Northrop Grumman Set to Launch 10th Cargo Delivery Mission to the International Space Station for NASA

Dulles, Va. – Nov. 14, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced it is set to launch the company’s AntaresTM rocket carrying its CygnusTM cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station for NASA. Pending completion of final vehicle testing and acceptable local weather conditions, the launch will take place November 16 with lift-off scheduled for 4:23 a.m. EST from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A on Wallops Island, Virginia, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

Northrop Grumman’s AntaresTM rocket is set to launch its CygnusTM cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station for the company’s 10th cargo resupply mission for NASA, NG-10. Launch will take place November 16 with lift-off scheduled for 4:23 a.m. EST from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A on Wallops Island, Virginia, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

The mission, designated NG-10, will be Northrop Grumman’s 10th cargo delivery mission for NASA. The Antares medium-class rocket will carry a cargo load of approximately 7,400 pounds (3,350 kilograms) of vital supplies and scientific equipment to support the crew aboard the International Space Station. The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous and berth with the station on November 18, 2018.

Northrop Grumman names each Cygnus spacecraft in honor of astronauts and individuals who contributed to the United States’ commercial space program. The NG-10 mission honors John Young, NASA's longest serving astronaut, and a human spaceflight pioneer who helped to lay the foundation for future astronauts to live and work aboard the International Space Station today. Young began his career with the first crewed Gemini mission, Gemini 3, walked on the moon during the Apollo 16 mission, and piloted the maiden flight of the space shuttle, among many other accomplishments. John Young’s bravery and record of NASA "firsts" pushed the boundaries of human space exploration, making him an ideal honoree for the NG-10 mission.

Cygnus will be grappled at the International Space Station at approximately 4:35 a.m. EST on November 18, 2018. The spacecraft will remain attached to the space station for approximately two months before departing with up to 7,400 pounds (approximately 3,350 kilograms) of disposal cargo. The removal of these objects is a crucial step in keeping the space station operational.

On this mission, the “S.S. John Young” is carrying a student-designed experiment sponsored by Northrop Grumman in a partnership with Higher Orbits, a Virginia-based non-profit, and its Go For Launch! program. A team of high school students from the Go For Launch! event in Dulles, Virginia, captured first place for an innovative science experiment that focuses on the evaluation of self-healing materials in microgravity.

Once Cygnus is unberthed from the station, it will reposition to deploy three CubeSats via the NanoRacks External Cygnus Deployment Program from both above and below the space station. This specific NanoRacks’ satellite deployment operation marks the first dual altitude deployment for Cygnus, demonstrating the spacecraft’s capability beyond cargo delivery and removal.

The CubeSat known as MYSat-1, is the first satellite developed by Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. MYSat-1 was developed as part of Khalifa’s Space Systems and Technology Concentration, a joint program established in 2015 in collaboration with UAE-based satellite operator Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) and Northrop Grumman. Engineers from both companies helped develop the initial curriculum for the Concentration, and provided guidance and mentorship during the design phase of the MYSat-1 satellite.

The next phase of the mission features an inaugural flight for the Slingshot CubeSat Deployer System which further demonstrates Cygnus’ capabilities beyond its core cargo delivery function. Cygnus is prepared to support Slingshot, a flexible platform that can fly hosted payloads and CubeSats after installation onto the Cygnus spacecraft by NASA astronauts. Upon completion of its secondary missions, Cygnus will perform a safe, destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

Live coverage of the Antares launch and Cygnus berthing with the station will be available on NASA Television at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv. Details about the mission can be viewed here.

From Space Station Cargo Delivery to Deep Space Crew Habitats: Northrop Grumman’s Versatile Cygnus Spacecraft

With approximately 7,400 pounds of science experiments, tools and food tightly packed inside, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft was launched aboard an Antares rocket and began its journey to the International Space Station on Monday, May 21. Just three days later, the spacecraft reached its destination where it was greeted with a warm welcome from astronauts awaiting its arrival. This mission marks the company’s ninth cargo delivery to the orbiting laboratory. While the delivery of cargo and removal of trash has become almost routine for the cargo module, each mission is unique and continues to demonstrate the capabilities of the Cygnus spacecraft.

The Cygnus resupply ship with its round, brass-colored UltraFlex solar arrays is guided to its port on the Unity module shortly after it was captured with the Canadarm2 robotic arm on May 24, 2018. (Credit: NASA)

For this mission, Cygnus was named after J.R. Thompson, a distinguished leader in the aerospace industry. On May 24, the S.S. J.R. Thompson docked with the International Space Station before beginning the second phase of its mission. On July 10, Cygnus marked a major milestone as the first U.S. spacecraft to perform an altitude reboost of the International Space Station since the space shuttle fleet retired in 2011. A 50-second firing of the spacecraft’s engines raised the orbiting laboratory’s altitude by about 295 feet. Reboosts are a routine station maneuver that occur several times a year. The station orbits in an area where there is just enough residual atmosphere to cause drag on the vehicle which lowers its altitude over time. Reboosts raise the station back up, typically a couple of kilometers at a time.

Upon leaving the International Space Station on July 15, Cygnus released six cube satellites from the attached Nanoracks deployer before performing a safe and destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Although the removal of garbage may not seem like an exciting task, it is a critical part of keeping the station safe and clean for astronauts to work. In past missions, Cygnus has also been used as an extension of the space station by serving as a scientific platform, demonstrating its ability to expand the station’s capabilities for hosting experiments.

The S.S. J.R. Thompson is grappled by the International Space Station's Canadarm2 on May 24. (Credit: NASA)

But these are just the beginnings of Cygnus’s capabilities. In preparation for future crewed trips to deep space, Northrop Grumman has already begun the process of evolving Cygnus beyond low Earth orbit with the completion of Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Phase 1. For this initiative, NASA asked companies to conduct concept studies and explore technology needed for deep space exploration. To help achieve this goal, Northrop Grumman has turned its attention to the demonstrated versatility of Cygnus. NextSTEP Phase 2 is now underway, and the company is maturing the technology and design to construct on-ground simulators of a deep space habitat.

Northrop Grumman has used computer simulations to demonstrate that the company could possibly launch a habitat module aboard NASA's heavy lift Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with a crewed Orion capsule. On this potential mission, Cygnus would deploy as an initial habitat in cislunar space. When the Orion capsule and its crew return to Earth, the module would remain, operating autonomously, serving as a platform for experiments and potentially as a destination for future crewed missions.

Artist concept of a Cygnus-derived deep space habitat and logistics modules.

Eventually, additional modules would be added to the habitat, creating a cislunar outpost, and could even serve as disposable vehicles to deliver crew supplies and experiments. The modularity of the system allows for additional segments, including a node to provide supplemental docking ports that would allow for multiple visiting vehicles. Ultimately, crewed missions would help mature technologies for long duration human space exploration, including a trip to Mars.

In the meantime, Northrop Grumman will continue to meet the requirements of the Commercial Resupply Services contract (CRS) delivering cargo to the International Space Station. Under the current contract, CRS-1, Northrop Grumman will deliver approximately 66,000 pounds of cargo to the station, and beginning in 2019, the company will carry out a minimum of six initial cargo missions under the CRS-2 contract. This partnership is helping to cultivate a robust American commercial space industry.