Category: Northrop Grumman

Forecast for NG-10 Launch, 3 Days Out

The three-days-out launch range forecast has been issued for Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket with Cygnus cargo spacecraft on the company’s NG-10 resupply mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for 4:49 a.m EST on Nov. 15 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

An area of low pressure is expected to develop and bring rain showers to the Southeastern United States on Wednesday. These showers will quickly progress to the northeast on Wednesday night into early Thursday, drawing very close to Wallops by the launch window early Thursday morning. The timing of these showers will be key for determining weather suitability for launch Thursday.

NG-10 and NG-11 Antares rockets at Wallops HIF
Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket for its NG-10 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station is seen on the left in the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in this photo from Nov. 4, 2018. The mission’s Cygnus spacecraft is shown in the middle of the facility. The Antares NG-11 rocket scheduled to launch in spring 2019 is on the right. Credits: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Patrick Black
The Cygnus spacecraft for the NG-10 mission, photographed in October at Wallops. Credits: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Patrick Black

The next launch range forecast will be issued Nov. 13.

The NG-10 mission’s Cygnus spacecraft, dubbed the SS John Young, after NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy officer John Young, is loaded with 7,500 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware.

Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. EST Nov. 14 on the Wallops video and audio Ustream sites. Launch coverage and commentary on NASA TV will begin at 4:15 a.m. EST Nov. 15.

How and where to view the launch
Full TV/streaming coverage details

How to View Nov. 15 NG-10 Antares Launch

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport are set to support the launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, carrying the company’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station at 4:49 a.m. EST, Nov. 15.

The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents up and down the East Coast of the United States.

launch viewing map for NG-10
The launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, scheduled for 4:49 a.m. EST on Nov, 15, 2018, may be visible throughout the Mid-Atlantic, depending on local conditions. Credit: NASA/Stephan Wlodarczyk

When accessed from a smartphone browser, the Wallops Mission Status Center website can provide specific viewing information based on your location. Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. Nov. 14 on the Wallops video and audio Ustream sites.

Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. EST Nov. 14 on the Wallops video and audio Ustream sites. Launch coverage and commentary on NASA TV will begin at 4:15 a.m. EST Nov. 15.

Full coverage details

For local launch-viewers, the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops opens at 1 a.m. on launch day for public viewing. Additional locations for catching the launch are Robert Reed Park on Chincoteague Island or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. Assateague Island National Seashore/Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia will not be open for viewing the launch.

Visitors are reminded that alcohol, pets and firearms are not allowed on the NASA Visitor Center grounds.

Guidance from NASA on drone use for viewing Wallops launches
Guidance for mariners (PDF)
Guidance for pilots (PDF)

Under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract, Cygnus will carry about 7,200 pounds of crew supplies and hardware to the space station, including science and research in support of dozens of research investigations.

Included in the cargo are investigations that will enable U.S. National Laboratory research, which is managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. They include a physical sciences investigation to evaluate a method for producing fiber optic cable in space and astrophysics research to examine the formation of chondrules, some of the oldest material in the solar system.