A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket propelled a Cygnus cargo ship on Saturday after a perfect launch off the east coast of Virginia, carrying more than 8,000 kilograms of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
The two RD-181 engines in the first stage of the rocket ignited at 12:36 pm, accelerated to maximum traction and pushed the booster into the sky from pad 0A to Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport – MARS – on the island Wallops, Virginia, NASA facility.
Climbing directly into the orbit of the space station, the Antares 230+ rocket departed on a southeastern trajectory to start the company’s 15th space station loading race.
NASA TV
The ascent from the lower atmosphere went smoothly and after a 45-second two-minute firing of the second solid-propelled rocket stage, the cargo ship Cygnus was released to fly alone, of course to reach the station early Monday. .
Along with research materials, spare parts and other equipment, the ship will also bring fresh food to the station’s crew members.
“Some of the things we send will include perishable items like parmesan and cheddar cheese, apples and tomatoes, nuts and dried meat, and even some candy,” said David Brady, an associate scientist for the space program.
Also on board: smoked maple red salmon “for those fish-loving crew members”.
“We like to keep them happy because (it) helps them be more productive and allows us to do more science,” Brady joked.
The main goal of the Cygnus mission is to deliver scientific equipment and consumables for ongoing research, using the microgravity environment aboard the space station.
One experiment will use small worms to learn more about how astronauts’ muscles lose strength in the absence of gravity, while another explores better ways to make retinal implants that could help people with degenerative vision disorders. and maintain or improve vision.
An advanced computer capable of faster processing and data compression will be tested and equipment will be installed to modernize the station’s urine recycling system. Also on board: new radiation detectors that will be used in future missions to the Moon and beyond.
Soichi Noguchi / NASA
“ISS research is booming right now,” said Heidi Parris, the program’s scientist. “There are hundreds of different experiments that take place simultaneously on the International Space Station and set in motion the work of some of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world.”
Research, she said, “seeks to improve our daily lives on Earth and also to further expand our abilities to explore future space.”
If all goes well, the Cygnus spacecraft will arrive at the station early Monday. Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi and crew member Mike Hopkins will capture the cargo ship using the lab’s robotic arm. Flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston will then take over the remote control to tow the ship to berth.
“This vehicle carries more than 8,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station,” said Joel Montalbano, the station’s program manager in Houston. “I spoke to the crew on board (and) look forward to the arrival of Cygnus and look forward to opening the hatch and getting inside and continuing the science and research program we have scheduled.”
Northrop Grumman names its Cygnus cargo ships after notable men and women who played critical roles in the American space program. For Saturday’s flight, the ship was named in honor of Katherine Johnson, a late mathematician whose role in the early years of the space program played a central role in the movie “Hidden Figures.”
“It’s our tradition to name each Cygnus after a person who played a key role in human spaceflight,” said Frank DeMauro, vice president and CEO of Northrop Grumman. “Ms. Johnson was selected for her handwritten calculations that helped launch the first Americans into space, as well as for her accomplishments in breaking the glass ceiling after the glass ceiling as a woman of color.
“She’s a source of inspiration for so many people, especially women of color, and she’s proven time and time again that racial barriers and glass ceilings are breakable and shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”