Cygnus D1 (SS G. David Low)

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  39258 / 13051A Launch date  18 Sept 2013 - 14:58 UT Launch site  WI, LA-0A Launch vehicle  Antares-110 Mission  ISS cargo Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee   km Eccentricity   Inclination   deg Period   min

Artist's concept of a Cygnus spacecraft approaching the International Space Station. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) Platform   Operator  NASA Mass at launch  4127 kg Cargo Mass  700 kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  2 deployable solar arrays Solar array   Stabilization   Propulsion  IHI BT-4 DC power

Photo: Orbital Sciences

Workers loaded 1,235 pounds of cargo into the Cygnus pressurized cargo module in March. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.

End of live:

Description:

• Cygnus 1 Information
• The Orbital Sciences Antares rocket, formerly known as the Taurus 2, will launch the first Cygnus cargo freighter on a test flight to the International Space Station. Orbital Sciences is developing the Cygnus spacecraft to deliver supplies to the space station

Mission details:

• Launch delayed from June and December 2011. Delayed from Feb. 23, April 28, Aug. 20, Sept. 1, and October 2012. Delayed from April 5, May 3 and June 2013.
• The first mission of Orbital Science’s Cygnus Spacecraft to the International Space Station has been delayed to September 2013 because an engine swap on the Antares launch vehicle and a tight schedule of ISS visiting vehicles that only has a few open spots a year.
• On Sep 18, 2013 the second Antares 110 rocket took off from the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island and placed the first Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo ship in orbit. Cygnus #1 is named SS G. David Low after the late astronaut and Orbital employee (1956-2008); Low was also the son of a former NASA administrator.
• The 4127 kg Cygnus spacecraft consists of a pressurized cargo module (PCM), serial PCM-0, built by Thales Alenia in Torino, and a service module (SM) built by Orbital/Dulles. The craft carries 700 kg of cargo on this mission. It is scheduled to rendezvous with the ISS. Initial orbit was 261 x 277 km x 51.6 deg; at 2007 UTC orbit was raised to 274 x 384 km.
  On Sep 22 the first attempt at rendezvous was cancelled due to a software problem in the GPS navigation system, and Cygnus passed ISS at a distance of 4 km at 0845 UTC.
• On Sep 22, 2013 the Cygnus cargo ship was in a 407 x 413 km orbit preparing for a second attempt to rendezvous with ISS. On Sep 23 orbit was raised to 417 x 421 km, and on Sep 27 lowered to 399 x 413 km to start the approach.
  
  

  Cygnus 1 arriving at ISS

  
  
  
• On Sep 29 Cygnus completed its rendezvous with ISS, reaching a 250m hold point at 0908 UTC and the 10 meter capture point at 1050 UTC. The SSRMS arm captured Cygnus at 1100 UTC.
• The Cygnus Demo ferry was unberthed from Harmony at 1004 UTC Oct 22, 2013 and released into a 415 x 419 km orbit by the SSRMS at 1131 UTC. On Oct 23 at 1306 UTC the orbit was lowered to 180 x 420 km; a further burn at 1741 UTC lowered it further to 50 x 420 km and the Cygnus reentered and burnt up at 1816 UTC over the South Pacific.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Wallops Island. Credit: #421

Launch cancel. Credit: #312