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Raumfahrt - Start von Antares mit NG-21 Cygnus Cargo

1.04.2024

Primary structure completed for Northrop Grumman’s next generation of Cygnus pressurized cargo modules

In accordance with NASA and Northrop Grumman’s schedule, a new expanded Cygnus primary structure has been successfully completed at Thales Alenia Space. This version has the capacity to transport payloads of up to 5,000 kg with a volume of 36 m³. This autumn will see the pressure test, the first major test activity designed to verify the module’s structural integrity, after which assembly, integration and testing (AIT) can begin for delivery in 2025.

Thales Alenia Space is building and delivering up to 25 Cygnus PCMs for our client, an unprecedented series dedicated to crewed space operations and exploration.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past 15+ years on the Cygnus program, and of our longstanding partnership with Northrop Grumman,” said Walter Cugno, VP for Exploration and Science, Thales Alenia Space. “Cygnus, based on its design evolutions, embodies the heightened ambitions of long-duration crewed space exploration missions. These evolutions are being driven by state-of-the art-technologies, paving the way for commercial service and resupply of present and future orbital infrastructures in low Earth and cislunar orbits.”

Conceived in the 2000s, the first Cygnus pressurized cargo modules (PCM) were designed and built to ferry supplies to the International Space Station in the so-called standard version, with a payload capacity of 2,750 kg and a volume of 18 m³.

The Cygnus spacecraft comprises two main sections: a Service Module from Northrop Grumman, responsible for supplying the service to NASA, and a PCM developed and built by Thales Alenia Space. Cygnus typically makes two trips a year to the International Space Station, ferrying food, water, spares, repairs and science experiments to the crew.

This initial configuration was the norm until the Cygnus developed for the OA-4 mission. From the fifth mission onward, the design and cargo capacity evolved significantly, with a larger version, able to hold 3,750 kg and a volume of 27 m³. This enhanced configuration is the largest resupply capacity to the ISS, most recently used for the NG-20 mission at the end of January.

Inside Thales Alenia Space’s clean rooms, engineers are currently completing the Cygnus for NG-21, where final system verification and testing are underway to ready for delivery to Northrop Grumman in May 2024. In the meantime, work continues to complete PCM 22, already undergoing integration in the clean room.

But more new developments are on the way!

Quelle: Thales Alenia Space

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Update: 3.07.2024

NASA Invites Media to Northrop Grumman’s 21st Station Resupply Launch

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft approaches the International Space Station. Cygnus will deliver science experiments, crew supplies, and station hardware (Credits: NASA).

Media accreditation is open for the next launch to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This launch is the 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency and will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting early August to launch the Cygnus spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Following launch, the space station’s Canadarm2 will grapple Cygnus and the spacecraft will attach to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.

Credentialing to cover prelaunch and launch activities is open to U.S. media. The application deadline for U.S. citizens is 11:59 p.m. EDT, Friday, July 19. All accreditation requests must be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

Credentialed media will receive a confirmation email upon approval. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. For questions about accreditation, or to request special logistical support, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, please contact NASA’s Kennedy Space Center newsroom at: 321-867-2468.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitor entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.

Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations. Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver scientific research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new investigations aboard humanity’s laboratory in space.

In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Cygnus will deliver research, including supplies for a new STEMonstration and several test articles to observe water flow in microgravity. Other investigations aboard include vascularized liver tissue and a bioreactor to demonstrate the production of blood and immune stem cells. Researchers will learn more about biomanufacturing in microgravity to create higher quality treatments for people on Earth.

NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative also is sending two CubeSats to deploy from the orbiting laboratory, CySat-1 from Iowa State Universityand DORA from Arizona State University, making up ELaNa 52 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites).

