Cygnus NG-12

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NG-12
ISS-61 Cygnus NG-12 approaching the ISS (4).jpg
Canadarm2 approaches the S.S. Alan Bean
NamesOA-12 (2016–2018)
Mission type ISS logistics
Operator Northrop Grumman
COSPAR ID 2019-071A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 44701
Mission duration136 days, 9 hours
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftS.S. Alan Bean
Spacecraft type Enhanced Cygnus
Manufacturer
Start of mission
Launch date2 November 2019, 13:59:47 UTC [1]
Rocket Antares 230+
Launch site Wallops Pad 0A
ContractorNorthrop Grumman
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date17 March 2020, 23:00 UTC [2]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime Low Earth orbit
Inclination 51.66°
Berthing at the International Space Station
Berthing port Unity nadir
RMS capture4 November 2019, 09:10 UTC [3]
Berthing date4 November 2019, 11:21 UTC [4]
Unberthing date31 January 2020, 13:10 UTC
RMS release31 January 2020, 14:36 UTC
Time berthed88 days, 3 hours, 15 minutes
Cargo
Mass3,705 kg (8,168 lb) [5]
Pressurised3,586 kg (7,906 lb)
Unpressurised119 kg (262 lb)
Cygnus NG-12 Patch.png
NASA insignia  
←  NG-11
NG-13  →

NG-12, previously known as OA-12, was the thirteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its twelfth Commercial Resupply Services flight to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. [6] [7] The mission launched on 2 November 2019 at 13:59:47 UTC). [1] This was the first launch of Cygnus under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract. [8]

Contents

Orbital ATK 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, then Orbital Sciences designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft, and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space. [9] Northrop Grumman purchased Orbital ATK in June 2018; its ATK division was renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. [10]

Northrop Grumman launches the Cygnus NG-12 mission. NG-12 launch.jpg
Northrop Grumman launches the Cygnus NG-12 mission.

History

Cygnus NG-12 was the first mission under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract and launched 2 November 2019 at 13:59:47 UTC. [1]

Spacecraft

Production and integration of Cygnus spacecraft is 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 at Dulles, Virginia and Houston, Texas. [9] This is the ninth flight of the Enhanced-sized Cygnus PCM. [11]

In 2019, the spacecraft was named the S.S. Alan Bean. [12]

Manifest

Total weight of cargo: 3,705 kg (8,168 lb), consisting of 3,705 kg (8,168 lb) in pressurized cargo and 119 kg (262 lb) in unpressurized cargo. [5]

Among the cargo delivered was a special made oven for use in space, and some cookie dough. The crew of ISS attempt to use the device to bake chocolate chip cookies in space (a first time for this kind of space activity). The baking of cookies in space attracted some international media attention when the mission was arriving at the space station. [3] [13] [14]

Another research-related item delivered is the AstroRad radiation protective vest, which astronauts will wear to determine the degree of flexibility and freedom of movements experienced by them while working with these vests. [9] This feedback will be used to possibly improve the comfort and ergonomics of the radiation vests if needed. AstroRad is useful in significantly reducing the short-term deterministic effects such as acute radiation syndrome and the probability of stochastic effects such as cancer in long-term ex-LEO missions. [15] [16]

The Houston Methodist Institute, in collaboration with Lamborghini sent some carbon fiber reinforced polymers aboard the mission. The project seeks to leverage the harsh space environment to test the performance of five proprietary carbon fiber materials, including forged and 3D-printed carbon fiber composites, developed by Lamborghini for aerospace applications. The research team will assess the ability of the materials to withstand exposure to temperature fluctuations, radiation, and atomic oxygen. [17]

Cygnus NG-12 tested the Cygnus External Payload Carrier which is used to deliver external payloads to the station or remove degraded ones. SOLAR and the SDS were the first payloads transferred to the spacecraft for disposal. [18]

Extension

Northrop Grumman's customer with a payload on the Cygnus (Lynk) sought extra time in orbit, a request that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved on 3 March 2020. The FCC approval provided the potential to extend this testing until as late as 2 April 2020. "The extension of our license by the FCC allows Northrop Grumman to extend our NG-12 mission beyond our original completion date, enabling us to offer increased operational flexibility for our customers". Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager of Tactical Space at Northrop Grumman, said in the statement. "The NG-12 spacecraft remains in excellent health as we carry out a few more weeks of in-orbit operations". [19]

