Today, on August 11, at 1:01 a.m. Kyiv time, another successful launch of the Antares launch vehicle from the Wallops Cosmodrome (Virginia) took place.
This time, the NG-16 mission’s Cygnus spacecraft is named after Ellison Onizuka, the first American Asian astronaut, who died during the Shuttle Challenger launch.
The NG-16 mission is being conducted for resupply the International Space Station. The Cygnus will deliver approximately 3.7 tons of research materials and equipment to the station.
In particular, a 3D printer was sent to the ISS, which uses a material that mimics the lunar soil, a device for cleaning the station’s air from carbon dioxide, a mounting bracket that will be used on the supporting frame of solar panels during space launch in late August.
Also on board the station should be a prototype payload (Prototype Infrared Payload (PIRPL)), which operates in the infrared range. The device was developed by the Space Development Agency, and the data obtained by it are planned to be used to develop algorithms for the next generation of observation satellites.
For reference. Starting in 2009, YUZHMASH began work on creating the main structure of the first stage of the Antares LV. The company manufactures the stage of the launch vehicle in cooperation with Ukrainian enterprises, including Yuzhnoye State Design Office, “Hartron-ARCOS”, Kyivprilad, “Hartron-YUKOM”, “CHEZARA”, “RAPID”.
Since 2013, the Antares launch vehicle has been launched 15 times, 14 of them successfully.
You can watch the video of launch by the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0tl3RWTB8E
