Shortly after launch, NASA’s Cygnus spacecraft—a crucial component of the agency’s cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS)—met with an issue. Cygnus, a dependable workhorse developed by
Northrop Grumman
, has been transporting essential supplies, equipment, and research experiments to the International Space Station (ISS).
But an unforeseen obstacle on this most recent expedition put its trip to the orbiting laboratory in jeopardy.
The malfunction, which happened early in the journey, cast doubt on the spacecraft’s capacity to finish the delivery. Despite the setback, the engineering teams at Northrop Grumman and NASA moved swiftly to identify and fix the problem.
What caused Nasa’s Cygnus glitch?
Launched by
Falcon 9
, a Northman Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft suffered a glitch right after its launch on August 4, which delayed maneuvers needed to reach the station. The capsule was carrying 3857 kg of goods to the International Space Station (ISS) lifted off at 8:32 p.m. IST but ran into trouble about 42 minutes later.
A Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with the Cygnus spacecraft separating from the Falcon’s upper stage in low Earth orbit. The launch was delayed due to poor weather, but the Cygnus failed to perform initial burns to raise its orbit. NASA reported that the spacecraft was at a safe altitude and Northrop Grumman engineers are working on a new burn and trajectory plan. The launch was delayed a day due to Tropical Storm Debby. The solar array deployment was completed three hours after lift off.
Why is Cygnus important?
With 1,560 kg of vehicle hardware, 1,220 kg of scientific research, and 1,021 kg of crew supplies, the Cygnus is transporting 3,857 kg of cargo. During a briefing on August 2, NASA ISS operations integration manager Bill Spetch stated that the hardware included both new and critical spares. The hardware items included a spare pump assembly for a urine processing system and a modification kit that will be used for the installation of the final ISS Roll Out Solar Array on the station in 2025.
A few supplies for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are among the crew’s belongings; they have been stationed for almost two months as part of the CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test mission. Regarding the mission’s hazy return date, Spetch remarked, “We do like to keep our options open.”
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