Cygnus NG-11

Cygnus NG-11
Mission type ISS resupply
Operator NASA
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Enhanced Cygnus
Manufacturer Northrop Grumman
Thales Alenia Space
Start of mission
Launch date 17 April 2019[1]
Rocket Antares 230
Launch site MARS LP-0A
Contractor Northrop Grumman
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Inclination 51.6 degrees
Epoch Planned
Berthing at ISS
Berthing port Harmony nadir or Unity nadir

Cygnus NG-11, previously known as CRS OA-11, is the twelfth planned flight of the Northrop Grumman unmanned resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eleventh flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.[2][3] The mission is scheduled to launch on 17 April 2019.[1] This is the last mission from the extended CRS contract; followup missions are part of the CRS2 contract.[4]

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.[5] Northrop Grumman purchased Orbital in June 2018; its ATK division was renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.[6]

Spacecraft

Production and integration of Cygnus spacecraft is performed in Dulles, VA. The Cygnus service module is mated with the pressurized cargo module at the launch site, and mission operations are conducted from control centers in Dulles and Houston.[5] This will be the eighth flight of the Enhanced-sized Cygnus PCM.[7]

Manifest

Total weight of cargo: 3,500–3,750 kg (7,720–8,270 lb).[8]

  • Crew supplies
  • Science investigations
  • Spacewalk equipment
  • Vehicle hardware
  • Computer resources

References

  1. 1 2 Clark, Stephen (27 July 2018). "Launch schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "Worldwide launch schedule". spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "International Space Station Flight Schedule". Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. 15 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Gebhardt, Chris (1 June 2018). "Orbital ATK looks ahead to CRS2 Cygnus flights, Antares on the commercial market". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Cygnus Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital ATK. 24 March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Erwin, Sandra (5 June 2018). "Acquisition of Orbital ATK approved, company renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems". SpaceNews. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  7. ↑ Leone, Dan (17 August 2015). "NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "International Space Station Payload Opportunities on Cygnus" (PDF). Northrop Grumman. 2018. FS009_13_1.

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