Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Fails to Deploy Solar Array Shortly After Launch

The Cygnus cargo spacecraft has run into some hassle on its technique to the International Space Station (ISS), as one in every of its two photo voltaic arrays is refusing to deploy.

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft had an early launch on Monday, November 7 at 5:32 a.m. ET from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Port. The expendable freighter is carrying 8,200 kilos of cargo to the ISS and is scheduled to reach on the orbiting area station on Wednesday.

While en route, the cargo capsule skilled a slight malfunction. After separating from the Antares rocket, Cygnus solely managed to deploy one in every of its photo voltaic arrays whereas the opposite one remained unfurled. “Northrop Grumman is gathering data on the second array deployment and is working closely with NASA,” the area company wrote in a really quick weblog publish on Monday.

That stated, Northrop Grumman did inform NASA that Cygnus, regardless of having just one functioning photo voltaic array, has sufficient energy to proceed the remainder of its journey and rendezvous with the ISS on Wednesday. “NASA is assessing this and the configuration required for capture and berthing,” NASA added.

The NG-18 resupply mission to the ISS is supposed to ship crew provides, tools, and science experiments to the orbiting station. Cygnus is a part of Northrop Grumman’s business contract with NASA, delivering cargo resupply missions to the ISS.

The firm’s 18th Cygnus spacecraft was named the S.S. Sally Ride in honor of the primary U.S. girl to go to area, a feat Ride completed in 1983. The cargo capsule is carrying a various payload that features a 3D printer for producing human tissues, an experiment on rising crops in area, and the primary satellite tv for pc developed by Uganda and Zimbabwe.

We will probably be following the progress of the Cygnus spacecraft and supply updates as we be taught extra.

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