Well folks, here we are! The first launch of Cygnus on Falcon 9!
Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-01-30, 17:07 |
---|---|
Scheduled for (local) | 2024-01-30, 12:07 (EST) |
Mission | CRS NG-20 |
Launch site | SLC-40, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. |
Booster | B1077-10 |
Landing | LZ-1 |
Payload spacecraft | Cygnus |
Customer | Northrop Grumman / NASA |
Mission success criteria | Successful launch and docking to the ISS |
Webcasts
Stream | Link |
---|---|
Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZwX1CfFLtA |
NASA | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp1rp5R4Q1U |
NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyaI5LR150w |
Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W08HLn1Owgk |
The Launch Pad | |
Everyday Astronaut | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IonNr5iLjH4 |
SpaceX | https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1752373649007604021#m |
The Space Devs | TBD |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 4th launch from SLC-40 this year
☑️ 15 days, 15:15:00 turnaround for this pad
☑️ 10th Falcon 9 launch this year, 296th Falcon 9 mission overall
☑️ 35th landing on LZ-1
☑️ 223rd consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (excluding Amos-6) (if successful)
☑️ 270th Falcon Family Booster landing, 280th Falcon recovery attempt
☑️ 10th SpaceX launch this year
☑️ 310th SpaceX mission overall (excluding Starship hops)
☑️ 322nd SpaceX launch overall (including Starship hops)
Mission info
- NextSpaceflight mission page
- SpaceX mission website
- Northrop Grumman mission website
- SpaceNews article
- NASASpaceFlight article
This will be the first of three Cygnus missions to fly aboard Falcon 9 for Northrop Grumman to fulfill its cargo delivery contract while the new Antares 330 is under development.
MECO, stage separation, M-vac ignition, boostback, and fairing separation.
https://nitter.freedit.eu/SpaceX/status/1752379023408447737#m
Interesting to note that they are using a shorter M-vac nozzle for this mission.
Stage 1 landing confirmed!
https://nitter.freedit.eu/SpaceX/status/1752382592769499613#m
M-vac shutdown.
https://nitter.freedit.eu/SpaceX/status/1751390169503281501#m
Targeting Tuesday, January 30 for NG-20, Falcon 9’s first launch of a Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the @space_station → spacex.com/launches
Jan 27, 2024 · 11:42 PM UTC
Cygnus separation confirmed.
https://nitter.freedit.eu/SpaceX/status/1752383518800535714#m
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters CRS Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA MECO Main Engine Cut-Off ~ MainEngineCutOff podcast NG New Glenn, two/three-stage orbital vehicle by Blue Origin ~ Natural Gas (as opposed to pure methane) ~ Northrop Grumman, aerospace manufacturer
2 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 8 acronyms.
[Thread #30 for this sub, first seen 30th Jan 2024, 17:20] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
https://nitter.freedit.eu/SpaceX/status/1752375953790283778#m
The NG-20 fairing has a custom-designed, built-in ~5’x4’ door to support late cargo loads onto Cygnus by a mobile cleanroom
Jan 30, 2024 · 4:59 PM UTC
https://nitter.freedit.eu/SpaceX/status/1752339596179124681#m
Sunrise at pad 40 in Florida. Falcon 9 is targeted to launch @NorthropGrumman’s NG-20 mission at 12:07 p.m. ET today → spacex.com/launches
Jan 30, 2024 · 2:34 PM UTC
https://nitter.freedit.eu/SpaceX/status/1752362895655178622#m
One hour until Falcon 9 launches NG-20 to the @space_station. All systems are looking good and weather is 95% favorable for liftoff
Jan 30, 2024 · 4:07 PM UTC