Crews have occupied the space station continuously since November 2000. In that time, 280 people from 21 countries have visited the orbital outpost. The space station is a springboard to NASA’s next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis, and ultimately, human exploration of Mars.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 4.07.2024

Northrop Grumman Cygnus named for fallen Challenger commander

The commander of the ill-fated flight of space shuttle Challenger is being remembered 40 years after his first spaceflight with a commercial spacecraft bearing his name.
NASA astronaut Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, who flew twice on Challenger — first as its pilot in 1984 and then as commander two years later — is the namesake for Northrop Grumman's 21st cargo vehicle.
"For every commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, we name our Cygnus spacecraft after a pioneer in human spaceflight. Today, it is my honor to announce the naming of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft that will be used in the upcoming NG-21 mission to the International Space Station for Francis Richard Scobee, former astronaut, pilot and engineer," said Brandon White, vice president and general manager of tactical space systems at Northrop Grumman, in a video statement released by the company on Monday (July 1).
"We are privileged to honor Dick Scobee's legacy and recognize his achievements as a pioneer who contributed so much to human spaceflight and our collective reach to explore space," said White.
Selected to be an astronaut in 1978 with NASA's first group of shuttle trainees, Scobee logged nearly seven days as the pilot of STS-41C, a mission that featured the first repair of a satellite in Earth orbit. Scobee came to NASA from the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a combat aviator in the Vietnam War and a test pilot for the Boeing 747 jetliner, the X-24B lifting body and C-5 Galaxy cargo plane.
On Jan. 28, 1986, Scobee and his six STS-51L crewmates were killed when Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its 10th mission, the result of a failed seal in one of the spacecraft's two solid rocket boosters. (In 2018, Northrop Grumman acquired the company that produced Challenger's boosters, as well as all of the solid rocket motors that were used throughout the 30-year space shuttle program.)
Scobee was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2004. His memory is further kept alive by the Challenger Center, an educational organization established by the families of the STS-51L crew. Scobee's widow, June Scobee Rodgers, served as the center's founding chair.
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"Dick's legacy continues to inspire generations of aspiring pilots, engineers and students, who are driven to test the boundaries of human spaceflight technology and space exploration," said Quinn Duffy, an engineer at Northrop Grumman.
The "S.S. Francis R. 'Dick' Scobee" is is targeted to launch to the space station in early August. It will be the second Cygnus to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as Northrop Grumman transitions its Antares rocket from using Russian-built engines to U.S.-based hardware developed with Firefly Aerospace.
The NG-21 Cygnus will carry food, supplies and equipment to the space station, including a bioreactor to demonstrate the production of blood and immune stem cells and an investigation into vascularized liver tissue. The mission will also fly several test articles to observe water flow in microgravity as part of a new NASA "STEMonstration" educational outreach payload.
The S.S. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee is the second Cygnus spacecraft that Northrop Grumman has named for a member of the fallen STS-51L crew. Mission specialist Ellison Onizuka, who became the first Asian American to launch into space on his first flight in 1985, was similarly honored with the naming of the NG-16 spacecraft.
Other Cygnus namesakes have included company executive J.R. Thompson, Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) candidate Robert Lawrence, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and astronauts David Low, Gordon Fullerton, Janice Voss, Deke Slayton, Rick Husband, Alan Poindexter, John Glenn, Gene Cernan, John Young, Roger Chaffee, Alan Bean, Kalpana Chawla, Piers Sellers, Sally Ride and Laurel Clark.
The most recent Cygnus, the S.S. Patricia "Patty" Hilliard Robertson, named for an astronaut who was the victim of a plane crash before she could launch into space, has been at the station since January. It is scheduled to be released from the orbiting complex on July 12 to proceed to a destructive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

Quelle: CS

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Update: 1.08.2024

NASA Sets Coverage for Northrop Grumman’s 21st Station Resupply Launch

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm shortly after being captured at the International Space Station.

Credit: NASA

Editor’s Note: This media advisory was updated July 31, 2024, to reflect that the launch now is at 11:29 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 3.

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting 11:28 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 3, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This launch is the 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency.

NASA’s live launch coverage will begin at 11:10 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Filled with nearly 8,200 pounds of supplies, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft, carried on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA coverage of arrival will begin at 2:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 5 on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will capture Cygnus using the station’s robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps will act as backup to Dominick. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.

Highlights of space station research facilitated by delivery aboard this Cygnus are:

Test articles to evaluate liquid and gas flow through porous media found in space station life support systems.
A balloon, penny, and hexnut for a new STEMonstration on centripetal force.
Microorganisms known as Rotifers to examine the effects of spaceflight on DNA repair mechanisms.
A bioreactor to demonstrate the production of many high-quality blood and immune stem cells.
Vascularized liver tissue to analyze the development of blood vessels in engineered tissue flown to the space station.

NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative also is sending two CubeSats to deploy from the orbiting laboratory, CySat-1 from Iowa State University and DORA (Deployable Optical Receiver Aperture) from Arizona State University, making up ELaNa 52 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites).

Media interested in speaking to a science subject matter expert, should contact Sandra Jones at sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov.

The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until January when it will depart the orbiting laboratory at which point it will burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. This spacecraft is named the S.S. Richard “Dick” Scobee after the former NASA astronaut.

NASA’s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Friday, Aug. 2

3 p.m. – Prelaunch media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Meghan Everett, deputy chief scientist, NASA’s International Space Station Program
Ryan Tintner, vice president, civil space systems, Northrop Grumman
Jared Metter, director, flight reliability, SpaceX
Melody Lovin, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron

Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 1 p.m. Aug. 2, by emailing Kennedy’s newsroom at ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website at:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Saturday, Aug. 3:

11:10 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

11:29 a.m. – Launch

NASA Television launch coverage
Live coverage of the launch on NASA Television will begin at 11:10 a.m., Aug. 3. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://nasa.gov/nasatv.

Audio of the news teleconference and launch coverage will not be carried on the NASA “V” circuits. Launch coverage without NASA TV commentary via a tech feed will not be available for this launch.

NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 11:10 a.m., Aug. 3, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our International Space Station blog for updates.

Attend Launch Virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.

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Overview for NASA’s Northrop Grumman 21st Commercial Resupply Mission

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 11:29 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 3, for the next launch to deliver scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. Filled with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, the Cygnus cargo spacecraft, carried on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This launch is the 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency.

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NASA’s Northrop Grumman 21st commercial resupply mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver research and supplies to the International Space Station.

NASA

Live launch coverage will begin at 11:10 a.m. and stream on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms.

Learn more at: www.nasa.gov/northropgrumman

Northrop Grumman S.S. Richard "Dick" Scobee

NASA selected Richard Scobee as an astronaut in 1978. Scobee flew as a pilot of STS 41-C and was the commander of STS 51-L. The STS 51-L crew, including Scobee, died on January 28, 1986, when space shuttle Challenger exploded after launch.

NASA

Arrival & Departure

The Cygnus spacecraft will arrive at the orbiting laboratory on Monday, Aug. 5, filled with supplies, hardware, and critical materials to directly support dozens of scientific and research investigations during Expeditions 71 and 72. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will capture Cygnus using the station’s robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps will act as backup.

After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port and will spend almost six months connected to the orbiting laboratory before departing in January 2025. Cygnus also provides the operational capability to reboost the station’s orbit.

Live coverage of Cygnus’ arrival will begin at 2:30 a.m. Aug. 5 on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps will be on duty during the Cygnus spacecraft’s approach and rendezvous. Dominick will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 robotic arm ready to capture Cygnus as Epps monitors the vehicle’s arrival.

NASA

Research Highlights

Scientific investigations traveling in the Cygnus spacecraft include tests of water recovery technology and a process to produce blood and immune stem cells in microgravity, studies of the effects of spaceflight on engineered liver tissue and microorganism DNA, and live science demonstrations for students.

Gravitational Effects on Filtration Systems

The Packed Bed Reactor Experiment: Water Recovery Series evaluates gravity’s effects on eight additional test articles.

NASA

The Packed Bed Reactor Experiment: Water Recovery Series investigates how gravity affects two-phase flow or simultaneous movement of gas and liquid through porous media. Teams will evaluate eight different test articles representing components found in the space station’s water processor or urine processor to understand two-phase flows for both liquid and gas in microgravity.

Packed bed reactors are structures that use “packing” of objects, usually pellet-like catalysts, of various shapes and materials to increase contact between different phases of fluids. These systems are used for a variety of applications such as water recovery, thermal management, and fuel cells, and the experiment develops a set of guidelines and tools to optimize their design and operation for water filtration and other systems in microgravity and on the Moon and Mars. Insights from the investigation also could lead to improvements in this technology for applications on Earth such as water purification and heating and cooling systems.

Balloon Sounds in Space

The Office of STEM Engagement’s Next Gen STEM Project, STEMonstrations, that will demonstration the effects centripetal force has on sounds during spaceflight.

