Northrop Grumman – Page 31 – Commercial Resupply Mission to the International Space Station

How to View the CRS-3 Launch

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport are set to support the launch of Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket at 6:45 p.m. EDT, Oct. 27.

The Antares rocket will carry Orbital’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft, loaded with some 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments, to the International Space Station. CRS-3 (short for “Commercial Resupply Services”) will be the fourth Cygnus flight, including a demonstration flight in 2013, and the first night launch of an Antares rocket.

Public viewing of the launch will be available at the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops, as well as at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island National Seashore. (Wallops visitors are reminded that alcohol and pets are not allowed on Visitor Center grounds.) The Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission has additional recommendations for local viewing sites.

The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States.

Orb-3 Launch Visibility Map — The Antares launch scheduled Oct. 27 will be visible to residents in the mid-Atlantic, weather permitting. **Credit: NASA/Wallops Mission Planning Lab**

trajectory over view of harbor — What the Antares launch will look like from Fells Point in Baltimore, MD. **Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.**

view of trajectory over tidal basin — Viewing the launch across the tidal basin from the MLK Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. **Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.**

trajectory over the upper west side. — Viewing from River Road in North Bergen, New Jersey, looking south. **Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.**

Additional viewing maps from Orbital Sciences Corp. are available here.

Launch coverage on NASA TV will begin at 5:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 27.

› More information and TV coverage details
› NASA’s Orbital website

CRS-3 Fairing Installed

The Orbital CRS-3 mission’s payload fairing (essentially the casing around the spacecraft) was installed on Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Antares rocket the evening of Oct. 23 at the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The rocket is scheduled to roll out to Mid-Atlantic Regaional Spaceport Pad 0A at Wallops late in the afternoon on Oct. 24 in preparation for launch Monday, Oct. 27, at 6:45 p.m. EDT.

This mission is the third of eight Orbital flights NASA contracted with the company to resupply the space station, and the fourth trip by a Cygnus spacecraft to the ISS. Cygnus will transport some 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments to the orbiting laboratory.

› More information and TV coverage details
› NASA’s Orbital website

Orbital CRS-3 Launch Scheduled for Oct. 27 Liftoff

On Monday evening a Cygnus spacecraft carrying 5,000 pounds of supplies, including science experiments, crew provisions, spare parts and experiment hardware is scheduled to launch aboard an Antares rocket from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, bound for the International Space Station.

The launch of Orbital Sciences Corp.’s CRS-3 Commercial Resupply Services mission is scheduled for no earlier than 6:45 p.m. EDT aboard an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

The Antares rocket with Cyngus capsule aboard will be rolled out from Wallops’ Horizontal Integration Facility today en route to the MARS launch pad 0A, located about a mile away.

This Cygnus resupply module, dubbed “SS Deke Slayton,” honors Mercury 7 astronaut Donald “Deke” K. Slayton, who flew on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission in 1975 and championed commercial space endeavors after retiring from NASA in 1982. Slayton passed away in 1993.

NASA Television will broadcast live coverage of the event, including pre- and post-launch briefings and arrival at the station. Launch coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. Monday. Coverage of capture and installation will begin at 3:30 a.m. Nov. 2, followed by grapple at 4:58 a.m. Coverage of the installation of Cygnus onto the International Space Station will begin at 7 a.m. The capsule is scheduled to depart the station Wednesday, Dec. 3, and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere during reentry.

This mission is the third of eight Orbital flights NASA contracted with the company to resupply the space station, and the fourth trip by a Cygnus spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory.

› More information and TV coverage details
› NASA’s Orbital website

Cygnus Deploys Solar Arrays; Blog Coverage Concludes

Launch of the Orb-2 mission of a Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard an Antares rocket on July 13, 2014, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. — Launch of the Orb-2 mission of a Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard an Antares rocket on July 13, 2014, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. **Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls**

The solar arrays that will keep Cygnus’ batteries charged have deployed successfully. Now that Cygnus has reached its initial orbit and is on its way to the International Space Station, launch blog coverage has concluded.

The cargo ship will rendezvous with the International Space Station on Wednesday, July 16. It will be grappled at about 6:39 a.m. by Commander Steve Swanson of NASA. He will be assisted in a backup position by Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency. Cygnus will be attached to the Earth-facing port of the station’s Harmony node and will remain in place for about one month. It is scheduled depart the space station on August 15.

Visit NASA’s website for continuing coverage and more information about the Orb-2 mission and the International Space Station.

› NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station aboard Orbital Sciences Resupply Mission
› Launch video on YouTube
› NASA’s Orbital website
› NASA’s International Space Station website
› Mission preparation and launch photographs on Flickr: 1 | 2 | 3
› Latest Student Science Heads For Space
› Orbital Mission Delivers Delights to Station
› NASA Launches Smartphone Upgrade and CubeSat

Orb-2 Launch Photo

Second Stage Burn, Spacecraft Separation Complete

Cygnus’ second stage has lifted the spacecraft into its initial orbit. Cygnus has separated from the second stage. Cygnus is about 125 miles high, traveling at more than 16,700 mph.

Cygnus will then deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of engine firings to reach the station.

Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Cygnus spacecraft with cargo for the International Space Station launched as scheduled at 12:52 p.m. EDT aboard an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Rendezvous of Cygnus with the space station is scheduled for the morning of July 16.

› NASA’s Orbital website
› Launch viewing maps from Orbital Sciences Corp.
› Latest Student Science Heads For Space
› Orbital Mission Delivers Delights to Station
› NASA Launches Smartphone Upgrade and CubeSat

Main Engine Cutoff and 1st Stage Separation

“MECO,” or main engine cutoff and first stage separation have occurred.

Liftoff!

Final Countdown Poll: ‘Go!’

View of Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft (enclosed in its fairing) atop an Antares rocket. Credit: NASA — View of Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft (enclosed in its fairing) atop an Antares rocket on July 13. **Credit: NASA**

With roughly 11 minutes left in the countdown, the Orbital Sciences and NASA launch teams gave approval to launch as scheduled at 12:52 p.m. today. There are no technical issues and the weather remains 90-percent favorable.

Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Cygnus spacecraft is now on internal power.

Loaded with cargo for the International Space Station, Cygnus is launching aboard an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

At the time of the Antares launch, the space station will be over Australia. Rendezvous of Cygnus with the space station is scheduled for the morning of July 16.

Fuel Line Chill-Down Under Way

With about 30 minutes until launch at 12:52 p.m. EDT, chilling of the Antares rocket’s fuel lines is proceeding as planned. These lines are cooled to ensure efficient delivery of the fuel to the main engines at the time of ignition.

The U.S. Coast Guard helped ensure a sailboat exited the launch hazard area earlier in the countdown.