. Each Deployer, with
integrated CubeSats, is provided to Orbital Sciences LLC by NASA and SEOPS. The CubeSats
release point will be approximately 45 km above the ISS. The Cygnus orbit will be circular at the
time of the deployments. Regulatory requirements including reentry debris assessment on
CubeSats are the responsibility of the CubeSat owner(s) and the respective providers, and are
not covered in this document.
-
Do we have any sources on if NG-15 is taking an additional crew quarter up for Hopkins / the 5th ISS crew member?
I remember Kenneth Todd talking about the timing and location of the CQ placement during a DM2 or Crew-1 press event but can't seem to find it.
I'd assume that Cygnus is the logical choice (vs Dragon) as the normal CQ is long and bulkier than a full rack. Would be interesting to see how they IKEA / flatpack the booth (especially with all the fans, air plenums and sound deadening chambers) or send up a modified one.
-
Feb. 20, Saturday
12 p.m. – Coverage of the Launch of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus CRS-15 Cargo Ship from the Wallops Flight Facility, Va.; launch scheduled at 12:36 p.m. EST – Johnson Space Center via Wallops Flight Facility, Va.
Feb. 22, Monday
3 a.m. – Coverage of the rendezvous and capture of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus CRS-15 cargo ship at the International Space Station; capture scheduled at appx. 4:30 a.m. EST
6 a.m. – Coverage of the installation of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus CRS-15 cargo ship to the International Space Station
Launch schedule February 20, 2021 at 17:36 UTC
rendezvous and capture by SSRMS to ISS February 22, 2021 at ~9:30 UTC/installation at N1N at ~11:30 UTC.
-
https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops/status/1352647220710027274
-
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1352655264374284290
-
The Cygnus spacecraft is heading to Wallops Island to be fueled before it's integrated to the Northrop Grumman Corporation Antares vehicle for the February cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.
The launch is currently on schedule for Saturday, February 20, at 12:36 p.m. EST.
📸 : NASA Wallops/Kyle Hoppes
-
January 22, 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY M21-012
NASA Invites Media to Next Space Station Cargo Launch
Media accreditation is open for the launch from Virginia of Northrop Grumman’s 15th commercial resupply services mission to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station aboard its Cygnus spacecraft.
Northrop Grumman is targeting liftoff of its Antares rocket for no earlier than 12:36 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 20, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, NASA will credential a limited number of media to cover the Antares launch from Wallops.
Both U.S. and U.S.-based international media must apply by 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2. All accreditation requests must be sent to Keith Koehler at [email protected]. International media from outside the United States will not be permitted to register for accreditation for this launch.
Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations.
Research investigations launching to the orbiting laboratory aboard this Cygnus include:
The Spaceborne Computer-2 from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which aims to demonstrate that current Earth-based data processing of space station experimental data can be performed in orbitAn experiment studying muscle strength in worms|An investigation into how microgravity may optimize the production of artificial retinas
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.
Get more information about Northrop Grumman’s commercial resupply missions at:
https://www.nasa.gov/northropgrumman
-
Thanks for all the good info! I'm not adding any value to this thread, but I've got to say I'd love to take the grandkids to see one of these launches at Wallops Island. We live in the northeastern USA, so it's accessible via car trip. It would be great to see a launch with a payload going to a particular destination. And the ISS is a place we can see for ourselves on a good night!
-
https://twitter.com/SEOPSLLC/status/1355239306491817987
Poised for launch on NG-15
-
https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1356255994041524229
-
https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/nasa-commercial-resupply-mission-ng-15/
Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-15 Cygnus spacecraft after NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, a Black woman who time and again broke through barriers of gender and race. It is a company tradition to name each Cygnus spacecraft after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight. Her hand-written calculations were critical to America’s success during our first human spaceflight missions.
PDF files attached:
-
Cygnus NG-15 spacecraft patch:
-
The NG-15 press kit says that the Dhabisat cubesat and 42 ThinSats are being carried.
-
February 04, 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY M21-016
NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 11, to discuss science investigations and technology demonstrations launching on Northrop Grumman’s 15th commercial resupply mission for the agency to the International Space Station.
Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live online at:
http://www.nasa.gov/live
Northrop Grumman is targeting no earlier than 12:36 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, for the launch of its Cygnus spacecraft on an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. The Cygnus spacecraft will carry crew supplies, scientific research, and hardware to the orbiting laboratory to support the Expedition 64 and 65 crews.
To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Monica Witt at 202-430-3781 or [email protected] by 5 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 10, for dial-in information.
Questions also can be submitted on social media using #AskNASA.