The spacecraft was deorbited at about 23:00 UTC on 17 March 2020. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) are made primarily to deliver cargo, however several Russian modules have also docked to the outpost following uncrewed launches. Resupply missions typically use the Russian Progress spacecraft, European Automated Transfer Vehicles, Japanese Kounotori vehicles, and the American Dragon and Cygnus spacecraft. The primary docking system for Progress spacecraft is the automated Kurs system, with the manual TORU system as a backup. ATVs also use Kurs, however they are not equipped with TORU. The other spacecraft — the Japanese HTV, the SpaceX Dragon and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus — rendezvous with the station before being grappled using Canadarm2 and berthed at the nadir port of the Harmony or Unity module for one to two months. Progress, Cygnus and ATV can remain docked for up to six months. Under CRS phase 2, Cargo Dragon docks autonomously at IDA-2 or 3 as the case may be. As of December 2022, Progress spacecraft have flown most of the uncrewed missions to the ISS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antares (rocket)</span> Medium-lift expendable rocket by Northrop Grumman

Antares, known during early development as Taurus II, is an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and the Pivdenne Design Bureau to launch the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's COTS and CRS programs. Able to launch payloads heavier than 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) into low Earth orbit, Antares is currently the largest rocket operated by Northrop Grumman. Antares launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and made its inaugural flight on April 21, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus (spacecraft)</span> Uncrewed cargo spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences

Cygnus is an expendable American cargo spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and now manufactured and launched by Northrop Grumman Space Systems as part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program. It is usually launched by Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket, although three flights were on ULA's Atlas V and three are planned to launch on SpaceX' Falcon 9. It is designed to transport supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) following the retirement of the American Space Shuttle. Since August 2000, ISS resupply missions have been regularly flown by the Russian Progress spacecraft, as well as by the European Automated Transfer Vehicle, and the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. With the Cygnus spacecraft and the SpaceX Dragon, NASA seeks to increase its partnerships with domestic commercial aviation and aeronautics industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial Resupply Services</span> Series of contracts awarded by NASA from 2008-present for delivery of cargo and supplies to the ISS

Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) are a series of flights awarded by NASA for the delivery of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on commercially operated spacecraft. The first CRS contracts were signed in 2008 and awarded $1.6 billion to SpaceX for twelve cargo Dragon and $1.9 billion to Orbital Sciences for eight Cygnus flights, covering deliveries to 2016. The Falcon 9 and Antares rockets were also developed under the CRS program to deliver cargo spacecraft to the ISS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-4</span> 2015 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

OA-4, previously known as Orbital-4, was the fourth successful flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its third flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. With the Antares launch vehicle undergoing a redesign following its failure during the Orb-3 launch, OA-4 was launched by an Atlas V launch vehicle. Following three launch delays due to inclement weather beginning on 3 December 2015, OA-4 was launched at 21:44:57 UTC on 6 December 2015. With a liftoff weight of 7,492 kg (16,517 lb), OA-4 became the heaviest payload ever launched on an Atlas V. The spacecraft rendezvoused with and was berthed to the ISS on 9 December 2015. It was released on 19 February 2016 after 72 days at the International Space Station. Deorbit occurred on 20 February 2016 at approximately 16:00 UTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-5</span> 2016 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

OA-5, previously known as Orbital-5, was the seventh planned flight of the Orbital Sciences' uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its sixth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The mission launched on 17 October 2016 at 23:45:36 UTC. Orbital Sciences 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 System (COTS) program, Orbital designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft; and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-6</span> 2016 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

OA-6, previously known as Orbital-6, is the sixth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fifth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 23 March 2016 at 03:05:52 UTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-7</span> 2017 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

OA-7, previously known as Orbital-7, is the eighth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its seventh flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The mission launched on 18 April 2017 at 15:11:26 UTC. Orbital 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, then Orbital Sciences designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft, and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-8E</span> 2017 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

OA-8E was the ninth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eighth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 12 November 2017 at 12:19:51 UTC. Orbital 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 System (COTS) program, then Orbital Sciences designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft, and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-9E</span> 2018 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

