Cygnus NG-20
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 Artists' impression of an Extended Cygnus; the spacecraft type to be used in the mission. | |
| Mission type | ISS logistics |
|---|---|
| Operator | Northrop Grumman |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-021A |
| SATCAT no. | 58898 |
| Mission duration | 471 days, 23 hours and 26 minutes (In Progress) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | S.S. |
| Spacecraft type | Enhanced Cygnus |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 11 December 2023 (planned)[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9, B1077.5 |
| Launch site | CCSFS SLC-40 |
| Contractor | Northrop Grumman |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 2024 (planned) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Berthing at the International Space Station | |
| Berthing port | Unity nadir |
NG-20 is the twentieth planned flight of the Cygnus robotic resupply spacecraft and its seventeenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS). It is planned to launch on 11 December 2023.[1][2][3][4] It is contracted to Northrop Grumman under the Commercial Resupply Services II (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The capsule is scheduled to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) and NASA jointly developed a new space transportation system to provide commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station (ISS). Under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, Orbital ATK designed, acquired, built, and assembled the Cygnus, an advanced spacecraft using a Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) provided by industrial partner Thales Alenia Space and a Service Module based on the Orbital GEOStar satellite bus.[5]
NG-20 is the first launch of a Cygnus spacecraft after the exhaustion of the supply of Antares rockets, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, losing both the Russian rocket engine supplier and the Ukrainian booster stage supplier. A Northrop Grumman replacement for Antares will later come about for later missions. The next two Cygnus missions will also use Falcon 9, and subsequent mission will use the next-generation Antares 300 series that does not depend on Ukrainian or Russian parts.[6]
History
Cygnus NG-20 is the ninth Cygnus mission under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems confirmed on 23 February 2021 that Thales Alenia Space of Turin, Italy, will fabricate two additional Pressurized Cargo Modules (PCMs) for a pair of forthcoming Commercial Resupply Services-2 missions. Current plans are for the two additional Cygnus spacecraft to be designated NG-18 and NG-19.[7]
Production and integration of Cygnus spacecraft are performed in Dulles, Virginia. The Cygnus service module is mated with the pressurized cargo module at the launch site, and mission operations are conducted from control centers in Dulles, Virginia and Houston, Texas.[5]
Spacecraft
This was the fifteenth flight of the Enhanced-sized Cygnus PCM.[3][8]
Manifest
The Cygnus spacecraft was loaded with cargo and supplies begore its launch.[9]
Research
See also
References
- ^ a b Clark, Stephen (8 June 2023). "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ Gebhardt, Chris (1 June 2018). "Orbital ATK looks ahead to CRS-2 Cygnus flights, Antares on the commercial market". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b Clark, Stephen (1 October 2020). "Northrop Grumman "optimistic" to receive more NASA cargo mission orders". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "Northrop Grumman shifting to Space Coast for future space station missions".
- ^ a b "Cygnus Spacecraft". Northrop Grumman. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "Northrop Grumman and Firefly to partner on upgraded Antares". SpaceNews. 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ Evans, Ben (23 February 2021). "Northrop Grumman Green-Lights Two More Cygnus Missions, As NG-15 Arrives at Space Station". AmericaSpace. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Leone, Dan (17 August 2015). "NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK". SpaceNews. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply". ISS Program Office. NASA. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
External links
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Category:Cygnus (spacecraft) Category:Supply vehicles for the International Space Station Category:2023 in spaceflight
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