Jump to content
Join the Alien Search, login or register FREE on Aliens and Space Forum
Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site

Overview for NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th Commercial Resupply Mission

NASA

By NASA
in NASA

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
NASA Mentor

NASA

Posted
  • Publishers
Posted
NASA's Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver science and supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deliver science and supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA
NASA's Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA

NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting 12:29 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 29, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. Filled with more than 7,800 pounds of supplies, the Cygnus cargo spacecraft, carried atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This launch is the 20th Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency. The backup launch opportunity will be at 12:07 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30.

Live launch coverage will begin at 12:15 p.m. and air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and on the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Wednesday, Jan. 24. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms

Learn more at:  nasa.gov/northropgrumman

Northrop Grumman S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson

Patricia Robertson was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998 and scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in 2002, before her untimely death in 2001 from injuries sustained in a private plane crash.
Patricia Robertson was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998 and scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in 2002, before her untimely death in 2001 from injuries sustained in a private plane crash.
NASA

Arrival & Departure

The Cygnus spacecraft will arrive at the orbiting laboratory at 3:35 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, filled with supplies, hardware, and critical materials to directly support dozens of science and research investigations during Expeditions 70 and 71. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will capture Cygnus using the station’s robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will act as backup.

After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port and will spend about six months connected to the orbiting laboratory before departing in May. Cygnus also provides the operational capability to reboost the station’s orbit.

After departure, the Kentucky Re-entry Probe Experiment-2 (KREPE-2), stowed inside Cygnus, will take measurements to demonstrate a thermal protection system for spacecraft and their contents during re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere, which can be difficult to replicate in ground simulations.

Live coverage of Cygnus’ arrival will begin at 2 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 31.

NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara will be on duty during the Cygnus cargo craft's aproach and rendezvous. Moghbeli will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 ready to capture Cygnus as O’Hara monitors the vehicle’s arrival.
NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara will be on duty during the Cygnus cargo craft’s aproach and rendezvous. Moghbeli will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 robotic arm ready to capture Cygnus as O’Hara monitors the vehicle’s arrival.
NASA

Research Highlights

Scientific investigations traveling in the Cygnus spacecraft include tests of a 3D metal printer, semiconductor manufacturing, and thermal protection systems for re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere.

3D Printing in Space

Samples produced by the Metal 3D Printer prior to launch to the space station.
Samples produced by the Metal 3D Printer prior to launch to the space station.
ESA (European Space Agency)

An investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), Metal 3D Printer tests additive manufacturing or 3D printing of small metal parts in microgravity.

“This investigation provides us with an initial understanding of how such a printer behaves in space,” said Rob Postema of ESA. “A 3D printer can create many shapes, and we plan to print specimens, first to understand how printing in space may differ from printing on Earth and second to see what types of shapes we can print with this technology. In addition, this activity helps show how crew members can work safely and efficiently with printing metal parts in space.”

Results could improve understanding of the functionality, performance, and operations of metal 3D printing in space, as well as the quality, strength, and characteristics of the printed parts. Resupply presents a challenge for future long-duration human missions. Crew members could use 3D printing to create parts for maintenance of equipment on future long-duration spaceflight and on the Moon or Mars, reducing the need to pack spare parts or to predict every tool or object that might be needed, saving time and money at launch.

Advances in metal 3D printing technology also could benefit potential applications on Earth, including manufacturing engines for the automotive, aeronautical, and maritime industries and creating shelters after natural disasters.

Semiconductor Manufacturing in Microgravity

The gas supply modules and production module for Redwire's MSTIC investigation.
The gas supply modules and production module for Redwire’s MSTIC investigation.
Redwire

Manufacturing of Semiconductors and Thin-Film Integrated Coatings (MSTIC) examines how microgravity affects thin films that have a wide range of uses.

This technology could enable autonomous manufacturing to replace the many machines and processes currently used to make a wide range of semiconductors, potentially leading to the development of more efficient and higher-performing electrical devices.

Manufacturing semiconductor devices in microgravity also may improve their quality and reduce the materials, equipment, and labor required. On future long-duration missions, this technology could provide the capability to produce components and devices in space, reducing the need for resupply missions from Earth. The technology also has applications for devices that harvest energy and provide power on Earth.

Modeling Atmospheric Re-Entry

An artist’s rendering of one of the Kentucky Re-entry Probe Experiment-2 (KREPE-2) capsules during re-entry.
An artist’s rendering of one of the Kentucky Re-entry Probe Experiment-2 (KREPE-2) capsules during re-entry.
University of Kentucky

Scientists who conduct research on the space station often return their experiments to Earth for additional analysis and study. But the conditions that spacecraft experience during atmospheric reentry, including extreme heat, can have unintended effects on their contents. Thermal protection systems used to shield spacecraft and their contents are based on numerical models that often lack validation from actual flight, which can lead to significant overestimates in the size of system needed and take up valuable space and mass. Kentucky Re-entry Probe Experiment-2 (KREPE-2), part of an effort to improve thermal protection system technology, uses three capsules outfitted with different heat shield materials and a variety of sensors to obtain data on actual reentry conditions.

