Following the successful launch of NASA’s 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply mission, new science experiments and cargo for the agency are headed to the International Space Station.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, carrying more than 8,200 pounds of supplies to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 11:02 a.m. EDT Sunday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Shortly after launch, the spacecraft failed its first burn due to a late entry into the engine. Known as a Targeted Altitude Burn, or TB1, it was rescheduled but aborted shortly after engine ignition due to a slightly low initial pressure state. There is no indication that the engine itself has a problem at this point.
Cygnus is at a safe altitude and completed deployment of its two solar arrays at 2:21 p.m. Northrop Grumman engineers are working on a new burn and trajectory plan and aiming to meet the spacecraft’s initial capture time at the station.
If all goes as planned, live coverage of the spacecraft’s arrival will begin at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 6, on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app and the Agency website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through various platforms, including social media.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will capture Cygnus using the station’s robotic arm around 3:10 a.m., with NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps providing backup.
The resupply mission will support dozens of research experiments conducted during Expedition 71. Research conducted includes:
- Test articles to evaluate the flow of liquids and gases through porous media present in space station life support systems
- A balloon, a coin and a hex nut for a new STEM demonstration on centripetal force
- Microorganisms known as rotifers to study the effects of spaceflight on DNA repair mechanisms
- A bioreactor to demonstrate the production of numerous high-quality blood and immune stem cells
This work is just a sample of the hundreds of studies being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the fields of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space sciences. This research benefits humanity and lays the foundation for future human exploration as part of the agency’s Artemis campaign, which will send astronauts to the Moon in preparation for future expeditions to Mars.
NASA’s coverage of the arrival and in-flight events is as follows (all times are Eastern Time and are subject to change based on real-time operations):
Tuesday August 6th
1:30 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube and the agency’s website.
3:10 – Capture of Cygnus with the space station’s robotic arm.
4:30 a.m. – Coverage of the Cygnus installation begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube and the agency’s website.
All schedules are estimates and may be adjusted based on post-launch operations. Follow the Space Station Blog for the most up-to-date information on operations.
The company’s 21st mission to the space station for NASA is the 10th under its Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract.
Cygnus will remain in the orbiting laboratory until January before launching again and disposing of several thousand pounds of waste during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up harmlessly. The spacecraft has been named SS Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, after the former NASA astronaut.
To learn more about NASA’s Commercial Resupply Mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-northrop-grumman-crs-21/
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Claire O’Shea / Josh Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected] / claire.a.o’[email protected]
Stéphanie Plucinsky / Steven Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-876-2468
[email protected] / [email protected]
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected]
