CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX will launch Northrop Grumman’s 20th supply mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday from Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch the NS-20 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:07 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft is loaded up with more than 8,200 pounds of fresh food, supplies, science and hardware for the International Space Station and the astronauts living on the station.
Northrop Grumman named the Cygnus spacecraft for this launch S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson, in remembrance of the former NASA astronaut. Robertson died in 2001 in a private plane crash.
The weather for launch day looks promising. The breezy conditions with a cold front that arrived on Monday will subside by Tuesday, clearing the way for launch. There is a 95% chance of favorable weather for liftoff, according to the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron launch forecast. The primary concern around the Spaceport for liftoff will be a small chance of cloud cover.
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If the launch is delayed to the backup window on Thursday at 11:18 a.m., the weather will be 90% favorable.
Northrop Grumman and SpaceX are competitors. Both are contractors for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program, sending supplies to the orbiting laboratory for the space agency.
The Cygnus cargo supply vehicle was previously launched on Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket but due to the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine, the company has been unable to source its Ukrainian and Russian hardware for the vehicle.
Northrop announced last year it is working with Firefly Aerospace to create a new version of the Antares rocket using American-made engines and other hardware.
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For the first launch of Cygnus on a Falcon 9 rocket, the SpaceX vehicle’s fairings were modified to accommodate the spacecraft. SpaceX normally launches its Cargo Dragon to the ISS with supplies, which does not require fairings.
After launch, SpaceX plans to land the Falcon 9 booster back at Cape Canaveral Landing Zone 1. The landing will create sonic booms that can be heard for miles around Florida’s Space Coast.
After arriving on Thursday, Cygnus will stay docked at the space station until May. When it departs, it won’t return to Earth but will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.