NG-18
Enhanced Cygnus - Drawing.jpg
Artists' impression of an Extended Cygnus; the spacecraft type to be used in the mission.
Mission typeISS logistics
OperatorNorthrop Grumman
COSPAR ID Edit this at Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeEnhanced Cygnus
Manufacturer
Start of mission
Launch dateAugust 2022 (planned)[1]
RocketAntares 230+
Launch siteWallops Pad 0A
ContractorNorthrop Grumman
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date2023 (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Berthing at the International Space Station
Berthing portHarmony or Unity
Cygnus NG-18 Patch.png

Cygnus NG-18 mission patch  
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NG-19 →

NG-18 is the eighteenth planned 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-2) contract with NASA. The mission is planned for launch in August 2022.[1] This is the seventh 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]

History

Cygnus NG-18 is the seventh Cygnus mission under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems confirmed on February 23, 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.[5]

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]

Spacecraft

Main article: Cygnus (spacecraft)

This will be the thirteenth flight of the Enhanced-sized Cygnus PCM.[3][6]

Manifest

Cygnus spacecraft is loaded with 0 kg (0 lb) of research, hardware, and crew supplies.[7]

Research

The new experiments arriving at the orbiting laboratory will inspire future scientists and explorers, and provide valuable insight for researchers.

NASA Glenn Research Center studies: [8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Microgravity Research Flights". Glenn Research Center. NASA. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (1 October 2020). "Northrop Grumman "optimistic" to receive more NASA cargo mission orders". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Cygnus Spacecraft". Northrop Grumman. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Leone, Dan (17 August 2015). "NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK". spacenews.com. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply". ISS Program Office. NASA. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ "ISS Research Program". Glenn Research Center. NASA. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ "Microgravity Research Flights". Glenn Research Center | NASA. Retrieved 31 May 2022.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction – Material Ignition and Suppression Test (SoFIE-MIST) | Science Mission Directorate". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 31 May 2022.

External links

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