Heidi Parris, associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will provide an overview of the research and technology aboard the Cygnus spacecraft.
Also participating in the briefing are:
Mark Fernandez, solutions architect for Converged Edge Systems at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and principal investigator of Spaceborne Computer-2, a high-performance commercial, off-the-shelf computer system being studied to increase data processing speeds for science aboard the space station
Nicole Wagner, president and CEO of LambdaVision, and Jordan Greco, chief scientific officer of LambdaVision, who will discuss their second experiment being sent to the space station to study the advantages of manufacturing artificial retinas in space
Siva Vanapalli, professor of chemical engineering at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, who will talk about Micro-16, an investigation studying muscle strength changes in worms to help better understand muscle weakening that astronauts can experience in microgravity
Victoria Drago, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toledo in Ohio, who will share the Real-time Protein Crystal Growth-2 experiment, which will demonstrate new methods for producing high-quality protein crystals in microgravity
Kerry Lee, Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Radiation System manager, who will discuss A-HoSS, a radiation detection system developed for the Orion spacecraft and certified for use on NASA’s Artemis II mission, the mission to carry a crew of astronauts aboard the spacecraft in orbit around the Moon
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.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. NASA recently celebrated 20 years of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, which has hosted 242 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future human missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, receiving mission updates and opportunities normally reserved for on-site guests. To participate, members of the public can register for email updates to stay up to date on mission information, mission highlights, and interaction opportunities.
For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/northropgrumman
-
Science Launching on Northrop Grumman's 15th Resupply Mission
Experiments using worms to study muscle weakening, examining how astronauts sleep, and testing high-powered computers in space will be launching, along with more scientific experiments and supplies, to the International Space Station on a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft. This Cygnus is named the S.S. Katherine Johnson, after the NASA mathematician whose calculations were critical to the success of our early human spaceflight missions.
The vehicle launches no earlier than Feb. 20 from our Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Many of the experiments launching on this spacecraft build on previous studies conducted during the more than 20 years of continuous human habitation of the International Space Station, helping us explore farther in to space, and benefiting humans back on Earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xXWHklpOqI&feature=emb_logo
-
SEOPS-3 / NG-15 TO LAUNCH THIS WEEKEND (https://spaceflight.com/seops-3/)
By Hilary Meyerson
FEBRUARY 16, 2021
Spaceflight works with a wide range of launch providers to get our customer satellites on orbit, but the satellites onboard Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket are one of our more unique deployments.
Our next launch of this kind is targeted for 12:36 p.m. EST, Saturday, February 20, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, as the Antares will be delivering a resupply capsule, the Cygnus, to the International Space Station (ISS).
On board the Cygnus will be three spacecraft belonging to Spaceflight customers, including Gunsmoke-J and two undisclosed U.S. government payloads. The Gunsmoke-J is a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration executed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, sponsored by both the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering) and the U.S. Army. This science and technology effort will demonstrate an entry-level capability in a 3U form factor relevant to Army warfighter needs and will also help inform future acquisition decisions.
...
-
Resupply mission to the ISS - Feb. 2021 - flickr album
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/albums/72157718318889563
-
https://youtu.be/xvOuNrTV9us
https://youtu.be/F5_VpsrZfT0
-
https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1362188704668913667
🚀SPOTTED! A @NorthropGrumman Antares rocket carrying a #Cygnus resupply spacecraft as it rolls out to the launch pad at @NASA_Wallops! The spacecraft is on schedule to launch Sat., Feb. 20 at 12:36pm ET with 8,000 pounds of goodies to the @Space_Station: go.nasa.gov/3jZtX1F
-
https://twitter.com/nasa_wallops/status/1362150575501115392
Antares launch weather update🌤️💨
The Wallops Range weather office is predicting a 75% chance of favorable conditions, with ground winds and cumulus clouds being the main concerns for launch on Feb. 20 at 12:36 p.m. EST.
Follow our launch blog: https://blogs.nasa.gov/northropgrumman/2021/02/17/weather-forecast-at-75-favorable-for-saturdays-ng-crs-15-launch/
-
https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1362801347876241410
At the NG-15 briefing, NASA says 75% chance of favorable weather for Antares/Cygnus launch tomorrow, 95% if slips to Sunday.
-
https://twitter.com/zshauladventure/status/1362877815788621829
As of 4pm, #Antares #NG15 is still horizontal here at MARS (Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport) ahead of the @NASA_Wallops launch of NG-15 Tomorrow at 12:36 PM Est.
📷: Me - @NextHorizonsSF
-
Three more satellites onboard according to https://spaceflight.com/seops-3/
On board the Cygnus will be three spacecraft belonging to Spaceflight customers, including Gunsmoke-J and two undisclosed U.S. government payloads.
