1. What new technologies are being used in the launch of this Station Resupply Mission?
NASA Television will broadcast the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket delivering the company’s uncrewed resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, Nov. 14.
The spacecraft, named Dragon, will be loaded with more than 5,500 pounds of supplies, science experiments and hardware needed for investigations that will occur on the orbiting laboratory.
Coverage of Launch
NASA TV launch coverage will begin at 9:30 a.m. EST.
SpaceX will launch its 19th cargo mission to the station. It is scheduled to reach the orbiting laboratory on Monday, Nov. 16.
Experiments on board Dragon
Among the experiments on board are:
- The E.coli Antibiotic Response (ECAR) experiment, which will use E. coli bacteria together with drugs to study antibiotic resilience, or the potential for a bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics;
- The Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory (SABL) experiment, designed to automate life science activities in microgravity;
- The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument, a laser ranging system that will measure Earth’s forests and their carbon.
Last Resupply Mission
This will be the second resupply mission to the orbiting laboratory this month. On Nov. 2, a Northrop Grumman mission was launched that took more than 8,000 pounds of science, supplies and hardware.
NASA successfully launched a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, 23 November 2019, from a facility at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. The mission is an 11-day voyage that aims to deliver more than 8,000 pounds of new supplies and equipment, including habitats for science experiments, a tool box for the ISS-European Space Agency, and a satellite for collecting wind and weather information.
This mission was broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency’s website, allowing viewers around the world to experience the momentous occasion.
The Cygnus cargo carrier and external cargo pallet were deployed at 4:10 a.m. EST, and will remain connected to the ISS until May 2020. This resupply mission, named NG-13, is being conducted by the private company Northrop Grumman and is the 14th consecutive one since 2014.
The 18th Northrop Grumman mission sent supplies such as hardware for the European Robotic Arm, a 3D printer, and experiment hardware related to a study on heart and muscle development in space. Other supplies include materials for educational experiments for students in more than 1000 schools around the world.
The launch also included 38 CubeSats, some of which are tasked with examining the effects of radiation on fabric, testing radiative cooling in space, and studying the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
The mission controllers at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility take control of the spacecraft shortly after launch and ensure all systems have been activated and checked before turning the spacecraft over to Northrup-Grumman. The spacecraft will then maneuver to a safe distance from the station before it begins to approach.
Astronauts aboard the ISS will use Canadarm2, a robotic arm, to seize the Cygnus spacecraft and securely connect it to the Harmony module. After the cargo-filled Cygnus is unloaded, the arm will transport the spacecraft to its departure point, where it will spend an additional three months in orbit until it is called to depart.
The NG-13 mission is an important milestone in the partnership between Northrop Grumman and NASA, demonstrating the commitment of both parties to developing and supporting the world’s greatest source of scientific research – the International Space Station.
Stay tuned to NASA TV to keep track of the mission and its progress.