“Building on the success of KREPE-1, we have improved the sensors to gather more measurements and improved the communication system to transmit more data,” said Alexandre Martin, principal investigator at the University of Kentucky. “We have the opportunity to test several heat shields provided by NASA that have never been tested before, and another manufactured entirely at the University of Kentucky, also a first.”

The capsules can be outfitted for other atmospheric re-entry experiments, supporting improvements in heat shielding for applications on Earth, such as protecting people and structures from wildfires.

Remote Robotic Surgery

The surgical robot during testing on the ground before launch.
The surgical robot during testing on the ground before launch.
Virtual Incision Corporation

Robotic Surgery Tech Demo tests the performance of a small robot that can be remotely controlled from Earth to perform surgical procedures. Researchers plan to compare procedures in microgravity and on Earth to evaluate the effects of microgravity and time delays between space and ground.

The robot uses two “hands” to grasp and cut rubber bands, which simulate surgical tissue and provide tension that is used to determine where and how to cut, according to Shane Farritor, chief technology officer at Virtual Incision Corp., developer of the investigation with the University of Nebraska.

Longer space missions increase the likelihood that crew members may need surgical procedures, whether simple stiches or an emergency appendectomy. Results from this investigation could support development of robotic systems to perform these procedures. In addition, the availability of a surgeon in rural areas of the country declined nearly a third between 2001 and 2019. Miniaturization and the ability to remotely control the robot help make surgery available anywhere and anytime on Earth. 

NASA has sponsored research on miniature robots for more than 15 years. In 2006, remotely operated robots performed procedures in the underwater NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 9 mission. In 2014, a miniature surgical robot performed simulated surgical tasks on the zero-g parabolic airplane.

Growing Cartilage Tissue in Space

The Janus Base Nano-matrix anchor cartilage cells (red) and facilitates the formation of the cartilage tissue matrix (green).
The Janus Base Nano-matrix anchor cartilage cells (red) and facilitates the formation of the cartilage tissue matrix (green).
University of Connecticut

Compartment Cartilage Tissue Construct demonstrates two technologies, Janus Base Nano-Matrix and Janus Base Nanopiece. Nano-Matrix is an injectable material that provides a scaffold for formation of cartilage in microgravity, which can serve as a model for studying cartilage diseases. Nanopiece delivers an RNA (ribonucleic acid)-based therapy to combat diseases that cause cartilage degeneration.

Cartilage has a limited ability to self-repair and osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability in older patients on Earth. Microgravity can trigger cartilage degeneration that mimics the progression of aging-related osteoarthritis but happens more quickly, so research in microgravity could lead to faster development of effective therapies. Results from this investigation could advance cartilage regeneration as a treatment for joint damage and diseases on Earth and contribute to development of ways to maintain cartilage health on future missions to the Moon and Mars.

Cargo Highlights

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station

NASA's Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will carry 7,805 pounds (3,540 kilograms) of cargo to the International Space Station.
NASA’s Northrop Grumman 20th commercial resupply mission will carry 7,805 pounds (3,540 kilograms) of cargo to the International Space Station.
NASA

