A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus spacecraft loaded with cargo bound for the International Space Station stands vertical on Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 18th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 8,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. The CRS-18 Cygnus spacecraft is named after the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, and is scheduled to launch at 5:50 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2022, EST. Photo Credit: (NASA/Jamie Adkins)
The Wallops Range 24-hour forecast issued today for the Tuesday, Aug. 1, launch of Northrop Grumman’s 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station continues to keep weather at 80% favorable, with a slight chance of cumulus clouds being the main weather concern.
The upper-level trough will remain over the Wallops Region Tuesday with a chance of an afternoon pop-up shower or thunderstorms during the countdown. At this time, the primary concern for the launch window is a slight chance of cumulus clouds.
NASA commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman is targeting 8:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, for the launch.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus spacecraft loaded with cargo bound for the International Space Station is stood up vertical on Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A, Friday, July 28, 2023, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Photo Credit: (Northrop Grumman/Thom Baur)
The Expedition 69 crew is gearing up for a cargo delivery to the International Space Station this week. Health investigations and spacesuit surveys were also conducted today.
NASA astronauts Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio spent most of their day preparing for Friday’s capture of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft. The duo completed another robotics practice session of Cygnus berthing and capture in the morning, followed by a practice of grapple procedures in the Cupola using the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, in the afternoon.
Cygnus is targeted to launch tomorrow, Aug. 1 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, carrying more than 8,200 pounds of supplies and science to the station. On Friday, Aug. 4, Hoburg will capture Cygnus using Canadarm2, and Rubio will act as backup, marking Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission.
Near the end of the day, Rubio consolidated food supplies in preparation for Cygnus’s arrival. Meanwhile, Hoburg verified the battery power of jetpacks attached to spacesuits. The jetpacks, also known as SAFERs (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue), provide astronauts the ability to maneuver back to the station in the unlikely event they became untethered during a spacewalk.
UAE (United Arab Emirates) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi completed orbital plumbing tasks in the morning. He then moved into the Harmony module to prep for Friday’s space freighter capture and ended his day setting up the Berthing Camera System in the Unity module.
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen conducted Immunity Assay operations, an ongoing investigation that aims to monitor the impact of spaceflight stressors on cellular immune functions.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus spacecraft loaded with cargo bound for the International Space Station stands vertical on Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A, Saturday, July 29, 2023, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 19th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 8,200 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. The CRS-19 Cygnus spacecraft is named after NASA astronaut Dr. Laurel Clark who flew aboard Columbia STS-107, and is scheduled to launch at 8:31 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Photo Credit: (NASA/Patrick Black)
The Wallops Range 48-hour forecast issued today for the Tuesday, Aug. 1, launch of Northrop Grumman’s 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station continues to keep weather at 80% favorable, with a slight chance of cumulus clouds being the main weather concern.
NASA commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman is targeting 8:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, for the launch.
A prelaunch teleconference will be held today, July 30, at 5 p.m. EDT or no earlier than 1 hour following the mission Launch Readiness Review. The teleconference will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website and will highlight launch preparations for Northrop Grumman’s 19th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station to deliver more than 8,200 pounds of research, supplies, and hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Launch is still on schedule for 8:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1.
Viewers can submit questions for the briefings using #AskNASA on social media.
File photo from June 28, 2022, of a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft grappled by the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. Credit: NASA
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft will launch on the company’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The prelaunch briefing participants:
Joel Montalbano, program manager for the International Space Station, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
Heidi Parris, associate program scientist for the International Space Station, NASA Johnson
Steve Krein, vice president, Civil and Commercial Space, Northrop Grumman
Kurt Eberly, director, Space Launch Programs, Northrop Grumman
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus spacecraft loaded with cargo bound for the International Space Station arrives at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A, Friday, July 28, 2023, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 19th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 8,200 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. The CRS-19 Cygnus spacecraft is named after NASA astronaut Dr. Laurel Clark who flew aboard Columbia STS-107, and is scheduled to launch at 8:31 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Photo Credit: (NASA/Patrick Black)
The Wallops Range forecast issued today for the Tuesday, Aug. 1, launch of Northrop Grumman’s 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station puts weather at 80% favorable.
A weak area of high pressure will move off the coast Sunday evening, as a weak upper-level disturbance tracks toward the Wallops region with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms Monday morning through late Monday evening. The upper-level trough will remain over the Wallops Region Tuesday with a chance of an afternoon, sea breeze, pop-up shower or thunderstorms during the countdown. At this time, the primary concern for launch is a slight chance of cumulus clouds.
NASA commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman is targeting 8:31 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, for the launch.
