Cygnus OA-9E

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OA-9E
ISS-55 Cygnus OA-9E approaching the ISS (6) (cropped).jpg
Canadarm2 grapples the S.S. J.R. Thompson
NamesCRS OA-9E
Mission type ISS resupply
Operator
COSPAR ID 2018-046A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 43474 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Mission duration70 days, 32 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftS.S. J.R. Thompson
Spacecraft type Enhanced Cygnus [1] [2]
Manufacturer
Launch mass6,172 kg (13,607 lb) [3]
Start of mission
Launch date21 May 2018, 08:44:06 (21 May 2018, 08:44:06)  UTC (4:44:06 am  EDT) [4]
Rocket Antares 230 [2] [5] [6]
Launch site MARS, Pad 0A
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date30 July 2018, 09:17 (30 July 2018, 09:17) UTC [7]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime Low Earth orbit
Inclination 51.66°
Berthing at ISS
Berthing port Unity nadir
RMS capture24 May 2018, 09:26 UTC [8]
Berthing date24 May 2018, 12:13 UTC
Unberthing date15 July 2018, 10:20 UTC
RMS release15 July 2018, 12:37 UTC [9]
Time berthed52 days, 54 minutes
Cargo
Mass3,350 kg (7,390 lb) [10]
Pressurised3,268 kg (7,205 lb)
Unpressurised82 kg (181 lb)
Orbital Sciences CRS Flight 9E Patch.png
NASA insignia

OA-9E was the tenth flight of the Cygnus, an uncrewed resupply spacecraft. The flight was launched by Orbital ATK (OA), which was purchased by Northrop Grumman during the mission. It was the ninth flight under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA and conducted under an extension, leading to the "E" in the mission name. [11] [12] The mission launched on 21 May 2018 at 08:44:06 UTC.

Contents

Orbital 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. [13]

History

Launch of Antares carrying Cygnus CRS OA-9E. Orbital ATK CRS-9 Launch (NHQ201805210003).jpg
Launch of Antares carrying Cygnus CRS OA-9E.

The COTS demonstration mission was successfully conducted in September 2013, and Orbital commenced operational ISS cargo missions under the Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) program with two missions in 2014. Regrettably, the third operational mission, Orb CRS-3, resulted was not successful due to spectacular Antares failure during launch. The company decided to discontinue the Antares 100 series and accelerate the introduction of a new propulsion. The Antares system will be upgraded with newly built RD-181 first-stage engines to provide greater payload performance and increased reliability. [5]

In the meantime, the company had contracted with United Launch Alliance for an Atlas V launch of CRS OA-4 in late 2015 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a second Atlas V Cygnus launch in 2016. [5] [6] The company had planned Cygnus missions for the first (CRS OA-5), second (CRS OA-6) and fourth quarters (CRS OA-7) of 2016. Two of which flew on the new Antares 230 and one on the aforementioned second Atlas V. These three missions enabled Orbital ATK to cover their initial CRS contracted payload obligation. [6] [14] This particular mission, known as CRS OA-9E, is part of an extension program that will enable NASA to cover the ISS resupply needs until the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2 contract) enters in effect, and thus the "E" indicates that it actually is an extension above the originally contracted payload transport. [14]

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 in Dulles, Virginia and Houston, Texas. [13]

Spacecraft

This is the ninth of ten flights by Orbital ATK under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA, and it is considered an extension over the originally contracted flights. This is the sixth flight of the Enhanced sized Cygnus PCM. [6] The mission launched on 21 May 2018. [15] [16]

In an Orbital ATK tradition, this Cygnus spacecraft was named the S.S. J.R. Thompson after the former president and chief executive officer at Orbital Sciences Corp. who died in 2017. Thompson served in multiple management positions at Orbital, overseeing development of the Antares rocket and other vehicles in the company's launcher family. [17]

Manifest

Cygnus CRS OA-9E at the International Space Station ISS-56 Cygnus OA-9E released by Canadarm2 (2).jpg
Cygnus CRS OA-9E at the International Space Station

NASA contracted for the CRS OA-9E mission from Orbital ATK and therefore determined the primary payload, date/time of launch, and orbital parameters for the Cygnus space capsule. CRS OA-9E carried a total of 3,350 kg (7,390 lb) of material into orbit. This includes 3,268 kg (7,205 lb) of pressurised cargo with packaging bound for the International Space Station, and 82 kg (181 lb) of unpressurised cargo. The unpressurised cargo consists of a Nanoracks deployer and six CubeSats which will be released after Cygnus unberths from the ISS.

The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS: [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial Resupply Services</span> NASA program for delivery of cargo 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-4</span> Late 2015 cargo mission 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> Late 2016 cargo mission 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> Early 2016 cargo mission 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> Early 2017 cargo mission to the ISS

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus OA-8E</span> Late 2017 cargo mission to the ISS

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-10</span> Late 2018 cargo mission to the ISS

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-11</span> Mid-2019 cargo mission 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-12</span> 2019 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

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. The mission launched on 2 November 2019 at 13:59:47 UTC). This was the first launch of Cygnus under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract.

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

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

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

Cygnus 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

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-19</span> Late 2023 cargo spacecraft mission to ISS

NG-19 was 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 was the eighth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-21</span> Summer 2024 cargo mission to the ISS

NG-21 is the twenty-first flight of the Cygnus, an expendable American cargo spacecraft used for International Space Station (ISS) logistics missions, that launched on 4 August 2024. It is operated by Northrop Grumman under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. The spacecraft is an Enhanced Cygnus, named the S.S. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee in honor of the NASA astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

References

  1. ↑ Bergin, Chris (22 February 2012). "Space industry giants Orbital upbeat ahead of Antares debut". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Orbital ATK Team on Track for Fall 2015 Cygnus Mission and Antares Return to Flight in 2016". Orbital ATK. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Cygnus OA-9 Mission: Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital ATK. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Clark, Stephen (21 May 2018). "Antares rocket launch kicks off space station's next commercial cargo delivery". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Gebhardt, Chris (14 August 2015). "Orbital ATK make progress toward Return To Flight of Antares rocket". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Leone, Dan (17 August 2015). "NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK". SpaceNews. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Cox, Vicki (30 July 2018). "Northrop Grumman's Cygnus Spacecraft Successfully Concludes Ninth Cargo Supply Mission to the International Space Station" (Press release). Northrop Grumman. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Richardson, Derek (24 May 2018). "OA-9 Cygnus Cargo Ship Arrives at ISS". Spaceflight Insider. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Richardson, Derek (15 July 2018). "Northrop Grumman's OA-9 Cygnus leaves International Space Station". Spaceflight Insider. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Overview: Orbital ATK CRS-9 Mission" (PDF). NASA. 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  11. ↑ "Worldwide launch schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "International Space Station Flight Schedule". Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. 15 May 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Cygnus Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital ATK. 24 March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  14. 1 2 Leone, Dan (20 August 2015). "NASA Considering More Cargo Orders from Orbital ATK, SpaceX". SpaceNews. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  16. ↑ Scimemi, Sam (July 2015). "International Space Station Status" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 15 August 2015.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  17. ↑ Clark, Stephen (18 May 2018). "Antares rocket rolls to Virginia launch pad, liftoff delayed to Monday". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
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