Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo freighter successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, August 4th, carrying an impressive load of supplies, experiments, and new technology. This spacecraft, named after astronaut Laurel Clark who tragically died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, traveled for two days before reaching its destination.
The Cygnus NG-19 was launched on a version of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, utilizing a first stage built in Ukraine. This marked the final launch of this particular version of the Antares rocket. Berthing of the spacecraft to the ISS was confirmed at 8:30 a.m. EDT, and hatch opening is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT, as reported by NASA Television.
One of the notable items on board the Cygnus cargo craft is a new potable water dispenser (PWD), which will provide the ISS crew with hot water and improved sanitization. Additionally, the cargo includes a memory card containing creative works from students worldwide. Cutting-edge research projects on the ISS will also receive much-needed equipment, such as human brain cells for gene therapy testing, a probe to measure plasma density over Earth, and the final version of a spacecraft fire protection experiment.
The Cygnus NG-19 mission took off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on August 1st. The spacecraft will remain docked at the ISS’s Unity module until October 2023.
This mission marks Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission and the final planned launch of the current version of the Antares rocket. However, the company is already working on a new first stage in partnership with Firefly Aerospace, with the new rocket, Antares 330, expected to make its debut flight in mid-2025. In the meantime, Northrop Grumman will be relying on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for its future cargo missions.
Since 2014, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus craft has played a crucial role in resupply missions to the ISS as part of the second Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. Over 70,000 pounds (31,500 kg) of critical cargo have been delivered to the space station by Cygnus.
The successful berthing of the Cygnus NG-19 to the ISS signifies another milestone in space exploration and further supports the continuous research and experimentation conducted on the orbiting outpost.