The next resupply mission to the International Space Station from commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman is preparing for launch during a window that opens Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 8:31 p.m. EDT at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
On August 10, 2021, the Northrop Grumman Antares vehicle carrying the Cygnus launched at 6:01 p.m. EDT, carrying science, technology and supplies to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Brian Bonsteel
Loaded with more than 8,200 pounds of research, crew supplies, and hardware, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft will launch on the company’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad 0A on Wallops Island.
The Cygnus spacecraft for this launch is named in honor of the late NASA astronaut, undersea medical officer, and naval flight officer Laurel Clark. Selected by NASA in 1996, Dr. Clark flew as a mission specialist aboard Columbia STS-107.
Live coverage of the launch will air on NASA Television, the agency’s website and the NASA app beginning at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 1, with a prelaunch briefing Sunday, July 30 at 5 p.m. EDT.
The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will be open for this launch. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. EDT. Viewing locations on Chincoteague Island include Robert Reed Park on Main Street or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. The Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Atlantic beaches also provide good viewing locations.
Members of the public outside of the viewing area can register to attend the launch virtually. Virtual guests will have access to curated resources, schedule changes, and mission specific information straight to your inbox. Following each activity, virtual guests are sent a mission-specific collectable stamp for their virtual guest passport. Hear more about the virtual guest program from the Crew-5 astronauts!
Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations.
Research investigations and other cargo launching to the orbiting laboratory aboard this Cygnus include:
Neural cells that will be cultured into 3D cell models for gene therapy testing
A probe that measures plasma density of the upper atmosphere
A memory card that contains creative works from students around the world
Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new investigations at the only laboratory in space.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen installs student-made hardware next to the Destiny laboratory module’s Microgravity Science Glovebox to test a platform that improves the stability of cameras used to track targets on the ground or take images and video inside the International Space Station.
It’s a jam-packed Friday for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station. Ahead of their off-duty weekend, the crew moved payloads and stowage and two astronauts completed a second robotics practice session in preparation for next week’s cargo delivery.
Hoburg also fixed some ethernet cables at the Astrobee docking station in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). He was later joined by NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio in the afternoon to complete a second robotics practice session for the upcoming rendezvous and capture of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft next week. Cygnus is targeted to launch on Tuesday, August 1, marking Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission.
After the NanoRacks External Platform was removed, Rubio captured the payload and moved it to JEM. Additionally, he and NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen removed the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform from the Kibo airlock to be stowed and Rubio later performed a visual inspection and video survey of the airlock.
Following yesterday’s troubleshooting of the Glovebox Freezer, Bowen inspected and checked connections once more today. He also replaced hardware in the BioFabrication Facility—a 3D printer that investigates the feasibility of printing organ-like tissues in microgravity. Bowen then moved into the Columbus Laboratory Module to set up Kubik 5 and 6 hardware, designed for self-contained, automatic microgravity investigations aboard the orbital lab. Near the end of his day, Bowen troubleshooted the Fluids Integrated Rack—a fluid physics research facility.
Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos ran the 3D printer in the Zvezda service module while Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev cleaned smoke detectors in the Zarya module and completed some computer maintenance. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin once again donned the sensor-pack cap to practice piloting techniques that explore how spacefarers may react and control spacecraft on future planetary missions.
iss067e156138 (July 28, 2022) — Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is positioned away from the International Space Station on June 28, 2022 in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm prior to its release ending a four-month stay attached to the orbiting lab’s Unity module.
The Expedition 69 crew members carried out more station maintenance activities today aboard the International Space Station as they gear up for a busy month of mission events in August.
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen was tasked with troubleshooting water supply hoses and replacing connections in the Glovebox Freezer, which integrates into the Life Sciences Glovebox sealed work space to rapid freeze biological samples. Additionally, Bowen removed samples from Iceberg for future assessment, which provides cold stowage for science and research aboard the orbital lab.
NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi began their day collecting samples for the Standard Measures investigation. Hoburg later completed a cognition test for the ongoing assessment of human spaceflight risks for astronauts before, during, and after long-duration space missions. Midafternoon, he removed the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer from the Japanese Experiment Module after mini satellites were successfully deployed earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Alneyadi powered off Astrobee following yesterday’s Zero Robotics dry-run session and installed sample holders for MATISS—an investigation of antibacterial properties of materials in space. He ended his day inspecting crew safety tethers and gathering tools for future Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) or spacewalks, as well as consolidating food in preparation for the upcoming cargo delivery on Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft.
Cygnus is targeted to launch at 8:31 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 1 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. More than 8,200 pounds of supplies and science will be delivered to the crew on Friday, August 4, marking the company’s 19th commercial resupply mission.
NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio enjoyed a well-deserved day off ahead of a busy day of tasks tomorrow.
Commander Sergey Prokoypev of Roscosmos is making headway on the cargo plan preparation for the upcoming ISS Progress 85 mission in August, spending most of his day between prep and performing maintenance in the Zvezda module. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin carried out additional experiments of liquid phases in microgravity, while Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev completed more upkeep activities in the Nauka module.