So that makes the satellite list:
Cygnus NG-15
Gunsmoke-J
2 x "undisclosed U.S. government payloads"
42 x ThinSat-2
Dhabisat
IT-SPINS
TSURU
MAYA-2
GuaraniSat-1
-
Interesting picture of the TEL being attached to the pad.
-
NASA mission overview
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/northrop_grumman_crs-15_overview_high_res.pdf
-
Per Gunter's page on Gunsmoke-J:
"Gunsmoke-J uses emerging advanced electronics to allow the use of dedicated intelligence assets to provide tactically actionable targeting data to warfighters on a responsive and persistent timeline."
Wow, gotta love the impenetrable English of defense sector bureaucrats :-)
So I translate that as "has an imaging payload that users can command directly and get images from"?? But I could be completely wrong...
Edit: completely wrong - rereading it and looking at the picture, it's a communications payload that sends the targeting
info from someone else to the user. So how is it different from the regular Prometheus? More bandwith, higher encryption?
-
Just had some email correspondence with Chris Hale of Va Space.
The 30 Thinsats are in 9 strings (i.e. 9 actual separate satellites)
They are deployed from two CSD dispensers.
He wasn't willing to give the full details but said this:
Our strings vary from 8 to 6 to 5-ThinSats (combo of 1T and 2T) to a single 6T payload, down to Single T “strings”.
-
https://youtu.be/nhMYXam34zM
-
NG 15 Rollout and Lift
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE2k08fmzRg
-
NASA live stream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDTkp2PpH-w
-
Do we have the serial number for this rocket?
-
Cubesats include the BIRDS 4 set, Tsuru (Japan), GuaraniSat (Paraguay) and Maya 2 (Philippines)
-
The NG-15 Mission Profile Handout lists the payload mass at 8,050 kg, heaviest Cygnus on an Antares, and apparently heavier than the Atlas 5 Cygnus payloads.
Cygnus Launch Mass:
8,050 kg (17,700 lb.)
Propellant Mass:
800 kg (1,764 lb.)
Ascent Cargo Mass:
Approx. 3,400 kg (7,500 lb.)
- Ed Kyle
-
Nasa tv is live, coming up on 20 minutes to launch.
-
T-15 minutes
-
Final poll has been complete, Antares and Cygnus are go for launch.
-
T-10 minutes
-
T-8 min
-
T-5 minutes.
-
Auto sequence start at T-3 min
-
90 seconds
-
Liftoff!!
-
Max Q, all looking good.
-
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1363181304125263877
-
MECO!
Good stage sep, stage 2 coasting
-
And we have a good stage 2 ignition.
-
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1363182266382495744
-
Tail off of S2 and burnout confirmed. 2 minute coast to Cygnus deploy.
-
Payload deploy! Cygnus is on her way to the ISS!
-
Slightly over shot it looks like
Edit: THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE
-
Fist bumps all around
-
https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1363183393761091586
-
https://twitter.com/ISS_Research/status/1363175620482596864
-
https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1363237753186627587
We've confirmed that the solar arrays are fully deployed on the S.S. Katherine Johnson #Cygnus.
-
Some images.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/northropgrumman/2021/02/20/first-look-launch-photos/
- Ed Kyle
-
The NG-15 Mission Profile Handout lists the payload mass at 8,050 kg, heaviest Cygnus on an Antares, and apparently heavier than the Atlas 5 Cygnus payloads.
Cygnus Launch Mass:
8,050 kg (17,700 lb.)
Propellant Mass:
800 kg (1,764 lb.)
Ascent Cargo Mass:
Approx. 3,400 kg (7,500 lb.)
- Ed Kyle
Looking at this a bit more, I found that the NG-14 "Mission Profile Handout" had the same numbers! I suspect that the actual liftoff mass was more like 7,700 kg, still a record for Antares, but I'm doing a lot of extrapolating to get that number. The cargo mass for this mission was listed as 3,810 kg in the NASA handout.
- Ed Kyle
-
One more passenger on this flight:
First israeli university nanosat designed and built w/o Israel Aerospace Industries participation launched inside Cygnus spacecraft and then will be launched to space from ISS
Here details:
https://english.m.tau.ac.il/news/tau-sat-1 (https://english.m.tau.ac.il/news/tau-sat-1)
TAU-SAT1, Tel Aviv University’s first nanosatellite, launched into orbit on Saturday at 7:36 PM Israel time, from the NASA launch facility in Virginia.
