Falcon 9 launches the Cygnus NS-21 mission, arrives at the ISS

10 Aug

Written By KYNNMASTER 123

Launch to Landing (and Deployment):

[CC: SpaceX “tweets” a video of the Cygnus NS-21 launch and Falcon 9 landing after launch]

(Article written on August 8, 2024, published late due to unforeseen issues)

On August 4, 2024, at 11:02 AM Eastern Time, a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the Cygnus NS-21 mission, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The rocket carried the Cygnus spacecraft, containing supplies and scientific experiments for the crew residing on the Space Station. This mission is part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, which allows private companies to carry cargo to the International Space Station.

After the successful launch, Falcon 9 separated its two stages and parted ways. The first stage, B1080, subsequently did an RTLS (Return To Launch Site) boostback burn and successfully landed on Landing Zone 1. This was the 10th launch and landing for this specific Falcon 9 booster. The second stage also did its job, sending the spacecraft to the proper orbit. It then separated the Cygnus Spacecraft, sending it to an orbit that could make it catch up with the ISS.

After Deployment to Berthing:

At 2:21 PM EDT, the spacecraft successfully deployed its two solar arrays, just after its separation with the second stage. Despite an abort with its first planned correction burn, which was due to slightly lower-than-expected readings, they re-attempted the planned burn later on the mission as engineers had already sifted through the data and confirmed that the pressure readings were acceptable for the spacecraft to continue its mission to the ISS.

After a series of correction burns and catch-ups to the ISS, the Cygnus Spacecraft successfully approached the station, allowing it to berth with the robotic arm on the station. The arm then successfully installed the spacecraft to the International Space Station, which allowed the crews to access the cargo on the spacecraft itself.

Experiments on the station:

The spacecraft in this mission, Cygnus NS-21, carried around 8,200 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory. In this part of the article, let us talk about the various scientific experiments this spacecraft has sent for the crew residing on the station.

1. Packed Bed Reactor Experiment

This experiment aims to improve and optimize the design and operation of packed bed reactors for water filtration and other systems in the environment of space. In short, this experiment will help improve life support systems used in spacecrafts and future Lunar and Martian bases, which can also enhance water purification and heating and cooling systems here on Earth.

[CC: Hardware for the packed bed water recovery reactor experiment. The packing media is visible in the long clear tube (NASA)]

2. STEM Demonstrations for Students

These demonstrations aim to illustrate different scientific concepts from space for students here on the ground. It aims to explain concepts in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and how they relate to one another in the world of Science.

[CC: NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps prepare for a STEMonstration on the International Space Station. (NASA)]

3. Producing more, better stem cells in space

The In-Space Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Clinical Application (InSPA-StemCellEX-H1) aims to test technology that helps produce human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in space. This type of technology is vital for producing blood and immune cells, which can help us enhance treatments for various diseases that mainly attack and affect blood cells.

[CC: NASA astronaut Frank Rubio works on the first test of methods for expanding stem cells in space, StemCellEX-H Pathfinder. The InSPA-StemCellEX-H1 investigation continues this work. (NASA)]

4. DNA repair in space

The Rotifer-B2 investigation by the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to understand how spaceflight, with its harsh environment, affects DNA repair. It aims to study the survival and reproduction of rotifers, which are microscopic aquatic animals that are known to repair their DNA as effectively on Earth and in space. The results of this investigation can help us improve various applications here on Earth that are connected to the environment of DNA.

The APEX-09 investigation is also included in this mission, which delivers plants to space to understand how plants response to the environment of space, which is useful for future space missions.