Cygnus NG-16

NG-16 was the fifth Cygnus mission under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract. Production and integration of Cygnus spacecraft are performed in Dulles, Virginia. The Cygnus service module is mated with the pressurized cargo module at the launch site, and mission operations are conducted from control centers in Dulles, Virginia and Houston, Texas.

{{main|Cygnus (spacecraft)}}

This was the eleventh flight of the Enhanced Cygnus. Northrop Grumman named this spacecraft after Ellison Onizuka, the first Asian American astronaut.

The Cygnus spacecraft was loaded with {{cvt|3723|kg}} of research, hardware, and crew supplies.{{cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/08/10/northrop-grumman-launches-commercial-resupply-mission-to-space-station/|title=Northrop Grumman launches commercial resupply mission to space station|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=10 August 2021|access-date=11 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/content/overview-for-northrop-grummans-16th-commercial-resupply-mission|title=Overview for Northrop Grumman's 16th Commercial Resupply Mission|publisher=NASA|date=4 August 2021|access-date=10 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810203539/https://www.nasa.gov/content/overview-for-northrop-grummans-16th-commercial-resupply-mission/|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}

• Crew supplies: {{cvt|1396|kg}}
• Unpressurized cargo: {{cvt|48|kg}}
• Science investigations: {{cvt|1064|kg}}
• Spacewalk equipment: {{cvt|15|kg}}
• Vehicle hardware: {{cvt|1037|kg}}
• Computer resources: {{cvt|44|kg}}

The SEOPS Slingshot Deployment System delivered CubeSats to a {{cvt|500|km}} orbit, following un-berthing from the ISS in late 2021.

The 4-Bed Carbon Dioxide Scrubber, a next-generation air filtration unit developed and built by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, was aboard Cygnus NG-16.

NASA Glenn Research Center:

• Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE)
• Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) Reconfigure

University of Kentucky:

• Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment (KREPE): This experiment consisted of three capsules that re-entered the atmosphere in a hypersonic flight. This experiment was conducted at the conclusion of the NG-16 flight. Each capsule was outfitted with a heat shield for protection during re-entry. The goal of the mission was to collect thermal data from each heat shield.

Space Development Agency:

• Prototype Infrared Payload (PIRPL): An experimental missile tracking infrared sensor made by Northrop Grumman for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in support of the SDA's planned Tracking Layer constellation.{{cite web|last=Erwin|first=Sandra|url=https://spacenews.com/dod-experiment-flying-to-international-space-station-to-collect-data-for-missile-tracking-sensors/|title=DoD experiment flying to International Space Station to collect data for missile-tracking sensors|publisher=SpaceNews|date=9 August 2021|access-date=9 August 2021}} Before the re-entry into the atmosphere, Cygnus NG-16 released the PIRPL to conduct observations using its infrared sensor. The infrared data helped engineers design the next generation of missile-tracking satellites. The technology demonstration helped future U.S. military satellites better detect and track hypersonic missiles, like the ones China and Russia have recently (around 2021) tested.{{cite web|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/11/20/cygnus-cargo-freighter-ends-mission-at-international-space-station/|title=Cygnus cargo freighter ends mission at International Space Station|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=20 November 2021|access-date=20 November 2021}}

On 18 November 2021, SPDM/Dextre grappled STP-H6 from ExPRESS-3 and mounted it onto the external payload attach device on the hull.{{Cite web |title=STP-H6 |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/stp-h6.htm |access-date=2022-07-30 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} At 16:01{{nbsp}}UTC on 20 November 2021, flight controllers on the ground sent commands to release the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft from the Canadarm2 robotic arm after earlier detaching Cygnus NG-16 from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module. At the time of release, the station was flying about {{cvt|420|km}} over the South Pacific Ocean. The Cygnus spacecraft successfully departed the International Space Station more than three months after arriving at the space station to deliver about {{cvt|3400|kg}} of scientific investigations and supplies to the orbiting laboratory. After departure, the Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment (KREPE) stowed inside Cygnus took measurements to demonstrate a thermal protection system for spacecraft and their contents during re-entry in Earth's atmosphere, which can be difficult to replicate in ground simulations. Cygnus deorbited on 15 December 2021, following a deorbit engine firing to set up a destructive re-entry in which the spacecraft, filled with waste the space station crew packed in the spacecraft, burns up in the atmosphere of Earth.{{cite web |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2021/11/20/cygnus-departs-station-ending-cargo-mission/|title=Cygnus Departs Station Ending Cargo Mission|publisher=NASA|date=20 November 2021|access-date=20 November 2021}} {{PD-notice}}

• Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web|url=https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/iss-research/|title=ISS Research Program|work=Glenn Research Center|publisher=NASA|date=1 January 2020|access-date=27 September 2020}} {{PD-notice}}

{{cite web|url=https://flightopportunities.nasa.gov/technologies/214/|title=Technology demonstration of the KRUPS capsule for heat-shield validation|work=University of Kentucky|publisher=NASA|date=August 2018|access-date=30 June 2021}} {{PD-notice}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/06/orbital-atk-crs2-cygnus-flights-antares-commercial/|title=Orbital ATK looks ahead to CRS-2 Cygnus flights, Antares on the commercial market|publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com|first=Chris|last=Gebhardt|date=1 June 2018|access-date=27 September 2020}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/cygnus-spacecraft/|title=Cygnus Spacecraft|publisher=Northrop Grumman|date=6 January 2020|access-date=27 September 2020}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/nasa-commercial-resupply-mission-ng-16/|title=NASA Commercial Resupply Mission NG-16|publisher=Northrop Grumman|date=12 July 2021 |access-date=12 July 2021}}

{{cite web|url=https://seopsllc.com/slingshot/slingshot-deployment-process.html|title=Slingshot Deployment Process|website=seopsllc.com|date=1 October 2020|access-date=11 January 2021}}

{{cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/10/01/northrop-grumman-optimistic-to-receive-more-nasa-cargo-mission-orders/|title=Northrop Grumman "optimistic" to receive more NASA cargo mission orders|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=1 October 2020|access-date=29 October 2020}}

{{cite web|last=Leone|first=Dan|url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-orders-two-more-iss-cargo-missions-from-orbital-atk/|title=NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK |publisher=SpaceNews|date=17 August 2015|access-date=27 September 2020}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/releases/2021/marshall-ships-next-generation-air-filtration-hardware-for-flight-to-iss.html|title=Marshall Ships Next-Generation Air Filtration Hardware to Wallops for Flight to International Space Station|publisher=NASA|date=10 June 2021}} {{PD-notice}}

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• [https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/northrop-grumman.html Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply, NASA page]

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Category:Cygnus (spacecraft)

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