On February 15, 2020 at 8:21 PM (UTC) Northrop Grumman launched the CRS2 NG-13 (Cygnus) mission atop its Antares rocket. This was a routine resupply mission to the ISS packed full of science, supplies, and hardware.

After two previous launch attempts were scrubbed — one due to a ground equipment fault, and another due to high upper level winds — Saturday afternoon finally saw the successful launch of the resupply mission with almost 3,400 kgs (for Americans, that’s 1700 2L soda bottle) of cargo, experiments and supplies aboard. Both the rocket and the spacecraft were built by a subsidiary of Northrop-Grumman formerly known as Orbital ATK, and in a tradition dating back to that company, the spacecraft was given a special name to commemorate the mission. In this case, the craft was named the S.S. Robert H. Lawrence Jr. in honor of the first African American accepted into NASA’s astronaut program. He was accepted into the astronaut corps in 1967, but died later that same year in an aircraft training accident.

Of note, this mission contains a Ka-Band antenna which will allow the Columbus module of the ISS to communicate via a network designed and implemented by the European Space Agency, called the European Data Relay System. This system uses two ESA-built satellites launched into geostationary orbit in 2016 and 2019 which downlink to a ground station in Harwell, England. The Ka-Band links will allow much faster data throughput for ESA scientists and will take some pressure off of NASA’s overburdened Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. 

Also onboard is a miniaturized scanning electron microscope, built by Voxa, a Seattle-area company. The goal is to test the performance of miniaturized devices which can allow a similar level of investigation into the structure and composition of materials without having to wait the weeks or months currently needed to send those materials back to labs on Earth for processing. The device will be installed aboard JAXA’s Kebo module of the ISS. Voxa’s CEO, Christopher Own, says the device costs a modest US$65,000, but believes this could be reduced if testing is successful and mass production becomes commonplace. By comparison, scanning electron microscopes in ground-based labs typically run closer to $1 million. Dubbed “Mochi” in honor of the Japanese dessert, NASA hopes the device will be usable by the station’s inhabitants, as well as by operators on the ground. Meanwhile, Voxa hopes the device will become widely used both on Earth and in space. Own said, “When we came up with the concept, we thought what about the dessert mochi. It’s small, cute and absolutely delicious. Everybody will want one.”

Other items of interest include three experimental small-sats for US government research agencies DARPA and AMES, a fresh supply of fruits and veggies for the ISS crew, and a number biological experiments.

NASA live streams are usually pretty dry, straightforward, and professional. Not a whole lot of character, but it’s completely non-offensive and it gets the job done. This launch was different: we were able to get a peek behind the curtain to the real flubs that happen behind the scenes. We’re talking open mics, a call made to an out-of-order Verizon number, and the 3D animation just going nuts.

More Information

• CRS2 NG-13 (Cygnus) (Rocket Launch Live) https://www.rocketlaunch.live/launch/crs-2-ng-13 
• Cygnus NG-13 (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_NG-13 
• NASA TV Coverage Set for Feb. 14 Cygnus Launch to International Space Station (NASA) https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-tv-coverage-set-for-feb-14-cygnus-launch-to-space-station 
• S.S. Robert H. Lawrence – NG-13 Cargo Delivery Mission to the International Space Station (Northrop Grumman) https://www.northropgrumman.com/wp-content/uploads/Space_NG-13_Robert_Lawrence_Biography.pdf
• Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Henry_Lawrence_Jr.
• Cygnus freighter delivers new British-made antenna to International Space Station