Brenda Marie Rivers
Northrop Grumman has announced that its automated cargo spacecraft slated to be deployed to the International Space Station will be named after former U.S. Navy officer and NASA astronaut John Young.
The Cygnus spacecraft will be launched aboard Northrop’s Antares rocket on Nov. 15 from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, NASA said Friday.
Northrop made an announcement on Oct. 18 about its plans to launch the Cygnus spacecraft in November.
Cygnus will carry experimental payloads to support scientific research on cement solidification, motion perception in outer space and the transformation of plastic materials into 3D-printed filament to produce tools and materials.
The spacecraft will also carry cargo supporting astrophysics research on the formation of chondrules and a physical sciences experiment on creating fiber optic cables in space.
Rick Mastracchio, senior director of operations for Northrop’s Commercial Resupply Services program, announced the naming during a media day for Cygnus held Wednesday at the Wallops Flight Facility.
John Young participated in six missions and logged 835 hours in space as a NASA astronaut.