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement

STEMonstrations, as part of NASA’s Next Gen STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Project, are performed and recorded by astronauts on the space station. Each NASA STEMonstration illustrates a different scientific concept, such as centripetal force, and includes resources to help teachers further explore the topics with their students.

Astronauts will demonstrate centripetal force on the space station using a penny, a hexnut, and two clear balloons. The penny and the hexnut are whirled inside of the inflated balloon to compare the sounds made in a microgravity environment.

Cell Production on Station

The production of blood and immune stem cells on the space station with the BioServe In-Space Cell Expansion Platform (BICEP).

NASA

In-Space Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Clinical Application (InSPA-StemCellEX-H1) tests hardware to produce human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in space. HSCs give rise to blood and immune cells and are used in therapies for patients with certain blood diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers.

Researchers use BioServe In-Space Cell Expansion Platform, a stem cell expansion bioreactor designed to expand the stem cells three hundredfold without the need to change or add new growth media.

Someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer about every three minutes. Treating patients with transplanted stem cells requires a donor-recipient match and long-term repopulation of transplanted stem cells. This investigation demonstrates whether expanding stem cells in microgravity could generate far more continuously renewing stem cells.

Spaceflight Effects on DNA

The Rotifer-B2 investigation on the Internation Space Station explores the effects of spaceflight on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) repair mechanisms.

ESA (European Space Agency)

Rotifer-B2, an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, explores how spaceflight affects DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) repair mechanisms in a microscopic organisms called bdelloid rotifer, or Adineta vaga. These tiny but complex organisms are known for their ability to withstand harsh conditions, including radiation doses 100 times higher than human cells can survive.

Researchers culture rotifers, microorganisms that inhabit mainly freshwater aquatic environments, in an incubator facility on the space station. After exposure to microgravity conditions, the samples provide insights into how spaceflight affects the rotifer’s ability to repair sections of damaged DNA in a microgravity environment and could improve the general understanding of DNA damage and repair mechanisms for applications on Earth.

Bioprinting Tissue

The Maturation of Vascularized Liver Tissue Construct in Zero Gravity (MVP Cell-07) investigation used to conduct bioprinting of tissue on the space station.

NASA

Maturation of Vascularized Liver Tissue Construct in Zero Gravity (MVP Cell-07) examines engineered liver tissue constructs that contain blood vessels. Researchers aim to learn more about the progression of tissue and development of blood vessels in engineered tissues on the space station.

The experiment observes how bioprinted liver tissue behaves in space and whether microgravity causes changes in cell shape, size, and volume. The formation of tissue structures and vascular linings also are studied to ensure proper structure generation in orbit. Bioprinting in microgravity may enable the manufacturing of high-quality tissues and organs that are difficult to maintain on the ground, which could help advance space-based production of tissues and functional organs to treat patients on Earth.

Cargo Highlights

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station.

NASA’s Northrop Grumman 21st commercial resupply mission will carry more than 8,500 pounds (3,856 kilograms) of cargo to the International Space Station.

NASA

Hardware

International Space Station Roll Out Solar Array Modification Kit 8 – This upgrade kit consists of power cables and large structural components such as a backbone, mounting brackets, and two sets of struts. This kit will support the installation of the eighth set of roll out solar arrays located on the S6 truss segment of orbiting laboratory in 2025. The new arrays are designed to augment the station’s original solar arrays which have degraded over time. The replacement solar arrays are installed on top of existing arrays to provide a net increase in power with each array generating more than 20 kilowatts of power.

Plant Habitat Environmental Control System – The environmental control system is a component of the Advanced Plant Habitat and controls the temperature, humidity, and air flow in the growth chamber. The habitat is an enclosed, fully automated plant growth facility that will conduct plant bioscience research in orbit for up to 135 days and complete at least one year of continuous operation without maintenance.

Rate Gyro Enclosure Assembly – The Rate Gyro Assembly determines the rate of angular motion of the space station. The assembly is integrated into the enclosure housing on ground to protect the hardware for launch and in-orbit storage. This unit will serve as an in-orbit spare.

European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device & Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System (E4D VIS) Assembly Kit – This assembly kit consists of fasteners, clips, and labels to be used during the in-orbit assembly projected to be completed in mid-2025. ESA and the Danish Aerospace Company developed the E4D to address the challenge of preventing muscle and bone deterioration during long space missions. Some key features of E4D are resistive exercise, cycling ergonomic exercise, rowing, and rope pulling.

