The personal Cygnus cargo craft is scheduled to reach on the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) early Wednesday morning (Nov. 9), and you may watch the motion reside.
Cygnus, a robotic freighter constructed by aerospace large Northop Grumman, launched toward the ISS on Monday (Nov. 7) from Virginia. If all goes in line with plan, astronauts will seize the automobile utilizing the orbiting lab’s robotic arm round 5:50 a.m. EST (1050 GMT).
You may watch the rendezvous and seize actions reside right here at Area.com, courtesy of NASA, starting at 3:30 a.m. EST (0830 GMT). After a break, protection of Cygnus’ set up aboard the International Space Station‘s Unity module will begin airing at 7:15 a.m. EST (1215 GMT).
Associated: Facts about the International Space Station
This Cygnus automobile, named the SS Sally Ride after the well-known NASA astronaut, is carrying about 4.1 tons (3.7 metric tons) of scientific experiments and provides to the ISS — greater than every other Cygnus has toted skyward.
The SS Sally Experience’s flight has not been completely easy: The freighter managed to deploy simply one among its two solar panels after liftoff. Its handlers say it could possibly make the journey to the ISS safely regardless, however mission groups might be preserving a watch out for any indicators of bother because it approaches the orbiting lab.
“Northrop Grumman is working intently with NASA to watch and assess the spacecraft forward of tomorrow’s deliberate arrival, seize and set up on the space station,” NASA officers said in an update (opens in new tab) on Tuesday night (Nov. 8). “Mission groups are also planning extra inspections of the cargo spacecraft throughout strategy and after seize.”
Three completely different robotic spacecraft ferry cargo to the ISS lately: Cygnus, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and Russia’s Progress automobile.
Cygnus and Progress expend in Earth’s ambiance after finishing their supply missions, however Dragon comes again for secure ocean splashdowns and future reuse.
Mike Wall is the creator of “Out There (opens in new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a e book in regards to the seek for alien life. Observe him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or Facebook (opens in new tab).
