WASHINGTON — A Cygnus cargo spacecraft is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, a combination that required more changes to the rocket than to the spacecraft.
At a Jan. 26 briefing, NASA announced that the launch of the NG-20 cargo mission from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 was targeted for Jan. 30 at 12:07 p.m. Eastern. This is a one-day delay from the previous plans due to “accommodating launch pad readiness.” If Cygnus launches on that day, it is expected to arrive at the International Space Station early Feb. 1.
This launch marks the first time Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft has flown on Falcon 9. All previous launches of Cygnus have been on Northrop’s own Antares launch vehicle, with the exception of two missions that launched on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 after an Antares launch failure in 2014.
Northrop plans to launch at least three Cygnus missions on Falcon 9 rockets as it collaborates with Firefly Aerospace on a new version of the Antares, which replaces the Ukrainian-built first stage powered by Russian engines with a stage developed by Firefly using its own engines. The vehicle, known as the Antares 330, is expected to begin launches as soon as mid-2025.
According to Cyrus Dhalla, vice president and general manager of tactical space systems at Northrop Grumman, the shift to the Falcon 9 has been relatively smooth for Northrop. He stated that “We didn’t really have to make any modifications to the Cygnus.” However, the company did make minor changes to the cargo loading process, attributed to doing it in a new facility with different equipment.
SpaceX had to make changes to accommodate Cygnus, specifically its ability for “late load” of cargo within 24 hours of launch. To provide a similar late load capability for Falcon 9 launches of Cygnus, SpaceX created a “gigadoor” in the fairing of the Falcon 9. This is a door 1.5 by 1.2 meters in the side of the fairing that can be opened to provide environmentally controlled access to the Cygnus inside.
Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX, mentioned that this will be the first time SpaceX has done this, as SpaceX’s own Dragon spacecraft launches without a fairing. He added that putting the door in the payload fairing does not affect SpaceX’s ability to recover and reuse it.
In addition to the development of the payload fairing door for Cygnus launches, SpaceX has been testing modifications to its transporter erector at Launch Complex 39A, enabling it to load liquid methane and oxygen propellants. This is required for the upcoming launch of the IM-1 lunar lander by Intuitive Machines, which will be fueled on the pad, inside the payload fairing, shortly before launch.
According to Gerstenmaier, SpaceX has been testing the equipment to ensure it is ready for the IM-1 launch, currently projected for mid-February. He said, “That work is pretty much on track. It’s a lot of interesting integration but, as you see even with this Northrop Grumman 20 mission, we at SpaceX like to do innovative and creative things.”