The space station is orbiting slightly higher after the 83P fired its engines for five minutes on Thursday. The orbital reboost raises the station to the correct altitude for the upcoming docking of the ISS Progress 85 resupply mission.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg monitors an Astrobee robotic free-flyer in the Kibo laboratory module testing its operations in conjunction with mission controllers. The robotics work is being done to demonstrate ways to control the free-flyers using student-written code that recognizes multiple gestures.
Another round of safety training is underway today on the International Space Station. The Expedition 69 crew members were also tasked with robotic activities, ultrasound scans and station maintenance.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi powered on the station’s free-flying robots, Astrobee, in the morning. Later in the day, NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg performed a Zero Robotics dry run with Astrobee in the Japanese Experiment Module and assisted grounds teams with multiple software test runs. In dry run sessions, the Astrobee robots verify various aspects and programming for the Zero Robotics student competition—a program that provides students the opportunity to write software that controls one of three Astrobee robots, helping inspire the next generation of explorers, scientists and engineers.
Alneyadi was also tasked with consolidating food as the crew preps for the berthing of Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission, targeted for launch on Tuesday, August 1 and capture on Friday, August 4.
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen was joined by Hoburg in the afternoon to take ISAFE measurements. In the microgravity environment, blood and fluids shift toward the head, which can cause structural changes to the eye. ISAFE measures eye, brain and blood vessel changes in microgravity using an ultrasound device in order to help researchers better predict eye changes on future long-duration spaceflight.
NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio performed computer maintenance in the Japanese Experiment Module in the morning. He then completed maintenance tasks on the Confocal Space Microscope, a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency facility that provides fluorescent images of biological samples. At the end of the day, Rubio, joined by Alneyadi, Hoburg, Bowen and Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos, all completed a second set of safety drills.
Ahead of training, Prokopyev completed maintenance tasks in the Zvezda service module while Fedyaev took inventory in the Functional Cargo Block, or Zarya module, and Petelin ran additional experiments studying liquid phases in microgravity.
Mission Control Center Houston is back to normal operations after full communication with the International Space Station was restored July 25, following a loss of power to the space station’s primary ground communication equipment at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The issue occurred during planned upgrades to the ground power system to ensure the mission control power grid remains robust and reliable. Ground teams activated the backup control center systems located at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to regain communications with the space station while engineers addressed the power issue in Houston. The backup systems typically are used in events such as a hurricane when evacuation from Mission Control Center Houston may be necessary. Flight controllers in Houston were able to stay in contact with the Expedition 69 crew aboard the space station through Roscosmos, as well as backup channels and the crew was not in any danger. All check-outs of the equipment went as planned following repowering.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen is pictured conducting maintenance activities.
The seven-member Expedition 69 crew is keeping busy Tuesday with a round of training, prepping for an upcoming cargo delivery and tending to plants aboard the International Space Station.
NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio, joined by Commander Sergey Prokopyev and Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos began the day with a round of safety training. The rest of the crew, including NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi and Flight Engineer Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos completed the same training midafternoon.
Rubio then tended to seedlings growing aboard the orbital lab in Plant Habitat-03, thinning the Arabidopsis sprouts to retain a singular healthy plant per unit. These ongoing investigations assess if adaptations in one generation of plants grown in space can transfer to the next.
Meanwhile, Hoburg continued collecting samples for the Standard Measures investigation and was later joined by Rubio to complete the first robotics practice session to get set for the upcoming rendezvous and capture of Northrop Grumman’s commercial cargo spacecraft, Cygnus. The company’s 19th commercial resupply mission—packed with new science, hardware, and supplies for the crew—is targeted to launch at 8:31 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 1.
Bowen spent his morning consolidating stowage in the Japanese Experiment Module, then worked in tandem with Alneyadi performing cooling loop scrubs of spacesuits, or Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), through the afternoon. Alneyadi ended his day by initiating Iodination of the spacesuits, both activities required to remove contaminants from the transfer loops.
Following his morning training, Prokopyev carried out additional cargo plans for the upcoming ISS Progress 85 mission arriving to the station in August. Additionally, he ran the Cardiovector investigation, which assesses cardiac function to study crew health in a low-gravity environment. Meanwhile, Petelin continued ongoing research of liquid phases in microgravity, while Fedyaev performed maintenance in the Poisk module.
Around 9 a.m., a power issue in Mission Control Houston resulted in the loss of command, telemetry, and voice from the ground to the International Space Station. The issue was isolated to the ground, and flight controllers were able to talk to the crew onboard station through Roscosmos channels, and at no point was the crew in any danger. The mission control team worked to transition to back-up hardware for telemetry, commanding, and audio. It is expected that by the end of the day the issue will be resolved and the system will be back into a normal configuration.
