Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo-freighter, the NG-22 is being delayed indefinitely, after engineers confirmed that the Pressurized Cargo Module had sustained damage within its shipping container. The damage was caused when heavy equipment struck the container during shipping. Northrop Grumman had notified NASA earlier in March of the problem. Engineers confirmed that the container had not been unharmed when they opened it and inspected the module inside. According to a spokesperson for the US space agency,
: “NASA and Northrop Grumman are adjusting planning for the company’s next commercial resupply launch to the International Space Station. Northrop Grumman’s Commercial Resupply Services-23 now will be the company’s next flight to the International Space Station for NASA, targeted to launch no earlier than fall 2025.”
This means that SpaceX’s next resupply mission in April is becoming increasingly critical. The International Space Station is running out of consumables and Elon Musk’s rocketeers will be the only option to launch supplies from US soil within the next few months. The spokesperson added
“NASA previously announced plans to adjust the cargo manifest on the agency’s next resupply mission on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in April and add more consumable supplies and food to help ensure sufficient reserves of supplies aboard the station,” . The Register contacted NASA to ask what contingency plans would be in place if the next resupply mission failed to reach the orbiting lab. NASA did not respond.
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According to a source from another space agency, the PCM will be sent back to Italy to be repaired, and then possibly used on a subsequent mission, depending on its extent of damage.
Cygnus, a two-part spacecraft, is composed of a Service Module (SM), based on a satellite bus already in existence, and a Pressurized Cargo Module(PCM), manufactured by Thales Alenia Space Turin. Northrop Grumman [PDF] states that the freighter has a volume of 27 m3 and can carry up 3,750 kg. The unexpected loss of this mission has caused headaches for researchers and planners as science payloads had to be removed from SpaceX’s upcoming mission in order to make room for consumables.
Another source commented on the trash situation aboard the ISS. She said that Cygnus is an expendable vehicle which serves as a container for garbage when attached to the outpost. The vehicle is usually stuffed with waste to be disposed of when it leaves.
While Earthlings may get antsy if a garbage truck is a few days late, the ISS residents could have to wait up to a year for the next Cygnus. (r)