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/tau-sat1-first-miniature-satellite-built-on-tel-aviv-u-campus-orbiting-earth/2021/02/21/
And three more Birds, according to https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/bird.htm:
- Guaranisat 1, first satellite of Paraguay
- MAYA 2 (Philippines)
- Tsuru (Japan)
-
The crew is active and sounds like they are having trouble activating some of the capture software (R-POP)
-
MCC-H reports the external cameras saw Cygnus behind ISS about 8 "clicks"
-
4.8 km behind, 1.2 km below
-
approach initiation burn complete. Crew calls tally-ho
-
NASA TV coverage starts
-
Cygnus within the keep out sphere. Is anyone else watching?
-
;D LOL, I just woke up preparing to go to work and saw your post. Yup, watching! ;)
-
capture point reached
edit:
go for capture
-
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1363785637342625792
-
capture confirmed at 0938 UTC
-
Just tuned in, thank you for the coverage for those of us who couldn't watch the launch or the capture live!
Fun fact: I was able to touch and monkey around the barrel for this mission's PCM pressure vessel while it was in friction stir welding ops during my first day on site in Turin (either this one or the next one for NG-16, those touring me around weren't sure).
-
On the arm. Ustream.
-
Headed for Earth facing (nadir) port of Unity.
Capture by Soichi. Arm now under ground control.
ISS 262 miles above the Mediterranean.
-
Over 4 tons of crew supplies, etc., including 52 lbs Russian hardware and 2 lbs of "computer resources." LOL.
Over Sudan. Definitely some detectable motion on the arm, though it is super-slow.
-
Camera inspection confirms no FOD on berthing mechanism. Proceeding with installation.
-
.
-
Within two feet so no exercise by astros.
-
CBM at 'ready to latch.'
-
First stage capture complete; arm limp.
EDIT: and second stage capture complete!
-
Another Cubesat: https://www.rsp01.rymansat.com/
-
...and yet another: https://www.sssrc.aero.osakafu-u.ac.jp/activity/opusat-iienglish/
-
Cygnus ingress complete. Hopper made a comment "tell the NG folks I'm a believer and thanking all for making (something) happen." CAPCOM replied, "we're all looking forward to getting another bedroom up there"
-
...and yet another: https://www.sssrc.aero.osakafu-u.ac.jp/activity/opusat-iienglish/
Is there any confirmation that was aboard Cygnus NG-15? I know that "early 2021" and "to be released from ISS" leave that launch as the only option, but maybe there has been a delay.
-
https://twitter.com/nanoracks/status/1363948438937821189
An amazing photo from the space station this morning!
Photo credit: @NASA_TV
-
...and yet another: https://www.sssrc.aero.osakafu-u.ac.jp/activity/opusat-iienglish/
Is there any confirmation that was aboard Cygnus NG-15? I know that "early 2021" and "to be released from ISS" leave that launch as the only option, but maybe there has been a delay.
I think this qualifies as confirmation:
Japanese universities' satellite heads for ISS
A rocket carrying the spacecraft took off from the state of Virginia on Saturday afternoon, local time.
...
The microsatellite Hirogari was jointly developed by the Muroran Institute of Technology in the prefecture of Hokkaido and Osaka Prefecture University.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210222_11/
-
Nanoracks Launches Two CubeSats on NG-15 Cygnus
Wallops Island, Virginia - February 22, 2021 – Earlier today, the NG-15 Cygnus spacecraft berthed with the International Space Station (ISS), carrying two CubeSats in the Nanoracks External Cygnus Deployer (E-NRCSD). The Cygnus arrived at the ISS after launching from Wallops Flight Facility Pad 0A on February 20, 2021 at 17:36 UTC. In celebration of Black History Month, the NG-15 Cygnus has been named in honor of Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician who had a vital role in early human space flight missions.
This launch is Nanoracks’ ninth mission providing opportunities for CubeSat deployment from the Cygnus. The CubeSats onboard today’s launch, IT-SPINS and MySat-2 (DhabiSat), were built by students and researchers at Montana State University and Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.
The Cygnus will remain at the ISS for several weeks to complete its primary science and technology goals. After the Cygnus departs from the ISS, it boosts to a higher altitude, where the E-NRCSD dispenses the CubeSats into orbit.
The IT-SPINS CubeSat was selected for launch by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites-33 (ELaNa-33) mission complement, sponsored by the NASA Launch Services Program (LSP).
MySat-2 (DhabiSat) is the second CubeSat built by Khalifa University to be launched by Nanoracks. MySat-1 was deployed from the NG-10 Cygnus spacecraft in February 2019. These small satellites enable students to design, implement and test software modules for attitude determination and control systems.
