Northrop Grumman is ready to launch its 19th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Antares rocket will launch a Cygnus spacecraft named the S.S. Laurel Clark to the orbiting lab, carrying over 8,000 pounds of crew supplies, equipment, and research materials.
NASA will livestream prelaunch and launch activities of the NG-19 mission on NASA TV, NASA Live, and their YouTube channel beginning at 7 p.m. CDT on August 1st. The NG-19 launch is scheduled for no earlier than 7:31 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, August 1st and includes a five minute launch window.
Science experiments launching onboard the Cygnus spacecraft include the Neuronix experiment that will demonstrate 3D cell formation for gene therapy and an experiment as part of Saffire that looks at fire prevention and suppression. Also included in the cargo is a new water system for the crew that dispenses hot water and has an advanced sanitization system.
This is the eighth flight of the Antares 230+ rocket that will carry Cygnus to low Earth orbit. The Cygnus spacecraft was named in honor of Laurel Clark, a crew member of STS-107 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. Clark lost her life when Columbia broke up on re-entry.
S.S. Laurel Clark will arrive at the ISS on Friday, August 4th at around 4:55 am CDT. The spacecraft will remain on Station for about three months, on the Unity Module, before returning to Earth carrying trash.
Members of the public can register with NASA to attend the launch virtually. Participants will receive access to resources, information, and launch updates, and receive a virtual stamp for viewing the launch.