OA-9E was the tenth flight of the Orbital ATK uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its ninth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services with NASA. The mission launched on 21 May 2018 at 08:44:06 UTC. Orbital ATK and NASA jointly developed a new space transportation system to provide commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station. Under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, then Orbital Sciences designed and built Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft, and a Pressurized Cargo Module which is provided by Orbital's industrial partner Thales Alenia Space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-10</span> 2018 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-10, previously known as OA-10E, is the eleventh flight of the Northrop Grumman uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its tenth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 17 November 2018, at 09:01:31 UTC. This particular mission is part of an extension of the initial CRS contract that enables NASA to cover the ISS resupply needs until the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract enters in effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-11</span> 2019 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-11, previously known as OA-11, is the twelfth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eleventh flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 17 April 2019 at 20:46:07 UTC. This is the last mission from the extended CRS-1 contract; follow-up missions are part of the CRS-2 contract. Cygnus NG-11 was also the first mission to load critical hardware onto Cygnus within the last 24 hours prior to launch, a new Antares feature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-13</span> 2020 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-13, previously known as OA-13, was the fourteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its thirteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 15 February 2020 at 20:21:01 UTC after nearly a week of delays. This is the second launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-14</span> 2020 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-14, previously known as OA-14, was the fifteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fourteenth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA. The mission was launched on 3 October 2020, at 01:16:14 UTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-15</span> 2021 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-15, previously known as OA-15, was the fifteenth launch of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fourteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 20 February 2021 at 17:36:50 UTC. This is the fourth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-16</span> 2021 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

Cygnus NG-16, previously known as Cygnus OA-16, was the sixteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fifteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission was launched on 10 August 2021 at 22:01:05 UTC, for a (planned) 90-day mission at the ISS. This was the fifth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-17</span> 2022 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

Cygnus NG-17, previously known as Cygnus OA-17, was the seventeenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its sixteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 19 February 2022 at 17:40:03 UTC. It was the sixth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-18</span> 2022 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-18 was the eighteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its seventeenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission successfully launched on 7 November 2022 at 10:32:42 UTC. This was the seventh launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-19</span> 2023 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

NG-19 is the nineteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eighteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA. The mission launched on 2 August 2023 at 00:31:14 UTC. This is the eighth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gebhardt, Chris (4 November 2019). "Cygnus NG-12 arrives at ISS with increased science capability". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  2. 1 2 McDowell [@planet4589] (18 March 2020). "Space-Track confirmes that the Cygnus NG-12 cargo ship S.S. Alan Bean has been deorbited" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 November 2022– via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 Clark, Stephen (4 November 2019). "Space station receives spacewalking gear, new baking oven". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Garcia, Mark (4 November 2019). "Cygnus Resupply Ship Attached to Unity for Cargo Operations". NASA. Retrieved 4 November 2019.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. 1 2 "Northrop Grumman CRS-12 Mission Overview" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 5 November 2019.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  6. ↑ "Worldwide launch schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "International Space Station Flight Schedule". Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. 15 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Gebhardt, Chris (1 June 2018). "Orbital ATK looks ahead to CRS2 Cygnus flights, Antares on the commercial market". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 "Cygnus Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital ATK. 24 March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Erwin, Sandra (5 June 2018). "Acquisition of Orbital ATK approved, company renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  11. ↑ Leone, Dan (17 August 2015). "NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK". spacenews.com. SpaceNews. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Northrop Grumman names 12th Cygnus ship for Apollo 12 astronaut". collectSPACE. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  13. ↑ "Cookies in space: Oven sent to ISS for baking experiments". BBC. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  14. ↑ Waldrop, Theresa (3 November 2019). "Out of this world dessert: Cookie dough and oven headed to space station". CNN. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  15. ↑ Hu, Shaowen; Kim, Myung-Hee Y.; McClellan, Gene E.; Cucinotta, Francis A. (April 2009). "Modeling the Acute Health Effects of Astronauts from Exposure to Large Solar Particle Events". Health Physics. 96 (4): 465–476. doi:10.1097/01.HP.0000339020.92837.61. hdl: 2060/20110014511 . ISSN   0017-9078. PMID   19276707. S2CID   24011927.
  16. ↑ Cucinotta, Francis A; Durante, Marco (May 2006). "Cancer risk from exposure to galactic cosmic rays: implications for space exploration by human beings". The Lancet Oncology. 7 (5): 431–435. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(06)70695-7. PMID   16648048.
  17. ↑ "Testing Lamborghini Carbon-Fiber Composites in the Extreme Space Environment". ISS National Laboratory. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Clark, Stephen. "Cygnus departs space station, deploys CubeSats". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  19. ↑ Foust, Jeff (4 March 2020). "Cygnus mission extended for tests of communications payload". SpaceNews.
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