“It’s an amazing accomplishment to build and launch a satellite. It’s even more amazing that these CubeSat teams were able to do so in a time when working together has never been more difficult,” says Nanoracks Mission Manager Jake Cornish. “COVID-19 has caused us to rethink how to perform even normal tasks, so these individuals have accomplished something very special. We are extremely proud to work with groups who continuously push the boundaries of what’s possible, and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.”
Nanoracks would like to thank Northrop Grumman and the NASA International Space Station Program for their continued support of Nanoracks’ operations on the ISS and throughout low-Earth orbit.
For additional updates, follow @Nanoracks on Twitter.
https://nanoracks.com/nanoracks-launches-on-ng-15/
-
Mike Hopkins via twitter
-
Apparently two more payloads:
- STARS-SC by Shizuoka University (launch confirmation: http://stars.eng.shizuoka.ac.jp/)
- WARP-01 by Warpspace (launch confirmation: https://sorae.info/space/20210224-cygnus-iss.html)
I wonder for how long these announcements of unexpected payloads aboard Cygnus NG-15 will go on.
-
Apparently two more payloads:
- STARS-SC by Shizuoka University (launch confirmation: http://stars.eng.shizuoka.ac.jp/)
- WARP-01 by Warpspace (launch confirmation: https://sorae.info/space/20210224-cygnus-iss.html)
I wonder for how long these announcements of unexpected payloads aboard Cygnus NG-15 will go on.
NASA PAO did not announce the international manifest.
-
Apparently two more payloads:
- STARS-SC by Shizuoka University (launch confirmation: http://stars.eng.shizuoka.ac.jp/)
- WARP-01 by Warpspace (launch confirmation: https://sorae.info/space/20210224-cygnus-iss.html)
I wonder for how long these announcements of unexpected payloads aboard Cygnus NG-15 will go on.
By my count that's now 14U worth to be deployed from J-SSOD.
-
Behind the Scenes of an Antares Launch - NASA TV Production
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Kgk8NkLyI
-
Exclusive: Myanmar's first satellite held by Japan on space station after coup (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics-satellite-japan-excl-idUSKBN2B41O1)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Myanmar’s first satellite is being held on board the International Space Station following the Myanmar coup, while Japan’s space agency and a Japanese university decide what to do with it, two Japanese university officials said.
The $15 million satellite was built by Japan’s Hokkaido University in a joint project with Myanmar’s government-funded Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University (MAEU). It is the first of a set of two 50 kg microsatellites equipped with cameras designed to monitor agriculture and fisheries.
...
The satellite was launched by NASA on Feb 20 as a small part of a large and varied payload of supplies to the International Space Station 400 km (250 miles) above the earth. It has since been kept by JAXA inside Japan’s Kibo experiment module.
-
Here we are again. Apart from the Myanmar satellite mentioned above, another unannounced payload was carried with the Cycgnus-15 mission: the first moldovian satellite a.k.a. TUMnanoSAT cubesat (recently added on Gunther's Space Page (https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/tumnanosat.htm)).
-
Here we are again. Apart from the Myanmar satellite mentioned above, another unannounced payload was carried with the Cycgnus-15 mission: the first moldovian satellite a.k.a. TUMnanoSAT cubesat (recently added on Gunther's Space Page (https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/tumnanosat.htm)).
TUMnanoSAT was known to be on board before launch - it only took me some time to write an entry on this satellite.
-
I've never seen it mentioned before in this thread, so I just imagined that its presence onboard was a recent discovery.
-
iss064e053418 (April 6, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Shannon Walker applies her signature to the Unity module's vestibule that leads to the Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman.
iss064e053415 (April 6, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Michael Hopkins applies his signature to the Unity module's vestibule that leads to the Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman.
iss064e053423 (April 6, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Kate Rubins applies her signature to the Unity module's vestibule that leads to the Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman.
iss064e053421 (April 6, 2021) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Victor Glover applies his signature to the Unity module's vestibule that leads to the Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman.
iss064e053413 (April 6, 2021) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut and Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi applies his signature to the Unity module's vestibule that leads to the Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman.
-
Cross-post:
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/schedule.html#.V9JyuzXnHZ4
June 27, Sunday
12 p.m. – Coverage of the release of the Northrop Grumman “SS Katherine Johnson” Cygnus cargo craft from the International Space Station (release scheduled at 12:25 p.m. EDT) (All Channels)
= 1625 UTC
-
DEPARTURE ALERT:
@NorthropGrumman’s uncrewed #Cygnus spacecraft named after NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson is scheduled to depart the
@Space_Station on Tues., June 29 after 4 months.
