A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket sent a Cygnus freighter into orbit Saturday after a stunning launch from the east coast of Virginia, carrying over 8,000 pounds of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station.
The first stage’s two Russian-built RD-181 engines ignited at 12:36 a.m., stopped to full thrust, and pushed the booster skyward from pad 0A in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport – MARS – on NASA’s Wallops Island, Virginia, flight facility.
The Antares 230+ rocket climbed directly into the plane of the space station’s orbit and blasted off on a southeast trajectory to start the cargo flight of the company’s 15th space station.
NASA TV
The climb out of the lower atmosphere was smooth, and after two minutes and 45 seconds of firing the rocket’s solid propellant second stage, the Cygnus freighter was released to fly under its own power, on course to overtake the station early Monday. .
Along with research supplies, spare parts and other equipment, the spacecraft will also deliver fresh food to the station’s crew members.
“Some of the things we send include perishable items such as parmesan and cheddar cheese, apples and tomatoes, nuts and dried meat, and even a little bit of candy,” said David Brady, a program scientist at the Space Station.
Also on board: maple-smoked sockeye salmon “for those crew members who love fish.”
“We like to keep them happy because (it) helps them be more productive and allows us to do more science,” Brady joked.
The primary purpose of the Cygnus mission is to provide scientific equipment and supplies for ongoing research using the microgravity environment aboard the space station.
One experiment will use tiny worms to learn more about how astronauts’ muscles lose strength in the absence of gravity, while another will explore better ways to make retinal implants that can help people with degenerative vision disorders maintain or improve their vision. .
An advanced computer capable of faster processing and data compression will be tested and equipment installed to upgrade the station’s urine recycling system. Also on board: new radiation detectors to be used in future missions to the moon and beyond.
Soichi Noguchi / NASA
“ISS research is currently in full bloom,” said program scientist Heidi Parris. “There are hundreds of different experiments going on at the same time on the International Space Station, and it sets in motion the work of some of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world.”
The research, she said, “seeks to make our everyday life on Earth better, as well as to continue to expand our capabilities for future space exploration.”
If all goes well, the Cygnus spacecraft will reach the station early Monday. Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi and crew member Mike Hopkins will capture the cargo ship using the lab’s robotic arm. The flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston then take over with the remote control to attract the ship to dock.
“This vehicle will transport more than 8,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station,” said Joel Montalbano, manager of the Houston station program. “We talked to the crew on board (and) they are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Cygnus, and looking forward to opening the hatch and entering and continuing the planned scientific and research program.”
Northrop Grumman names its Cygnus cargo ships after notable men and women who played critical roles in the US space program. For Saturday’s flight, the spacecraft was named in honor of Katherine Johnson, the late mathematician whose role was central to the film “Hidden Figures” in the early years of the space program.
“It is our tradition to name each Cygnus after a person who played a critical role in manned space flight,” said Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman. Ms. Johnson was selected for her handwritten calculations that helped launch the first Americans into space, as well as her achievements in breaking glass ceiling after glass ceiling as a black woman.
“She’s an inspiration to so many people, especially women of color, and has proven time and again that racial barriers and glass ceilings are fragile and shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”