This article has been updated to reflect new liftoff and broadcast times following launch postponement.
NASA and Northrop Grumman are ready to launch the Cygnus cargo spacecraft named S.S. Sally Ride to the International Space Station (ISS). The resupply mission will deliver scientific research materials and space technology demonstrations, in addition to ISS hardware and crew supplies to the orbiting space laboratory.
NG-18 is currently scheduled for launch from Wallops Flight Facility on Monday, November 7th at 4:27 a.m. CST. There is a five minute window available for this launch opportunity.
Launch coverage will be provided by NASA on NASA TV and livestream at nasa.gov/live beginning at 4 a.m. CST. Live viewing of the launch is possible from viewing areas around the facility, with “Chincoteague Island including Robert Reed Park on Main Street or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands” remaining open for the launch according to NASA.
This resupply mission to the International Space Station is carrying over eight thousand pounds of materials that will both sustain the crews living and working onboard station, but also allow for crucial research to be conducted. Some of the more notable research and technology demonstrations traveling to space include a 3-D biological printing facility that will attempt to print cartilage tissue in microgravity, mudflow research, seeds from plants grown in space, and the first cubesats from Zimbabwe and Uganda.
The cargo spacecraft, named S.S. Sally Ride in honor of America’s first female astronaut to launch to space, will launch on an Antares rocket from provider Northrop Grumman. This is the penultimate launch of the Antares rocket. Currently, the vehicle is healthy and the weather is a 70% go for launch.
