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Northrop Grumman Space SystemsAntares 230+Launch Area 0 A, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson)

Launched

February 20, 2021 · 17:36 UTC

Launch SuccessfulWeather 75% go
Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) Patch

Summary

Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) launched on a Northrop Grumman Space Systems Antares 230+ from Launch Area 0 A, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA on February 20, 2021 at 17:36 UTC. The launch window ran from 17:36 to 17:41 UTC. It was Northrop Grumman Space Systems's 8th launch, 1st this year and humanity's 6,051st orbital launch attempt. It was the 4th Antares 230+ flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). S.S. Katherine Johnson, one of 16 catalogued objects, reached a 178 × 327 km orbit inclined 51.6°. The spacecraft was Cygnus CRS NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson). 16 objects from this launch are catalogued, 15 of them payloads.

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Vehicle
Antares 230+ · Northrop Grumman Space SystemsCommercial Resupply Services, International Space Station
Booster
No booster details on record.
Mission
Resupply · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Milestone
4th Antares 230+ flight · 1st this yearNorthrop Grumman Space Systems's 8th launch1st this yearhumanity's 6,051st orbital launch attempt14th orbital launch attempt this year

Spacecraft

Cygnus CRS NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson)

This is the fifteenth flight to the ISS by the Cygnus spacecraft under the CRS program and their fourth under the CRS-2 program. This is also the 11th use of the enhanced size Cygnus.

  • Destination: International Space Station
  • Mission length: 131 days
  • Docked February 22, 2021 at Unity nadir

The Cygnus spacecraft burned up as planned upon entering Earth's atmosphere.

Webcast

Replay
Watch on YouTube

Flight preview

Orbit: as tracked

51.6°Inclination
178 × 327 kmPerigee × apogeefrom mean elements
89.4 minPeriodfrom mean elements
198.9°Ascending node
2063 d agoElement epoch2021-02-20 17:45 UTC · stale

S.S. Katherine Johnson · NORAD 47689 · 2021-013 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 16 objects

Show the numbers for orbit elements
Object
TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
Object ID
2021-013A
Epoch
2021-02-20 17:45:57 UTC
Mean motion
16.10547894 rev/day
Eccentricity
0.0113
Inclination
51.65°
Ascending node
198.9371°
Arg. of perigee
136.08°
Mean anomaly
12.66°
Element set
999
Rev at epoch
0
B*
0

Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.

Catalogued objects

16 catalogued: 15 payloads, 1 rocket stage

  • S.S. Katherine Johnson · NORAD 47689
  • Nichirin · NORAD 47924 · re-entered May 1, 2022
  • Selfie-sh · NORAD 47925 · re-entered June 10, 2022
  • TAUSat-1 · NORAD 47926 · re-entered May 5, 2022
  • Tsuru · NORAD 47927 · re-entered July 5, 2022
  • Sanko · NORAD 47928 · re-entered April 15, 2022
  • Maya-2 · NORAD 47929 · re-entered July 7, 2022
  • Hirogari · NORAD 47930 · re-entered April 15, 2022
  • GuaraniSat · NORAD 47931 · re-entered July 5, 2022
  • Lawkanat 1 · NORAD 47976 · re-entered April 4, 2023
  • ORCA-7 · NORAD 49013 · re-entered January 31, 2023
  • Gunsmoke-J 2 · NORAD 49014 · re-entered December 28, 2023
Show 3 more payloads
  • ORCA-6 · NORAD 49015 · re-entered January 31, 2023
  • DhabiSat · NORAD 49016 · re-entered January 17, 2024
  • IT-SPINS · NORAD 49017 · re-entered February 28, 2024

Antares A-14 Stage 2 · re-entered March 1, 2021

Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org

About this launch

This is the 15th planned flight of the Orbital ATK's uncrewed resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its 14th flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. This Cygnus spacecraft carries the name of American mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights.

Pad

Map of Launch Area 0 A

Launch Area 0 A, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

15th launch from Launch Area 0 A, 1st this year · 69th from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Local pad time at liftoff: Feb 20, 12:36 PM EST, in daylight

19 launches from this pad · 87 from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

140 days after the previous launch from this pad

All launches from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USAOpen in maps

Updates

Weather 75% GO

Nosu · Feb 19, 2021 · source

Show 4 earlier updates

  • Updating spacecraft's name to S.S. Katherine Johnson

    SwGustav · 2/7/2021 · source

  • Setting the launch go

    SwGustav · 2/7/2021 · source

  • Correcting T-0

    spacevogel · 12/15/2020 · source

  • spacevogel · 12/15/2020 · source

Questions

When did Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) launch?

Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) launched on February 20, 2021 at 17:36 UTC. The launch window ran from 17:36 to 17:41 UTC.

Where can I watch Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson)?

Coverage: Antares NG-15; Northrop Grumman Cargo Launch to the Space Station from NASA Wallops (Official NASA Broadcast). Watch the replay

What rocket launched Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson)?

Antares 230+, flown by Northrop Grumman Space Systems. Antares 230+ spec sheet

Where did Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) launch from?

Launch Area 0 A, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA. Liftoff was Feb 20, 12:36 PM EST local time at the pad.

What orbit did Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) reach?

S.S. Katherine Johnson, one of 16 catalogued objects, reached a 178 × 327 km orbit inclined 51.6°.

How many satellites did Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) launch?

15 payloads from this launch are catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).

Which program is Cygnus CRS-2 NG-15 (S.S. Katherine Johnson) part of?

Commercial Resupply Services and International Space Station. About Commercial Resupply Services