NASA Sets Coverage for Northrop Grumman Cargo Space Station Mission

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting 12:29 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 29, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station for the agency and its partners. This launch is the 20th Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency.

Live launch coverage will begin at 12:15 p.m. and air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and on the agency's website, with prelaunch events starting Friday, Jan. 26. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms.

Filled with more than 8,200 pounds of supplies, the Cygnus cargo spacecraft, carried on  the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It will arrive at the space station Wednesday, Jan. 31.

NASA coverage of rendezvous and capture will begin at 2 a.m., followed by installation coverage at 5 a.m. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will capture Cygnus using the station's robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara will act as backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module's Earth-facing port.

Highlights of space station research facilitated by delivery aboard this Cygnus are:

• the first surgical robot on the space station
• an orbit re-entry platform that collects thermal protection systems data
• a 3D cartilage cell culture that maintains healthy cartilage in a lower gravity
• the MSTIC facility, an autonomous semiconductor manufacturing platform
• and a metal 3D printer that will test the capability for printing small metal parts

Media interested in speaking to a subject matter expert about science aboard, should contact Sandra Jones at [email protected].

The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until May when it will depart the orbiting laboratory at which point it will harmlessly burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. This spacecraft is named the S.S. Patricia "Patty" Hilliard Robertson after the former NASA astronaut.

NASA coverage of the mission is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Friday, Jan. 26:
1 p.m. – The International Space Station National Lab will host a science webinar with the following participants:

• Lisa Carnell, director, NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division
• Meg Everett, deputy scientist, NASA's International Space Station Program
• Shane Farritor, co-founder and chief scientific officer, Virtual Incision Corporation
• Mark Fernandez, principal investigator of Spaceborne Computer-2, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Mary Murphy, director of programs, Nanoracks
• Michael Roberts, chief scientific officer, International Space Station National Lab
• Nicole Wagner, chief executive officer, LambdaVision
• Abba Zubair, medical director, Mayo Clinic

Media must register for the science webinar by 12 p.m., Jan. 26, at:

https://bit.ly/48W97IW

6 p.m. – Prelaunch media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

• Dina Contella, operations integration manager, NASA's International Space Station Program
• Meghan Everett, deputy program scientist, NASA's International Space Station Program
• William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
• Cyrus Dhalla, vice president and general manager, tactical space systems, Northrop Grumman
• Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron

Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 4 p.m. Jan. 26, by emailing Kennedy's newsroom at [email protected].

Monday, Jan. 29:

• 12:15 p.m. – Launch coverage begins
• 12:29 p.m. – Launch

Wednesday, Jan. 31:

• 2 a.m. – Rendezvous coverage begins
• 3:35 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus with the space station's robotic arm
• 5 a.m. – Cygnus installation operations coverage

NASA Television launch coverage
Live coverage of the launch on NASA Television will begin at 12:15 p.m., Jan. 29. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Audio of the news teleconference and launch coverage will not be carried on the NASA "V" circuits. Launch coverage without NASA TV commentary via a tech feed will not be available for this launch.

NASA website launch coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 12:15 p.m., Monday, Jan. 29, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our International Space Station blog for updates.

Attend launch virtually
Members of the public 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.

Watch, engage on social media
Let people know you're watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS_CASIS

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: [email protected] o [email protected].

Learn more about the commercial resupply mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-northrop-grumman-crs-20/

SOURCE NASA