Hardware  

  • Hydrogen Dome Assembly includes all  hydrogen and oxygen electrolysis replacement components within the International Space Station’s Oxygen Generation Assembly. These items are contained in a sub-ambient dome maintained at near vacuum pressure, designed to contain an explosion or fire in the electrolysis cell stack during operation. The dome provides a second barrier to protect against cabin air internal leakage and external leakage into the rack environment, and is pressurized with nitrogen gas for launch. This will launch as an  on-orbit spare.
  • Ion Exchange Bed — The ion exchange bed replacement unit consists of a pair of tubes in series containing ion exchange resins, which remove organic acids from the catalytic reactor effluent, and microbial check valve resin, which injects iodine into the water as a biocide agent. This will launch  as an on-orbit spare.
  • Catalytic Reactor — The catalytic reactor replacement unit oxidizes volatile organics from the wastewater so they can be removed by the gas separator and ion exchange bed replacement units as part of the station’s water recycling system. This will launch as an on-orbit spare.
  • Biocide Maintenance Canister — The Internal Thermal Control System Coolant Maintenance Assembly is designed to administer o-phthalaldehyde, a biocide used to purify the internal cooling loops in the Destiny laboratory, and the Harmony, Tranquility, Columbus, and Japanese Experiment Modules, to prevent the growth of microorganisms in the thermal control system. This unit will replace the current one installed in the laboratory.
  • Cylinder Flywheel — The ARED (Advanced Resistive Exercise Device) cylinder-flywheel assemblies provide the resistive loads for astronaut anaerobic exercise. The cylinder flywheels impart inertial forces to simulate Earth’s gravity during exercise.
  • International Space Station Roll Out Solar Array Modification Kit 7 – This upgrade kit consists of upper, mid, and lower struts (one each for left and right), a backbone, brackets, and support hardware for the new solar panels. This is the third in series of four modification kits needed to support the installation of the fourth set of upgraded solar arrays. The new arrays are designed to augment the station’s original solar arrays which have degraded over time. The replacement solar arrays are installed on top of existing arrays to provide a net increase in power with each array generating more than 20 kilowatts of power.
  • Urine Processor Assembly Pressure Control and Pump Assembly — The assembly evacuates the urine distillation assembly at startup and periodically purges non-condensable gases and water vapor and pumps them to the separator plumbing assembly. The purge pump housing and pressure control and pump assembly manifolds are liquid cooled to promote steam condensation, thereby reducing the volume of the purge gas. All these systems make up the system used to covert urine to drinking water.
  • Collection Packet and Adapter — Required for minimal, nominal water microbial sampling. In-flight water quality assessment is needed to assure that water of acceptable, defined quality will be available aboard the space station.

Watch and Engage

Live coverage of the launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, will air on NASA TV, NASA+ and the agency’s website. Live coverage will begin at 12:15 p.m.

Live coverage of Cygnus’ rendezvous and capture at the space station will begin at 3:35 a.m. Jan. 31. Read more about how to watch and engage.

