The 15th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station successfully launched Saturday at 12:36 p.m. from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
🚀 The @northropgrumman Antares vehicle lifted off from Wallops at 12:36 p.m. EST today and #Cygnus is on its way to the @Space_Station! Cygnus will rendezvous with the station on Feb. 22 at 3 a.m., with capture scheduled for 4:40 a.m. EST. pic.twitter.com/uF1VeGXXVl
— NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) February 20, 2021
The mission is a partnership of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and Northrop Grumman.
Northrop Grumman’s unmanned Cygnus spacecraft launched on the company’s Antares rocket, carrying approximately 8,200 pounds of cargo that included scientific investigations, crew supplies, and hardware. A secondary payload of thirty ThinSats, which are small satellites that carry scientific experiments into space and are capable of transmitting data from low earth orbit, was integrated on the second stage of the Antares as part of a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) student outreach program.
The resupply ship is racing to the station for a robotic capture on Monday at 4:40 am ET. NASA will broadcast the arrival beginning at 3 am.
The Cygnus spacecraft has been named in honor of longtime Virginia resident and pioneering Black NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and in celebration of Black History Month. Northrop Grumman traditionally names each spacecraft after an individual who has played a pivotal role in the legacy of human spaceflight. Johnson’s hand-written calculations were critical to the success of America’s early human spaceflight missions. She was among the group of Black women mathematicians at NASA who were celebrated in the 2016 film ‘Hidden Figures,’ based on the nonfiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly with the same title.
The February 20 launch date also marks the 59th anniversary of the launch of Friendship 7, a mission that made John Glenn the first American astronaut to orbit Earth. Glenn asked Johnson to verify the complex orbital trajectory calculations prior to his flight.
“This important mission honors the legacy of Katherine Johnson, who broke through barriers of gender and race, and whose mathematical skill has been integral to the advancement of human spaceflight,” said Governor Northam. “Her work also paved the way for the delivery of critical equipment and scientific experiments to the International Space Station, like that which is aboard this spacecraft bearing her name. We remain committed to making strategic investments to support the growing aerospace industry in Virginia and help shape the future of space exploration.”
The S.S. Katherine Johnson will arrive at the International Space Station on Monday, February 22, and will remain attached to the space station for approximately three months. NG-15 is the thirteenth successful Antares launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A, which serves as the homeport of the Northrop Grumman Antares launch vehicle. The Commonwealth built the $120 million launch pad to accommodate the Antares 230+ rocket configuration and Cygnus spacecraft.
Once the S.S. Katherine Johnson is deployed to the International Space Station filled with the primary cargo payload, the ThinSats will be released into Extreme Low Earth Orbit (ELEO) from the second stage of the rocket.
Students will be able to collect and analyze data relayed from their satellites for approximately five days before they deorbit and burn upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Today’s mission marks the second time Virginia Space has launched ThinSats on a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket—the inaugural launch was on April 17, 2019. First Lady Pamela Northam witnessed the liftoff and participated in a virtual ThinSats team meeting with students ahead of the launch.
🚀 The @northropgrumman Antares vehicle lifted off from Wallops at 12:36 p.m. EST today and #Cygnus is on its way to the @Space_Station! Cygnus will rendezvous with the station on Feb. 22 at 3 a.m., with capture scheduled for 4:40 a.m. EST. pic.twitter.com/uF1VeGXXVl
— NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) February 20, 2021
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