X-Y Rotation Axis Launch Configuration – This assembly consists of the X-Y-Rotational and Translational subassemblies in the flight configuration and adds the launch stabilization hardware to protect the various axes of motions for the transport to the space station. Once in orbit, the stabilizing hardware will be discarded, and the remaining assembly will then be installed into the Columbus module location with other subassemblies to provide a base for the E4D exercise device.

Pressure Control and Pump Assembly – This assembly evacuates the Distillation Assembly at startup, periodically purges non-condensable gases and water vapor, and pumps them into the Separator Plumbing Assembly as part of the Urine Processing Assembly. This unit will serve as an in-orbit spare to ensure successful urine processing operation capability without interruption.

Resupply Water Tanks – The resupply water tanks are cylindrical composite fibrewound pressure tanks that provide stored potable water for the space station.

NORS (Nitrogen/Oxygen Recharge System) Maintenance Tank/Recharge Tank Assembly, Nitrogen – The NORS Maintenance Kit is comprised of two separate assemblies: the NORS Recharge Tank Assembly and the NORS Vehicle Interface Assembly. The recharge tank assembly will be pressurized for launch with Nitrogen gas. The vehicle interface assembly will protect the recharge tank assembly for launch and stowage aboard the space station.

Tungsten Plates – A total of 14 tungsten plates will serve as the counter mass of the Vibration Isolation & Stabilization System designed to integrate with the European Enhanced Exercise Device.

Watch and Engage

Live coverage of the launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will stream on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Coverage will begin at 11:10 a.m. on Aug. 3.

Live coverage of Cygnus’ arrival at the space station will begin at 2:30 a.m. Aug. 5 on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Quelle: NASA

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Update: 4.08.2024

Scrub recap: SpaceX launch of Cygnus spacecraft for NASA Saturday from Cape Canaveral

ng21-launch-b

Scrub Recap: Scroll down to see updates from a SpaceX launch attempt of a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft for NASA.

A package is headed out for delivery — to space. NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX have teamed up once again to make a delivery to the International Space Station.

Liftoff of the NG-21 (Northrop Grumman-21) mission was scheduled for 11:29 a.m. EDT Saturday from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40, which is south of Kennedy Space Center. The launch window did not extend long, as unlike a satellite launch, the Cygnus must catch up with its destination — the International Space Station.

For this reason, poor weather quickly approaching with less than an hour until launch prompted teams to issue a scrub. According to SpaceX, the next launch attempt will be 11:02 a.m. on Sunday, August 4.

NG-21 is a resupply mission for NASA. The Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9, carrying supplies and science experiments to astronauts waiting aboard the orbiting outpost.

The launch will travel in a northeastern trajectory. If conditions are clear, those north of the Space Coast may be able to catch a glimpse of the bright Falcon 9 rocket.

The Space Force 45th Weather Squadron predicted a 50% chance of favorable weather at launch time.

The first stage booster will be landing at Cape Canaveral, Landing Zone 1 − therefore sonic booms are expected.

SpaceX scrub!

Update 10:35 a.m.: SpaceX has decided to stand down from today's launch.

The next attempt is Sunday, August 4 at 11:02 a.m. EDT. However, the 45th Weather Squadron predicts only a 10% chance of favorable conditions.

Roll out the rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral

Update 10:25 a.m.: Yesterday, SpaceX transported the rocket to Space Launch Complex 40 ahead of today's launch. The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft will be launched atop the Falcon 9, encased in SpaceX fairings − which are payload covers that protect the spacecraft during launch.

SpaceX NG-21 launch from Cape Canaveral will deliver CubeSats

Update 10:15 a.m.: This morning's launch will deliver more than supplies and science. Onboard will be two CubeSats − tiny satellites − for Iowa State University and Arizona State University.

SpaceX launch for NASA weather outlook

Update 10:05 a.m.: Although skies are sunny depending on location, the 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 50% chance of favorable weather during the launch time. With the payload heading for the space station, the launch window is instantaneous. Should launch not occur at 11:29 a.m., teams will have to stand down for the day.

Quelle: Florida Today

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Start von Antares mit NG-21 Cygnus Cargo