Live NASA TV coverage begins at 12pm ET. Details:
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1407448310680588295
-
Interesting note from today. The crew was asked to remove some items from Cygnus. CAPCOM reported it is approximately 70 kg over weight.
-
NASA TV coverage of the release.
-
Cygnus NG-15 capture by SSRMS in preparation for tuesday unberthing.
-
https://twitter.com/ISS_Research/status/1409561809523249156
-
The # CygnusNG15 , hanging from the end of the Canardarm's arm. Today we release the ... Satellite. The Cygnus NG-15 locked and loaded onto the Canadarm. Tonight we send this beautiful spacecraft on its way ...
https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1409821659662536707
-
-
Cygnus Resupply Ship Leaving Station Today Live on NASA TV
Mark Garcia Posted on June 29, 2021
About four months after delivering several tons of scientific experiments and supplies to the International Space Station, Northrop Grumman’s uncrewed Cygnus cargo spacecraft is scheduled to depart the orbiting laboratory Tuesday, June 29. This morning, flight controllers on the ground sent commands to use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to robotically detach Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module and maneuver it into place.
Live coverage of the spacecraft’s release will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website, and the NASA app beginning at noon EDT, with its release from the robotic arm scheduled for 12:25 p.m.
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur will monitor Cygnus’ systems upon its departure from the space station.
The Cygnus resupply spacecraft is named after NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, a Black woman who broke through barriers of gender and race, calculating orbital mechanics for some of the first U.S. human spaceflights.
Cygnus arrived at the International Space Station Feb. 22 with nearly 8,000 pounds of scientific investigations and supplies following a launch two days prior on Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. It was the company’s 15th commercial resupply services mission to the space station for NASA.
For departure coverage and more information about the mission, visit: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/. Get space station news, images and features via social media on Instagram at: @iss, ISS on Facebook, and on Twitter @Space_Station and @ISS_Research.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2021/06/29/cygnus-resupply-ship-leaving-station-today-live-on-nasa-tv/
-
Watch @NASA TV at noon ET today when @NorthropGrumman's #Cygnus space freighter is released from the #Canadarm2 robotic arm at 12:25pm.
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1409872599232958472
-
ISS Daily Summary Report – 6/28/2021
Cygnus Departure Preparations: The crew performed several activities in order to prepare Cygnus Northrup Grumman-15 (NG-15) for departure. The crew de-routed the Intermodular Ventilation (IMV) supply duct from Cygnus, closed the Cygnus hatch, reconfigured Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) Controller Panel Assemblies (CPAs), and demated power and data connections in the Cygnus/Node 1 vestibule. Finally, the crew closed the Node 1 Nadir hatch and began depressurization of the Cygnus/Node 1 vestibule. NG-15 release is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29th at 11:15 AM CT.
-
-
-
-
-
LEE Snares were commanded to open.
-
SSRMS was slowly backed away from Cygnus at 16.32 UTC
-
Back away in preogress.
-
1st departure burn (3mn).
-
Nominal departure burn.
-
Cygnus outside KOS.
-
-
Outside Approach ellipsoïd, good bye "S.S. Katherine Johnson" !
-
Cygnus departed the ISS Approach Ellipsoid, ending integrated operations between NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston and Northrop Grumman MCC in Dulles, Virginia
-
Unity nadir CBM survey.
-
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1409915318185738241
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1409918601763737601
-
Cygnus Departs Station After Four Month Mission
Mark Garcia Posted on June 29, 2021
At 12:32 p.m. EDT, flight controllers on the ground sent commands to release the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft from the Canadarm2 robotic arm after earlier detaching Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module. At the time of release, the station was flying 270 miles over southern Wyoming.
The Cygnus spacecraft successfully departed the International Space Station four months after arriving at the space station to deliver about 8,000 pounds of scientific experiments and supplies to the orbiting laboratory.
After departure, Cygnus will remain in orbit to deploy five cube satellites, including the Ionosphere Thermosphere Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies (IT-SPINS), which will add to researchers’ fundamental understanding of Earth’s Ionosphere, and the Khalifa University Students Satellite-2 (MYSat-2), which will train graduate students through the development and evaluation of its software.
Thursday evening Cygnus will perform a deorbit engine firing to set up a destructive re-entry in which the spacecraft, filled with waste the space station crew packed, will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
As one cargo spacecraft departs the station, another is preparing to launch and deliver more than 3,600 pounds of supplies. Beginning at 7 p.m., NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app will provide live coverage of the launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan of Russia’s Progress 78 cargo spacecraft on a Soyuz 2.1a rocket at 7:27 p.m. (4:27 a.m. Wednesday, June 30, Baikonur time).
