Category: CRS-11

The post-launch news conference for Northrop Grumman’s 11th NASA-contracted commercial resupply  mission has concluded.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman launched its Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station at 4:46 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 17. Liftoff was from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the state’s Eastern Shore.

The Cygnus will arrive at the International Space Station Friday morning carrying about 7,600 pounds of research investigations and equipment, cargo and supplies that will support some of the hundreds of investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. The Cygnus spacecraft will be attached to the bottom of the station’s Unity module, where it will remain for about three months.

Among the science investigations: testing gels in microgravity as models for growing increasingly complex materials, a new tool to conduct life sciences research with just a few drops of blood, exploring Vascular Aging and the effects of weightlessness on the blood vessels and heart, examining the effects of spaceflight on the function of antibody production, and immune memory, demonstrating the first two of three Astrobee robots, and a technology that tests a method to remove carbon dioxide from air aboard the orbiting outpost.

Post-launch press release from NASA
Mission photography from NASA Headquarters’ Flickr

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft lifted off aboard an Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore  at 4:46 p.m. EDT April 17. NASA Television has resumed live coverage for a post-launch press conference.

Participants:

Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program
Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager, Space Systems, Northrop Grumman
Kurt Eberly, Antares vice president at Northrop Grumman

NASA Television has resumed live coverage for deployment of the Cygnus solar arrays. Northrop Grumman’s cargo spacecraft lifted off on an Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility at 4:46 p.m. EDT April 17.

It will arrive at the International Space Station Friday morning carrying about 7,600 pounds of research investigations and equipment, cargo and supplies that will support some of the hundreds of investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. The Cygnus spacecraft will be attached to the bottom of the station’s Unity module, where it will remain for about three months.

A postlaunch press conference will take place at 8:15 p.m. on NASA Television and at nasa.gov/live.

Participants:

Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program
Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager, Space Systems, Northrop Grumman
Kurt Eberly, Antares vice president at Northrop Grumman

Among the science investigations: testing gels in microgravity as models for growing increasingly complex materials, a new tool to conduct life sciences research with just a few drops of blood, exploring Vascular Aging and the effects of weightlessness on the blood vessels and heart, examining the effects of spaceflight on the function of antibody production, and immune memory, demonstrating the first two of three Astrobee robots, and a technology that tests a method to remove carbon dioxide from air aboard the orbiting outpost.

Learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on Twitter as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman launched its Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station at 4:46 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 17.

Loaded with 7,600 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, this is Northrop Grumman’s 11th commercial resupply NASA-contracted mission. Antares lifted off from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the state’s Eastern Shore.

Video credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Terry Zaperach

Additional images from NASA Headquarters’ Flickr.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman launched its Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station at about 4:46 p.m. EDT today, April 17.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station during a five-minute window opening at 4:46 p.m. EDT today, April 17.

NASA commentary for the launch will begin at 4:15 p.m. EDT.

Loaded with 7,600 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, this is Northrop Grumman’s 11th commercial resupply NASA-contracted mission. It will launch from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

Depending on local conditions, the launch may be visible throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Local and regional viewing opportunities for the launch are detailed on NASA’s website.

 

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station at 4:46 p.m. EDT today, April 17.

Loaded with 7,600 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, this is Northrop Grumman’s 11th commercial resupply NASA-contracted mission. It will launch from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

More images are available from NASA Headquarters’ Flickr.

The launch, as well as briefings preceding and following liftoff, will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website beginning at 4:15 p.m. EDT April 17.

Local and regional viewing opportunities for the launch are detailed on NASA’s website.

Weather stands at 95% favorable for the April 17 launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, according to the latest range forecast. At this time, cloud ceilings and ground winds are the primary weather concerns for a launch attempt on Wednesday afternoon.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station at 4:46 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 17.

Loaded with 7,600 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, this is Northrop Grumman’s 11th commercial resupply NASA-contracted mission. It will launch from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, on the state’s Eastern Shore.

High pressure will continue to provide pleasant conditions today to the Delmarva before moving offshore this evening and overnight. Another area of high pressure dips south into the northeast states tonight into Wednesday, forcing a cold front south over the northern Eastern Shore tomorrow morning, then eventually the Wallops area. Once the front moves through, winds will shift to an east-northeasterly direction and increase with wind gusts in the upper teens while advecting scattered low-level cloudiness across the range. Upper level cloudiness will also be increasing during the afternoon as a weak upper-level disturbance approaches the
Eastern Shore.

NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman raised its Antares rocket into vertical position the evening of April 15.

The Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station is scheduled for launch at 4:46 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 17.

Loaded with 7,600 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, this is Northrop Grumman’s 11th commercial resupply NASA-contracted mission. It will launch from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.