Northrop Grumman - Cygnus NG-17 (CRS) Mission patch.
Feb 19, 2022
Following its launch earlier today, Cygnus’ solar arrays have deployed and the S.S. Piers Sellers is on its way to the International Space Station. The arrays deployed following launch on the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket at 12:40 p.m. EST from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, carrying 8,300 pounds of research, hardware, and supplies to the International Space Station. Solar array deployment completes the launch phase.
Image above: The Cygnus space freighter’s cymbal-shaped solar arrays are pictured in this photograph taken from the space station in August of 2021. Image Credit: NASA.
The Cygnus spacecraft will arrive at the space station Monday, Feb. 21, for a capture at approximately 4:35 a.m. Coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival at the space station will begin at 3 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Cygnus spacecraft is filled with supplies and payloads including critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expedition 66. Using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, NASA astronaut Raja Chari will capture Cygnus, and Kayla Barron will be acting as a backup. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port.
Related articles:
Liftoff of Northrop Grumman’s CRS-17
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/02/liftoff-of-northrop-grummans-crs-17.html
Weather 75% Favorable for Saturday Antares Launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/02/weather-75-favorable-for-saturday.html
Northrop Grumman’s 17th Resupply Mission Carries Science Experiments, Technology Demonstrations to Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/02/northrop-grummans-17th-resupply-mission.html
Related links:
Northrop Grumman: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/northrop-grumman.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