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2021/06/29/cygnus-departs-station-after-four-month-mission/
-
.@NASA TV is live now as the @NorthropGrumman #Cygnus space freighter is poised for release from the #Canadarm2 robotic arm.
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1409905641477509125
-
The view from my office today! Mission Control positions Cygnus Swancargo vehicle, SS Katherine Johnson, using #Canadarm2 then sends a release command. I send the depart command to the vehicle and monitor until it’s out of our “airspace”.
https://twitter.com/Astro_Megan/status/1409974817479180296
-
#ICYMI: This time-lapse video shows the @NorthropGrumman #Cygnus space freighter being released from the #Canadarm2 robotic arm today shortly after the station flew into an orbital sunrise.
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1409976214278782984
-
ISS config. after Cygnus NG-15 departure
-
Unberthing and departure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsLjHJ9GYf0
-
Northrop Grumman’s NG-15 Cygnus Spacecraft Departs International Space Station to Begin Secondary Mission
S.S. Katherine Johnson completes a four month stay at the station
DULLES, Va. – June 29, 2021 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today that its Cygnus spacecraft left the International Space Station to begin the next phase of the NG-15 mission. Cygnus was released by the station’s robotic arm at 12:32 p.m. ET, carrying more than 8,000 pounds of disposable cargo. Cygnus will remain in orbit for approximately three days to carry out the secondary phase of the mission.
The S.S. Katherine Johnson will now deploy five CubeSats via two separate CubeSat deployers, Slingshot and Nanoracks. This Cubesat deployment includes Dhabisat, the second CubeSat developed by Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Dhabisat was developed as part of Khalifa’s Space Systems and Technology Concentration, a joint program developed in collaboration with UAE-based satellite operator Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) and Northrop Grumman.
“Our Cygnus cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station help enable humans to live and work in space,” said Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager, tactical space systems, Northrop Grumman. “With each mission, we grow our capabilities beyond cargo resupply as we operate a high performing science laboratory for both civil and commercial companies during the secondary phase of our flight.”
The NG-15 Cygnus spacecraft was launched on Feb. 20 aboard Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, carrying nearly 8,000 pounds of scientific research, supplies and equipment to the astronauts living on the station. The vehicle has been berthed with the orbiting laboratory since Feb. 22.
https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grummans-ng-15-cygnus-spacecraft-departs-international-space-station-to-begin-secondary-mission
-
The #Cygnus freighter undocked from the US segment of the International @Space_Station yesterday.
Two microsatellites will be launched from its board. One of them is intended for studying the Earth's ionosphere, the second is for developing and testing software.
https://twitter.com/novitskiy_iss/status/1410145291605577731
-
See you Cygnus! Thank you for all the resources you have given us, and thank you for leaving with our waste.
So long Cygnus! Thanks for all the supplies you brought up here and thanks for clearing out the trash as you leave.
https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1410151203061780485
-
After successfully unberthing from @Space_Station, the NG-15 spacecraft, S.S. #KatherineJohnson, will boost into orbit above the is ISS. At 22:50 UTC today, the Nanoracks external Cygnus CubeSat deployer will deploy 2 satellites, IT-SPINS and MYSat-2, into low earth orbit.
Rocket Cam confirmed! The door is open and CubeSats have been deployed!
https://twitter.com/Nanoracks/status/1409929478533492737
-
ISS Daily Summary Report – 6/29/2021
Cygnus Northrup Grumman-15 (NG-15) Release: NG-15 (named the S.S. Katherine Johnson) was successfully released by the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) and departed the ISS today at 11:31 AM CT while the crew monitored from the Cupola. The completion of the NG-15 mission on ISS marks both the longest Cygnus mission duration to-date of 127-days and the highest Cygnus disposal mass to-date of approximately 3846 kg. NG-15 will complete several post-departure science objectives during free-flight prior to destructive re-entry planned for July 1st.
-
Nanoracks Ninth CubeSat Deployment Mission From the Cygnus.
JUNE 30, 2021
HOUSTON, TX – JUNE 30, 2021 – At 22:50 UTC yesterday, two Nanoracks customer CubeSats were deployed from the Nanoracks External CubeSat Deployer (E-NRCSD) on the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft. After a four-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the NG-15 Cygnus, named the S.S. Katherine Johnson, unberthed from the ISS and boosted into a higher orbit to deploy the CubeSats.
The two CubeSats, IT-SPINS and MySat-2, were released into a circular orbit about 490 km (304 miles) above the Earth’s surface.
