Space.com reported the mission as follows, “SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman’s robotic Cygnus spacecraft today (Jan. 30), sending the freighter and its 4 tons of cargo toward the International Space Station.
The Cygnus lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida today.
The launch kicked off the 20th operational cargo mission for Cygnus. SpaceX was not involved in the previous 19; they all lifted off atop Antares or Atlas V rockets.
The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth as planned today, acing its touchdown at Cape Canaveral about 8 minutes and 20 seconds after launch. It was the 10th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Cygnus, meanwhile, deployed from the Falcon 9’s upper stage in low Earth orbit around 14 minutes and 45 seconds after launch. The freighter then began making its own way to the International Space Station (ISS).
If all goes according to plan, Cygnus will arrive at the orbiting lab at 4:20 a.m. EST (0920 GMT) on Thursday (Feb. 1). You can watch its rendezvous and docking activities live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.”
Please use the following spaceX.com link for a replay of the launch and description of the mission.
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