Cygnus NG-12

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Cygnus NG-12
275px
S.S. Alan Bean at the ISS
Mission type ISS resupply
Operator Northrop Grumman
COSPAR ID 2019-071A
SATCAT № 44701
Mission duration 4 months 15 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft S.S. Alan Bean
Spacecraft type Enhanced Cygnus
Manufacturer Northrop Grumman
Thales Alenia Space
Start of mission
Launch date 2 November 2019, 13:59:47 (2019-11-02UTC13:59:47) UTC[1]
Rocket Antares 230+
Launch site MARS LP-0A
Contractor Northrop Grumman
End of mission
Disposal Deorbited
Decay date 17 March 2020, 23:00 (2020-03-18UTC00) UTC[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Inclination 51.6 degrees
Epoch Planned
Berthing at ISS
Berthing port Unity nadir
RMS capture 4 November 2019, 09:10 UTC[3]
Berthing date 4 November 2019, 11:21 UTC[4]
Unberthing date 31 January 2020, 13:10 UTC
RMS release 31 January 2020, 14:36 UTC
Time berthed 2 months 27 days
Cargo
Mass 3,705 kg (8,168 lb)[5]
Pressurised 3,586 kg (7,905 lb)[5]
Unpressurised 119 kg (262 lb)[5]
File:Cygnus NG-12 Patch.png
Commercial Resupply Services
← SpaceX CRS-18 SpaceX CRS-19 →

Cygnus NG-12, previously known as CRS OA-12, was the thirteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its twelfth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.[6][7] The mission launched on 2 November 2019 at 9:59 AM (13:59 UTC).[1] This was the first launch of Cygnus under the CRS-2 contract.[8]

Orbital ATK 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, 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.[9] Northrop Grumman purchased Orbital in June 2018; its ATK division was renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.[10]

History

File:NG-12 launch.jpg
Northrop Grumman launches the Cygnus NG-12 mission.

Cygnus NG-12 was the first mission under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract and launched 2 November 2019 at 13:59:47 UTC.[1]

Spacecraft

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Main article: Cygnus (spacecraft)

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 at Dulles and Houston.[9] This is the eighth flight of the Enhanced-sized Cygnus PCM.[11]

In 2019 the spacecraft was named the S.S. Alan Bean.[12]

Manifest

Total weight of cargo: 3,705 kg (8,168 lb), consisting of 3,586 kg (7,905 lb) in pressurized cargo and 119 kg (262 lb) in unpressurized cargo.[5]

  • Crew supplies: 680 kg (1,499 lb)
  • Science investigations: 1,983 kg (4,372 lb)
  • Spacewalk equipment: 104 kg (229 lb)
  • Vehicle hardware: 756 kg (1,667 lb)
  • Computer resources: 17 kg (37 lb)
  • Russian hardware: 11 kg (24 lb)
  • Northrop Grumman-related equipment: 35 kg (77 lb)

Among the cargo delivered was a special made oven for use in space, and some cookie dough. The crew of ISS will attempt to use the device to bake chocolate chip cookies in space (a first time for this kind of space activity). The baking of cookies in space attracted some international media attention when the mission was arriving at the space station.[3][13][14]

Extension

Northrop Grumman’s customer with a payload on the Cygnus (Lynk) sought extra time in orbit, a request that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved on March 3. The FCC approval provided the potential to extend this testing until as late as April 2.

“The extension of our license by the FCC allows Northrop Grumman to extend our NG-12 mission beyond our original completion date, enabling us to offer increased operational flexibility for our customers,” Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager of Tactical Space at Northrop Grumman, said in the statement. “The NG-12 spacecraft remains in excellent health as we carry out a few more weeks of in-orbit operations.”[15]

The spacecraft was deorbited at about 23:00 UTC on March 17, 2020.[2]

References

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  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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