Cygnus NG-11 (CRS-11) - Antares 230 - MARS LP-0A - 17.04.2019, 20:46 UTC

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04/17/2019 22:25 Stephen Clark

Today's mission is the first Antares launch to carry secondary payloads inside the rocket's second stage. One shoebox-sized CubeSat and 63 "ThinSats," tiny satellites about the size of a slice of a bread, will separate from the second stage around four-and-a-half minutes after deployment of the Cygnus spacecraft, which is timed for approximately T+plus 9 minutes.

Using a standardized form factor, children from middle school age to university students integrated sensor and transmitter hardware on the ThinSats with the support of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, Twiggs Space Lab, Northrop Grumman, and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

Students from 70 schools in nine states contributed to the ThinSats launching today. The ThinSats, which are flying for the first time on today's mission, will measure parameters of the space environment before atmospheric drag slows them down and they re-enter the atmosphere around five to 10 days after launch.

The CubeSat that will separate from the Antares second stage in the same low-altitude orbit is named SASSI^2, short for the Student Aerothermal Spectrometer Satellite of Illinois and Indiana. SASSI^2 carries instruments from the University of Illinois and Purdue University to measure pressure, heat flux and spectral data as the CubeSat encounters aerodynamic resistance in the upper atmosphere before it burns up on re-entry.

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Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF 1 мин. назад

Antares countdown has resumed from a planned built in hold. Fueling of RP-1 Kerosene and Liquid Oxygen will begin shortly.
#Antares #Cygnus #NG11 #NASA @northropgrumman

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04/17/2019 22:28 Stephen Clark

Weather permitting, observers from Connecticut to North Carolina, and inland to Pennsylvania, could catch a glimpse of the Antares rocket as it soars southeast from Wallops Island, Virginia, en route to the International Space Station.

That viewing range includes New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Here's a map of potential viewing opportunities provided by Northrop Grumman.

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04/17/2019 22:31 Stephen Clark

Propellant has started pumping into the Antares rocket's first stage. About 21,000 gallons of RP-1, a high-refined rocket-grade kerosene, and about 41,000 gallons of liquid oxygen will be loaded into the first stage over the next half-hour.

The kerosene is stored at roughly room temperature and the liquid oxygen is chilled to around minus 298 degrees Fahrenheit. The oxygen will slowly boil off during the countdown, and liquid oxygen will continue flowing into the rocket until shortly before liftoff.

One change introduced by the Antares 230 rocket, which made its inaugural flight in 2016, is the elimination of "sub-cooled" liquid oxygen chilled and densified at minus 383 degrees Fahrenheit for the Antares rocket's old AJ26 engines. The RD-181s consume the oxidizer at its boiling point.

The first stage tanks are designed by Yuzhnoye and built by Yuzhmash in Ukraine based on heritage from the Zenit rocket. The liquid oxygen tank is positioned in the upper part of the 12.8-foot-diameter stage and the RP-1 tank is in the lower part of the stage.

The first stage's two RD-181 engines will consume the liquid propellant during a 3-minute, 35-second burn.

The Antares second stage, a Castor 30XL motor built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, is propelled by solid fuel already loaded into the rocket.

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04/17/2019 22:39 Stephen Clark

Gripper arms on the transporter-erector-launcher have opened, and the structure has moved to the so-called "pre-pullback" position in preparation for its retract at liftoff.

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04/17/2019 22:51 Stephen Clark

Low-flow loading of liquid oxygen into the first stage has begun, the launch team confirms.

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04/17/2019 22:53 Stephen Clark

The Antares' Gryo Compass guidance system is being aligned and configured for today's launch.

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04/17/2019 23:02 Stephen Clark

45 minutes until liftoff. The Cygnus spacecraft on this flight is carrying 3,162 kilograms, or 6,971 pounds, of supplies to the International Space Station. This is the eighth flight of the enlarged Cygnus pressurized cargo module from Thales Alenia Space, providing 25 percent more interior volume for supplies. The spacecraft measures about 20 feet tall, and the pressurized cargo module has a volume of about 27 cubic meters, or 950 cubic feet.

Here are some statistics on today's launch:

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• 10th Antares rocket launch
• 5th launch of the Antares 230 configuration
• 16th orbital launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
• 12th launch of a Cygnus spacecraft
• 1st orbital launch from Wallops in 2019
• 7th orbital launch from U.S. soil in 2019
• 25th global orbital launch attempt in 2019
  

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/04/17/photos-ground-crews-load-final-cargo-into-cygnus-supply-ship/

Photos: Ground crews load final cargo into Cygnus supply ship
April 17, 2019 | Stephen Clark

Technicians working at launch pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia completed the final loading of cargo into Northrop Grumman's Cygnus supply ship late Tuesday, and the Antares rocket was raised vertical again in preparation for Wednesday's countdown.

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Specialists removed the top of the Antares rocket's payload shroud and opened the forward hatch to the Cygnus spacecraft Tuesday evening to load time-sensitive cargo into the supply ship. This mission is the first time Northrop Grumman has introduced the new capability to install equipment into the cargo craft's pressurized module less than 24 hours before liftoff.

The items loaded Tuesday night included a habitat with 40 mice heading to the International Space Station to help researchers study how microgravity affects the animals' immune system.

With the work complete, ground crews closed the hatch and placed the top of the payload fairing back on the rocket, then raised Antares vertical early Wednesday morning.

Liftoff of the 139-foot-tall (42.5-meter) Antares rocket is set for 4:46:07 p.m. EDT (2046:07 GMT).


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

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Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF 4 мин. назад

The FTS (Flight Termination System) has been taken to internal power at this time.
#Antares #Cygnus #NG11 #NASA @northropgrumman

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Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 1 мин. назад

T-minus 23 minutes. Upper level winds are "go" for liftoff of the Antares rocket from Virginia's Eastern Shore at 4:46pm EDT (2046 GMT).

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04/17/2019 23:24 Stephen Clark

The Antares rocket's Transporter-Erector-Launcher, or TEL, is being armed for rapid retract at this time.

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