The Ionospheric-Thermospheric Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies (IT-SPINS) CubeSat was built by Montana State University and selected for launch by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites-33 (ELaNa-33) mission complement, sponsored by the NASA Launch Services Program (LSP). The mission provides the first two-dimensional (2D) tomographic imaging from a 3U CubeSat to better understand the basic nature of the nocturnal ionosphere. This research strengthens fundamental understanding for development of ion gradient structures in the topside of the Earth’s ionosphere.
MySat-2 (also known as DhabiSat) was built by Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE and is the second Khalifa University CubeSat to be launched by Nanoracks. The first, MySat-1, was deployed from the NG-10 Cygnus spacecraft in February 2019. These small satellites enable students to design, implement and test software modules for attitude determination and control systems.
Nanoracks would like to thank Northrop Grumman and the NASA International Space Station Program for their continued support of Nanoracks’ operations on the ISS, the Cygnus spacecraft, and throughout low-Earth orbit.
For additional updates, follow @Nanoracks on Twitter. For media inquiries, please contact D’Mani Harrison-Porter, [email protected].
Nanoracks LLC, an XO Markets company, is the world’s leading provider of commercial space services. XO Market is a member of the Voyager Space Holding Inc. family. XO Markets, is majority owned by Voyager Space Holdings Inc. and includes Nanoracks LLC, Nanoracks UAE, DreamUp and Nanoracks Europe.
Nanoracks believes commercial space utilization will enable innovation through in-space manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, fiber optics, and more, will allow for revolutionary Earth observation, and will make space a key player in finding the solution to Earth’s problems.
Today, the company offers low-cost, high-quality solutions to the most pressing needs for satellite deployment, basic and educational research, and more – in over 30 nations worldwide. Nanoracks’ future goals are focused on the re-purposing of the upper stages of launch vehicles in-space and converting these structures into commercial habitats, both humanly and robotically tended, throughout the solar system.
https://nanoracks.com/nanoracks-ninth-cubesat-deployment-mission-from-the-cygnus/
-
Space Weather Focused ELaNa CubeSat Deploys from Cygnus Spacecraft
Danielle Sempsrott Posted on July 1, 2021
The sole CubeSat of the 33rd Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission was deployed into space at 6:50 p.m. EDT June 29 from Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft hours following its departure from the International Space Station.
The CubeSat, Ionosphere-Thermosphere Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies (IT-SPINS), was stowed within the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer (eNRCSD) mounted on the exterior of the S.S. Katherine Johnson Cygnus spacecraft. Once the Cygnus departed the space station, it remained in orbit to deploy a total of 5 cube satellites, including IT-SPINS, which was deployed into a free-flying orbit at an altitude between 304 and 210 miles (490 and 500 kilometers) above Earth’s surface.
This mission aims to improve space weather forecasting related to dynamic processes in Earth’s ionosphere. The 3U CubeSat is equipped with a sensitive photometric instrument to remotely sense ultraviolet emissions produced when oxygen ions combine with electrons in the ionosphere. This investigation plans to reveal the dynamics of a physical boundary region in Earth’s ionosphere where the oxygen-dominated ionosphere becomes proton dominated with increasing altitude, in a layer known as the Topside Transition Region (TTR).
IT-SPINS launched aboard Northrop Grumman’s 15th NASA contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on February 20.
IT-SPINS is the twelfth in a series of CubeSats developed by Montana State University’s Space Science and Engineering Laboratory to advance CubeSat capabilities and conduct scientific investigations to answer question in the Geospace sciences. This mission is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, which has supported it during its development and is supporting the beginning of operations. IT-SPINS was selected by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), which is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) based at Kennedy Space Center. Since its inception in 2010, CSLI has selected 202 CubeSat missions from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and 119 CubeSat projects have launched into space through ELaNa rideshare opportunities.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2021/07/01/space-weather-focused-elana-cubesat-deploys-from-cygnus-spacecraft/
-
https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1410787226804424705
-
A mission to improve space weather forecasting!
The sole #CubeSat of our ELaNa 33 mission successfully deployed from the S.S. Katherine Johnson Cygnus spacecraft this week. See what it will be doing on its mission through space:
https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/1410958446669832195
-
Majestic space ballet! Another timelapse but made in record time, it shows Cygnus leaving last Tuesday. The actual unberthing took around 50 minutes with @Astro_Megan monitoring the robotic arm movements controlled by engineers at mission control.
https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1411039838111944706
-
2021-013C = Orca-7
2021-013F = Dhabisat
2021-013G = IT-Spins
What is Orca-7? One of the two "undisclosed U.S. government payloads (https://spaceflight.com/seops-3/)"?
-
What is Orca-7? One of the two "undisclosed U.S. government payloads (https://spaceflight.com/seops-3/)"?
This is a DARPA sponsored payload.
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orca.htm