NG-12: S.S. Alan Bean Cygnus departure31 sty 2020
Cygnus departs space station, deploys CubeSatsFebruary 3, 2020 Stephen Clark
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft departed the International Space Station Friday before raising its orbit and deploying multiple CubeSats. Credit: Oleg Skripochka/RoscosmosA Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo craft departed the International Space Station Friday to close out a three-month stay, then raised its orbit to release multiple experimental nanosatellites for NASA, the U.S. military and research institutions, including one that was snap-assembled by astronauts using 3D-printed parts produced on the station.
The automated cargo freighter is scheduled to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at the end of February, when it will burn up over the South Pacific Ocean to dispose of several tons of trash and unnecessary equipment from the space station, including a failed NASA sensor designed to study space debris and a disused European solar research instrument.
Ground controllers commanded the space station’s Canadian-built robotic arm to detach the Cygnus spacecraft from a berthing port on the Unity module. Astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir oversaw the arm’s release the Cygnus spacecraft below the space station at 9:36 a.m. EST (1436 GMT) Friday, according to NASA. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/02/03/cygnus-departs-space-station-deploys-cubesats/Crew Works Human Research, CubeSats and Gears Up for Spaceship DeparturesThe Cygnus space freighter with its prominent cymbal-shaped solar arrays is pictured attached to the Unity module. Behind Cygnus is one of the space station’s basketball court-sized solar arrays.https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/01/29/crew-works-human-research-cubesats-and-gears-up-for-spaceship-departures/U.S. Cygnus Space Freighter Departs Station After 88 DaysJanuary 31, 2020
The U.S. Cygnus space freighter is pictured moments after the Canadarm2 robotic arm released the 12th resupply ship from Northrop Grumman on January 31, 2020.Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft departed the International Space Station’s at 9:36 a.m. EST after Expedition 61 Flight Engineers Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir of NASA commanded its release from the Canadarm2 robotic arm. At the time of release, the station was flying about 250 miles over the South Pacific just off the West Coast of Chile.
For this mission, Cygnus demonstrated a new release position for departure operations and incorporated the first ground-controlled release. The new orientation allowed for easier drift away from the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Within 24 hours, Cygnus will begin its secondary mission deploying a series of payloads. The departing spacecraft will move a safe distance away from the space station before deploying a series of CubeSats: HuskySat-1 (University of Washington), SwampSat II (University of Florida), EdgeCube (Sonoma State University), and CIRis (Utah State University).
Northrop Grumman flight controllers in Dulles, Virginia, will initiate its deorbit and execute a safe, destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere at the end of February.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/01/31/u-s-cygnus-space-freighter-departs-station-after-88-days/https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=3876.msg141049#msg141049