Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully launched its 19th resupply mission (NG-19) to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract aboard the company’s Antares rocket. This launch commemorates ten years of Northrop Grumman Cygnus missions.
NG-19 is carrying over 8,200 pounds of equipment, science experiments and supplies to the crew on the ISS.
The Cygnus spacecraft has delivered roughly 130,000 pounds of equipment and supplies to the crew aboard the ISS over the past decade.
After ISS separation, Cygnus will host NASA’s Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment (Saffire) to investigate how fires grow in microgravity. This will inform future human spaceflight design to ensure crew safety.
Northrop Grumman’s NG-19 Launch Marks 10 Years of International Space Station Cargo Resupply Missions
(Photo Credit: Northrop Grumman)
Steve Krein, vice president, civil and commercial space, Northrop Grumman: “Our proven, adaptable Cygnus spacecraft has been essential to support the critical work of resupplying the ISS. Since our first mission in 2013, we have continued to improve its capabilities while increasing cargo mass capacity and supporting secondary mission capability such as reboosting the orbit of the ISS.”
Details on Cygnus:
NG-19 launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.
The company also manufactures the spacecraft structures, propellant tanks, UltraFlex solar arrays, and loop heat pipe radiators for thermal control – all essential components for successful mission launches.
A company tradition
Northrop Grumman names each Cygnus spacecraft in honour of an individual who has made great contributions to human spaceflight. For the NG-19 mission, Cygnus is named for Laurel Clark, NASA astronaut, medical doctor, United States Navy captain and Space Shuttle mission specialist. She was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 16 in 1996 and flew aboard Space Shuttle Mission STS-107, spending 16 days in space. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbia tragedy when Laurel and six additional crew lost their lives.
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