NASA and Northrop Grumman target Aug. 1 for next cargo launch to space station

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with the company's Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, August 1, to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. The mission will lift off at 8:30 p.m. EDT from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0A at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Following the launch, Cygnus will be grappled by the space station's Canadarm2 no earlier than Friday, August 4, and berthed to the Unity module's Earth-facing port for cargo unloading by the Expedition 69 crew aboard the space station.

Space station research and equipment aboard this spacecraft include a new potable water dispenser that provides hot water and improved sanitization, neural cells that will be cultured into 3D cell models for gene therapy testing and a probe that measures plasma contents of the upper atmosphere, among others.

Each resupply mission from U.S. companies plays a vital role in ensuring a national capability to deliver critical scientific research to the space station. This increased capacity significantly enhances NASA's ability to conduct new investigations in biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, as well as technology development and demonstrations.

You've asked and we have a date! 🗓️The next Antares launch from Wallops is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1, at 8:30 p.m. EDT! This marks 10 years since the first Cygnus resupply launch to the @Space_Station! Stay tuned for more on how you can watch the launch. pic.twitter.com/KdI2jn2rQT

— NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) June 21, 2023