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NASA and Northrop Grumman are preparing to launch a Cygnus cargo capsule full of research and supplies at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, February 20.
The flight will take off from Pad 09A at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a scheduled five-minute window that opens at 12:36 p.m. EST (5:36 p.m. GMT).
A two-stage Antares rocket, 42.5 meters high, will transport the Cygnus spacecraft into orbit, starting a two-day journey to the ISS. Once at the space station, Cygnus will dock at the orbital outpost using the station’s robotic arm.
Related: Check out some awesome launch photos of Antares and Cygnus NG-13!
The Cygnus spacecraft and the Antares rocket are built by Northrop Grumman, which is one of two companies currently delivering cargo to the ISS for NASA. (SpaceX is the other.) The duo deployed to the launch pad on February 17 ahead of the scheduled launch on Saturday.
The mission, designated NG-15, is the 14th operational refueling launch for the space station by Northrop Grumman and its predecessors, Orbital Sciences and Orbital ATK, under its commercial resupply services contract with NASA.
Northrop Grumman continues its tradition of naming the Cygnus spacecraft after an individual who made key contributions to human spaceflight. In this case, the silver spacecraft is named the SS Katherine Johnson, according to the late mathematician whose calculations enabled John Glen to orbit the Earth 59 years ago.
Freighters carry essential supplies and food for space station astronauts, but also a lot of research. During this mission, Cygnus will deliver approximately 8,200 books. (3,700 kilograms) of science experiments, supplies and equipment for the Space Station Expedition 64 crew.
The spacecraft will also carry 30 cubesats as part of a student outreach program for Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority which it will deploy shortly after its launch.
Typically, cargo ships remain attached to the station for a month or two, allowing the crew to fill them either with cargo to return to Earth or, as for Cygnus, with trash can burn when the spaceship re-enters the atmosphere
A number of research surveys, including a study that will examine muscle strength in worms, one that will examine the impression of artificial protein-based retinas in space, another that will test a new space computer, and much more.
Japanese astronaut and Expedition 64 crew member Soichi Noguchi will use the station’s robotic arm to catch the Cygnus, with the help of NASA teammate Mike Hopkins. Mission control in Houston will then oversee the installation of the spacecraft in the Earth-facing port of the station’s Unity module.
Cygnus will remain attached to the station for about two months before making a destructive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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