Mission type | ISS logistics |
---|---|
Operator | Northrop Grumman |
COSPAR ID | 2023-110A |
SATCAT no. | 57488 |
Mission duration | 160 days, 17 hours and 51 minutes |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | S.S. Laurel Clark |
Spacecraft type | Enhanced Cygnus |
Manufacturer |
|
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 2 August 2023, 00:31:14 UTC[1] |
Rocket | Antares 230+ |
Launch site | Wallops Pad 0A |
Contractor | Northrop Grumman |
End of mission | |
Disposal | Deorbited |
Decay date | 9 January 2024, 18:22 UTC |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Inclination | 51.66° |
Berthing at the International Space Station | |
Berthing port | Unity nadir |
RMS capture | 4 August 2023, 09:52 UTC |
Berthing date | 4 August 2023, 12:28 UTC |
Unberthing date | 22 December 2023, 10:00 UTC |
RMS release | 22 December 2023, 13:06 UTC |
Time berthed | 140 days and 38 minutes |
Cygnus NG-19 mission patch |
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.[1] This was the eighth launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.[2][3]
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 these components: Antares, a medium-class launch vehicle; 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.[4]
This flight used the last remaining Antares 200 series LV, which was constructed in Ukraine and uses Russian motors. The next three Cygnus missions will use Falcon 9, and subsequent mission will use the next-generation Antares 300 series that does not depend on Ukrainian or Russian parts.[5]
Cygnus NG-19 was the eighth 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.[6]
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.[4]
Main article: Cygnus (spacecraft) |
This was the fourteenth flight of the Enhanced-sized Cygnus PCM.[3][7]
According to the manifest, the Cygnus spacecraft was loaded with up to 3,729 kg (8,221 lb) of cargo.[8][9]
The new experiments arriving at the orbiting laboratory will inspire future scientists and explorers, and provide valuable insight for researchers.
NASA Scientific Research studies: [10]