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Similar Topics

    • European Space Agency
      Hera asteroid mission’s Mars flyby
      By European Space Agency
      Video: 00:01:36 On  Wednesday 12 March 2025 ESA’s Hera spacecraft for planetary defence performs a flyby of Mars. The gravity of the red planet shifts the spacecraft’s trajectory towards its final destination of the Didymos binary asteroid system, shortening its trip by months and saving substantial fuel.
      Watch the livestream release of images from Hera’s flyby by the mission’s science team on Thursday 13 March, starting at 11:50 CET!
      Hera comes to around 5000 km from the surface of Mars during its flyby. It will also image Deimos, the smaller of Mars’s two moons, from a minimum 1000 km away (while venturing as close as 300 km). Hera will also image Mars’s larger moon Phobos as it begins to move away from Mars.
      Launched on 7 October 2024, Hera on its way to visit the first asteroid to have had its orbit altered by human action. By gathering close-up data about the Dimorphos asteroid, which was impacted by NASA’s DART spacecraft in 2022, Hera will help turn asteroid deflection into a well understood and potentially repeatable technique.
      Hera will reach the Didymos asteroid and its Dimorphos moonlet in December 2026. By gathering crucial missing data during its close-up crash scene investigation, Hera will turn the kinetic impact method of asteroid deflection into a well understood technique that could potentially be used for real when needed.
      View the full article
    • NASA
      NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Scientific Mission Aboard the Space Station
      By NASA
      NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Scientific Mission Aboard the Space Station
    • NASA
      NASA Receives Some Data Before Intuitive Machines Ends Lunar Mission
      By NASA
      Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 captured an image March 6, 2025, after landing in a crater from the Moon’s South Pole. The lunar lander is on its side about 820 feet from the intended landing site, Mons Mouton. In the center of the image between the two lander legs is the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 suite, which shows the drill deployed.Credit: Intuitive Machines Shortly after touching down inside a crater on the Moon, carrying NASA technology and science on its IM-2 mission, Intuitive Machines collected some data for the agency before calling an early end of mission at 12:15 a.m. CST Friday.
      As part of the company’s second Moon delivery for NASA under the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, the IM-2 mission included a drill to bring lunar soil to the surface and a mass spectrometer to look for the presence of volatiles, or gases, that could one day help provide fuel or breathable oxygen to future Artemis explorers.
      Planned to land at Mons Mouton, IM-2 touched down at approximately 11:30 a.m. March 6, more than 1,300 feet (400 meters) from its intended landing site. Intuitive Machines said images collected later confirmed the lander was on its side, preventing it from fully operating the drill and other instruments before its batteries were depleted.
      The IM-2 mission landed closer to the lunar South Pole than any previous lander.
      “Our targeted landing site near the lunar South Pole is one of the most scientifically interesting, and geographically challenging locations, on the Moon,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Each success and setback are opportunities to learn and grow, and we will use this lesson to propel our efforts to advance science, exploration, and commercial development as we get ready for human exploration of Mars.”
      The Nova-C lander, named Athena, captured and transmitted images of the landing site before activating the technology and science instruments. Among the data collected, NASA’s PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1) suite, which includes the lunar drill known as TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain), successfully demonstrated the hardware’s full range of motion in the harsh environment of space. The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) as part of the PRIME-1 suite of instruments, detected elements likely due to the gases emitted from the lander’s propulsion system. 
      “While this mission didn’t achieve all of its objectives for NASA, the work that went into the payload development is already informing other agency and commercial efforts,” said Clayton Turner, associate administrator for space technology, NASA Headquarters. “As we continue developing new technologies to support exploration of the Moon and Mars, testing technologies in-situ is crucial to informing future missions. The CLPS initiative remains an instrumental method for achieving this.”
      Despite the lander’s configuration, Intuitive Machines, which was responsible for launch, delivery, and surface operations under its CLPS contract, was able to complete some instrument checkouts and collect 250 megabytes of data for NASA.
      “Empowering American companies to deliver science and tech to the Moon on behalf of NASA both produces scientific results and continues development of a lunar economy,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “While we’re disappointed in the outcome of the IM-2 mission, we remain committed to supporting our commercial vendors as they navigate the very difficult task of landing and operating on the Moon.”
      NASA’s Laser Retroreflector Array, a passive instrument meant to provide a reference point on the lunar surface and does not power on, will remain affixed to the top deck of the lander. Although Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Hopper and Nokia’s 4G/LTE Tipping Point technologies, funded in part by NASA, were only able to complete some objectives, they provided insight into maturing technologies ready for infusion into a commercial space application including some checkouts in flight and on the surface.
      Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission launched at 6:16 p.m., Feb. 26, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
      Intuitive Machines has two more deliveries on the books for NASA in the future, with its IM-3 mission slated for 2026, and IM-4 mission in 2027.
      To date, five vendors have been awarded a total of 11 lunar deliveries under CLPS and are sending more than 50 instruments to various locations on the Moon, including the Moon’s far side and South Pole region. CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum contract value of $2.6 billion through 2028.
      Learn more about NASA’s CLPS initiative at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/clps
      -end-
      Cheryl Warner / Jasmine Hopkins
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov / jasmine.s.hopkins@nasa.gov
      Natalia Riusech / Nilufar Ramji
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Mar 07, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Artemis Earth's Moon Science & Research Science Mission Directorate Space Technology Mission Directorate View the full article
    • NASA
      NASA Invites Creators to Design Mascot for Artemis Moon Mission
      By NASA
      Credit: NASA NASA is seeking design ideas from global creators for a zero gravity indicator that will fly aboard the agency’s Artemis II test flight. Zero gravity indicators are small, plush items carried aboard spacecraft to provide a visual indication of when the spacecraft and its crew reach space.
      This opportunity, with a submission deadline of May 27, asks for original designs representing the significance of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the mission, or exploration and discovery, and meet specific requirements for materials and size.
      “What better way to fly a mission around the Moon than to invite the public inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft with us and ask for help in designing our zero gravity indicator?” asked Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “The indicator will float alongside Victor, Christina, Jeremy, and me as we go around the far side of the Moon and remind us of all of you back on Earth.”
      Up to 25 finalists, including from a K-12 student division, will be selected. The Artemis II crew will choose one design that NASA’s Thermal Blanket Lab will fabricate to fly alongside them in Orion. Imagine seeing your creation floating weightlessly with astronauts on their way around the Moon.
      For complete contest details, visit:
      http://www.freelancer.com/moon-mascot
      Crowdsourcing company Freelancer is hosting the challenge, called Moon Mascot: NASA Artemis II ZGI Design Contest, on behalf of the agency through the NASA Tournament Lab, managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.
      NASA has a long history of flying zero gravity indicators for human spaceflight missions. Many missions to the International Space Station include a plush item. A plush Snoopy rode inside Orion during NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission.
      Artemis II will be the first test flight of the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground system with crew aboard. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will venture around the Moon and back. The mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.
      All major elements for Artemis II are readying for flight. Engineers recently completed stacking the twin solid rocket boosters for the SLS (Space Launch System) on their launch platform and are preparing for integration of the SLS core stage in the coming weeks. Teams also recently installed the solar array wings on the Orion spacecraft that will carry the four astronauts on their journey around the Moon and home.
      Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
      Learn more about Artemis II at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/
      -end-
      Rachel Kraft
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov
      Courtney Beasley
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Mar 07, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Humans in Space Artemis 2 Astronauts Johnson Space Center NASA Headquarters
      View the full article
    • Space Force
      X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle concludes seventh successful mission
      By Space Force
      The Space Force landed the X-37B at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, to exercise its rapid ability to launch and recover its systems across multiple sites. X-37B’s Mission 7 was the first launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket to a Highly Elliptical Orbit.

      View the full article

  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...